INSTANT ANALYSIS: #21 Arizona State beats #14 BYU 28-23 in wild finish

It came right down to the wire but Arizona State emerged victorious.

The Sun Devils entered this game at 8-2 having just made their way into the College Football Playoff Top 25 for the first time all year, coming in at 21st in the nation. They were playing host to the #14 BYU Cougars, who lost their first game of the year last week against Kansas.

That set the stage for a showdown in the desert with massive implications for the Big 12 and, by extension, the playoff race as a whole. BYU has been a frontrunner to reach the Big 12 title game for the past two months now, but the loss last week put them in a precarious position. Similarly, it set Arizona State up to put themselves squarely in the driver's seat of the race to reach the conference championship game.

The Sun Devils, who have not lost at home all year, got off to a strong start in the first half. Their defense was smothering BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff and superstar running back Cam Skattebo ran in for three touchdowns to stake out a 21-3 lead at halftime.

When the second half began, though, BYU seemingly woke up from their slumber in the first half.

Arizona State started with the ball and promptly marched down the field, but Kenny Dillingham opted to go for it on fourth and goal from the Cougars 4-yard line. Sam Leavitt threw incomplete to Jordyn Tyson, turning it over on downs.

BYU's offense then took charge, flying down the field 96 yards and capping it off with a Keelan Marion touchdown run. BYU went for the two-point conversion and came up short, trimming the deficit to 21-9. Anyone who has watched BYU this season had to have an uneasy feeling at that moment, as the Cougars have made a habit out of miraculous comeback wins.

The Sun Devils responded with a lightning fast score just two plays later, with Leavitt hitting a wide open Xavier Guillory for a 61-yard touchdown. The scoring continued, though, as BYU scored another touchdown just four plays after that. This time they succeeded on the two-point try, and Arizona State's lead was cut down to 28-17. A Sun Devil punt was followed up by another Cougars score, but a failed two-point try left BYU still needing a touchdown at 28-23.

Arizona State then engineered a methodical 11-play drive that took just over six minutes off the clock. But on fourth and short at the BYU 11-yard line, Dillingham chose to go for it instead of kicking a field goal to make it an eight point lead. Leavitt ended up running with the ball after Skattebo seemingly turned the wrong way, and Arizona State turned it over on downs.

That led to a long drive from BYU where Cougars receivers kept getting open. Just when it seemed like a go-ahead touchdown was an inevitability, Sun Devil cornerback Javan Robinsob picked off Retzlaff and returned it 64 yards to the BYU 7-yard line, seemingly icing the game.

Then came the controversy.

Rather than scoring a touchdown to go up multiple scores with under a minute in the game, Arizona State ran a couple plays with Leavitt running backwards to try and run the clock out. On fourth down with seven seconds left, Leavitt chucked the ball up in the air and to the sideline, and the clock expired. Fans stormed the field to celebrate, but the replay booth ruled that the ball came down out of bounds with one second left.

Chaos ensued, and after several minutes elapsed, officials were able to usher fans off the playing surface long enough for BYU to run a last chance Hail Mary attempt, which ultimately came up short. The game was officially over and the fans once again stormed the field.

It was closer than it should've been, and BYU came so very close to doing what they've done all year long, but Arizona State found a way to pull it out at the end. Adding to the significance of this game was the fact that Kansas knocked off #16 Colorado 37-21, which creates a three-way tie at the top of the Big 12 between Arizona State, BYU, and Colorado.

Only time will tell who ends up going to the Big 12 title game in a few weeks, but this win was massive for Arizona State's chances of getting there. That it came in such dramatic fashion only adds to the dramatic story that has been this season for the Sun Devils.