Rece Davis Names College Football Coach Who Escaped a ‘Fireable Offense’

"College GameDay" analyst Pat McAfee posed a question to the crew made up of Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Nick Saban, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard on Saturday morning.

“What were they doing at the end of that game last week? Running backwards there?” McAfee asked.

After Arizona State intercepted BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff and returned it to the Cougars 7-yard line with 1:04 remaining, it seemed like the Sun Devils would try and chew the clock and potentially score again to extend their five-point lead. 

Instead, Dillingham and his staff elected to take a different approach. After reaching the 3-yard line with a four-yard rush from tailback Cam Skattebo, quarterback Sam Leavitt ran backwards on two straight plays in an effort to kill the clock.  

The only problem was that Arizona State was now in a 4th-and-goal situation from the 39-yard line. The Sun Devils then elected to take two-straight delay of game penalties, backing them up to the 49-yard line. Leavitt heaved a pass to the right sideline which appeared to exhaust the clock, giving Arizona State the victory. 

“It was awful,” Davis said. “Look, I love Kenny Dillingham - you lose that game, that might be a fireable offense. You might have to fire him … come back in three or four years when we figure this out."

Seven-time national champion head coach Nick Saban also chimed in, admitting that he had never witnessed a strategy like what Dillingham used to beat BYU. 

”I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said.

Drama ensued after what was supposedly the end of the game. After review, officials put one second back on the clock, but Arizona State fans had already stormed the field. 

And Dillingham was not happy with the officials. 

After a 13-minute delay, BYU attempted a Hail Mary pass from its own 49-yard line. Fortunately for Dillingham and company, the pass fell incomplete and the Sun Devils kept their Big 12 title hopes alive. 

Arizona State (9-2) will need another win on Saturday, this time against rival Arizona (4-7) in the regular season finale. Kickoff from Arizona Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m. ET (Fox).