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SALT LAKE CITY -- Brandon Burton came through in the biggest possible moment for the Utah Utes.
The senior cornerback came around the end and blocked a 42-yard field goal attempt by Mitch Payne as time expired to lift the Utes to a heart-stopping 17-16 come-from-behind victory over BYU on Saturday in front of 45,272 fans at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Ultimately, the Utes capitalized on a pair of enormous breaks to win a game they trailed virtually from start to finish.
Final Stats
| BYU | UTAH | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 19 | 14 |
| 3rd down | 6-15 | 4-15 |
| 4th down | 0-1 | 1-1 |
| Total Yards | 293 | 296 |
| Passing | 228 | 20 |
| Rushing | 65 | 89 |
| Penalties | 2-20 | 3-40 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 3 |
| Possession | 32:32 | 27:28 |
Leading up to Asiata's score, which came with 4:24 to go, Utah was stopped at its own 34-yard line. A wayward punt, however, inadvertently struck a BYU player's leg, and Utah's Greg Bird recovered at the BYU 46 for a fresh set of downs.
Two plays later, Utah QB Jordan Wynn threw an interception into the hands of BYU cornerback Brandon Bradley.
However, Bradley was ruled to have fumbled on his ensuing return, and the Utes recovered that and got another fresh set of downs at the BYU 38.
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On the next play, Asiata punched it in from 3 yards to put the Utes up by a single point.
BYU quarterback Jake Heaps then led the Cougars on a clutch drive over the game's final 4:24.
However, while the Cougars moved all the way down to the Utah 25, Payne's kick with no time remaining was batted to the turf.
All in all, BYU will be incredibly disappointed to have lost a game it let for virtually the entire afternoon.
BYU moved out to a 13-0 lead behind a pair of Mitch Payne field goals and a 21-yard touchdown reception by McKay Jacobson, but the Utes finally sprung to life in the fourth quarter.
Joe Phillips made a 40-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth, and on BYU's next possession, Heaps fumbled the exchange to running back Josh Quezada to give the ball back to the Utes.
On the next play, Wynn threw a 36-yard TD pass to DeVonte Christopher down the left sideline. BYU cornerback Brian Logan was in perfect position, but he only managed to tip the ball, and Christopher laid out and scooped it into his hands as he fell to the ground.
BYU brilliantly answered with a 56-yard drive that ended with a third Payne field goal to put BYU up by six points before the late drama.
Wynn finishes 13 of 30 for 199 yards and one TD and one INT. Terrance Cain, his backup, went 2 of 7 for 8 yards and no TDs and two INTs.
Meanwhile, BYU true freshman QB Jake Heaps went 22 of 37 for 228 yards and one TD and one INT.
Ute running back Eddie Wide rushed the ball 18 times for 76 yards.
