The Sports Xchange
Sep 4, 2016
BYU's Jake Oldroyd made a 33-yard field goal with four seconds remaining to give the Cougars an 18-16 victory over the Arizona Wildcats in the first Cactus Kickoff Classic on Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.
Quarterback Tayson Hill drove the Cougars 53 yards for the winning field goal after Arizona halfback Nick Wilson scored the second of his two fourth-quarter touchdowns on a 49-yard run for a 16-15 Wildcats lead with 1:26 remaining. Arizona failed on a two-point conversion attempt.
BYU halfback Jamaal Williams rushed for a career-high 162 yards, and Hill passed for 202 yards and a touchdown in the head coaching debut of Kalani Sitake, who was the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator at Oregon State last season and is the first FBS head coach of Tongan descent.
Wilson rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns, and Arizona quarterback Anu Solomon passed for 212 yards and was intercepted twice.
Wilson scored on a 15-yard run with 9:33 left after BYU grabbed a 15-3 lead on Hill's 6-yard pass to Colby Pearson early in the fourth quarter.
Wilson's 49-yard run on third-and-1 gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game.
BYU had 415 yards total offense to Arizona's 328.
Williams, whose previous high was 139 yards, rushed for 54 yards on the 10-play, 80-yard drive capped when Hill hit Pearson for a touchdown 11:36 of the fourth quarter.
Cougars sophomore Rhett Almond made a 24-yard field goal to break a scoreless tie at 10:42 of the second quarter, the first field goal of his career.
BYU sophomore fullback Brayden El-Bakri scored on a 1-yard run to cap a 65-yard drive for a 9-0 lead with 2:53 left in the second period. That was El-Bakri's first career carry. Almond's extra point attempt was wide left.
Arizona's Josh Pollack missed a 52-yard field goal, his first career attempt, wide left as the half ended. BYU led 9-0 at the break.
Pollack made a 46-yarder to cap a 69-yard drive with 5:59 remaining in the third period to cut the deficit to 9-3.
BYU faces archrival Utah in Salt Lake City next Saturday. Arizona will play Grambling State in its home opener next Saturday.