BYU Football Questions Answered In Win Against Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas – The BYU football team survived a wild back-and-forth battle with the Arkansas Razorbacks that came down to the final play of the game.

In the end, BYU held on 38-31 after the Razorbacks had a chance to tie it up on the final play of the game.

Let’s answer some questions from a big road win for the Cougars.

Win ✔️
Dance ✔️ pic.twitter.com/pxjv47HkQO

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) September 17, 2023

Who was the MVP for BYU football?

There were many players who stepped up for BYU.

LJ Martin was fantastic in his first start as a Cougar running back.

However, I think Parker Kingston was the most valuable player of the game.

Early on, his 46-yard kick return settled the nerves after the Razorbacks jumped out to an early 14-point lead.

He followed that up by throwing his first career touchdown pass to Deon Smith.

A little trickeration never hurt anybody.@BYUfootball on the board courtesy of the @ParkerKingston @DeionS20 connection 🤝

📺 ESPN2pic.twitter.com/kaUIUesCLS

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) September 17, 2023

In the second half, he scored a game-tying touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Quite possibly his most important play of the game was breaking a tackle on a third-down conversion that led to the ridiculous one-handed touchdown catch by Chase Roberts.

Chase Roberts on his one-handed catch: "I've always practiced those in my backyard as a kid. Ya know, the Odell, Austin Collie type catches."#BYU #BYUFootball

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) September 17, 2023

The Cougars have plenty of weapons offensively, and adding Kingston to the mix is a nice luxury.

What was the most impactful play of the game?

After Arkansas missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt early in the fourth quarter, BYU had a chance to seize control of the game.

Kedon Slovis led the Cougars on a eight-play scoring drive that resulted in the Roberts touchdown catch.

I thought it was a significant moment in the game because it put the pressure back on Arkansas.

It also allowed the BYU defense a little breathing room and an opportunity to be a little more aggressive.

Defensive coordinator Jay Hill must be pleased with the defensive performance, especially in the fourth quarter where they didn’t allow a Razorback point.

Getting a touchdown in that situation from Roberts was a pivotal moment in the game.

What was the most interesting stat from the game?

Arkansas out-gained BYU 424 to 281 yards.

One thing that helped the Cougars win this game was explosive plays.

While only completing 13 passes, Slovis and the Cougar passing attack averaged 14.6 yards per completion.

They needed multiple “explosive plays” to win this game and they got just enough of them to get a big win.

When was the game won for BYU football?

It appeared that BYU would score again after the fumble recovery by Tyler Batty with 3:49 left in the game.

The Cougars had the ball at the Arkansas 38-yard line.

They were only able to gain six yards before attempting a 50-yard field goal that was no good.

With no timeouts remaining, Arkansas raced down the field and entered the red zone with only seconds left in the game.

Earlier in the drive, Jakob Robinson dropped an easy interception that would have ended the game.

Instead, the Cougar defense had to make a stop on the final play of the game to get a win in SEC country.

The defensive line got pressure that nearly resulted in a sack before KJ Jefferson threw the ball to an offensive lineman.

One of the wildest BYU football games came to an end on an illegal touch-pass.

You can hear Matt Baiamonte every Saturday on KSL Newsradio for Cougar Sports Saturday from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. or you can find him on Twitter.