Kenny Dillingham Says Late Clock Management Against BYU was '100% a Mistake'

Arizona State and BYU faced off in November in a game with major conference title implications. After ASU dominated BYU in the first half, the Cougars came roaring back and had the opportunity to take the lead in the final moments. Trailing 28-23, BYU was in ASU territory when Jake Retzlaff was intercepted. The interception was returned all the way inside the BYU 10 yard-line. Instead of trying to punch the football in the endzone and put the game out of reach, Dillingham opted to run out the clock.

That's when the drama really started.

Due to a series of clock management blunders, BYU got the ball back at midfield for one final Hail Mary attempt. Before the final play, ASU fans rushed the field and Dillingham was seen screaming at the referees continuously during the review.

After further review, the referees added one second to the clock and cleared all the fans off the field. BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff connected with Chase Roberts on the Hail Mary attempt, but Roberts was marked a few years shy of the goal line.

BYU and ASU would have rematched in the Big 12 title game if Kansas State would have beaten Iowa State in the final week of the regular season. Instead, the Cyclones handled the Wildcats and Iowa State made it to the title game due to tiebreaker rules. Arizona State crushed Iowa State in the title game and cruised to the College Football Playoff.

BYU and Arizona State are not scheduled to play again in the 2025 regular season. The Cougars and the Sun Devils will only face each other if they both qualify for the Big 12 championship game. The next scheduled game between BYU and ASU is in 2026 in Provo.