It's fourth and seven with just 52 seconds left in the game. No. 13 BYU, down four, needs to drive 75 yards and score a touchdown if an undefeated record and a dream season are going to stay alive.
The packed LaVell Edwards Stadium crowd is holding its breath late Friday night, holding on to something even less than hope. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff drops back to pass and hits Chase Roberts over the middle for eight yards. Deep breaths are released but no cheers made. Fourty-four seconds and counting.
The next play goes for just two yards and forces BYU to burn a timeout — 29 seconds left.
Retzlaff drops back again, this time opting to scramble. Ten yards downfield, it looks like the run will be just enough to get a first down and get out of bounds, but Retzlaff notices a linebacker is trying to cut him off and has no help behind him. He instead cuts up the field, avoiding the would-be tackler for a 27-yard scamper. Twenty-one seconds left.
The Cougars frantically get on the line and spike the ball as a palpable buzz starts emanating in the crowd. Nineteen seconds left.
Four receivers fly down the field. Retzlaff takes a hitch, looks left, and fires. Darius Lassiter, sitting in a soft spot in the Cowboy zone 20 yards downfield, catches the ball, makes three defenders miss, and strides into the end zone.
You could feel the stadium shake as tens of thousands of crazed BYU fans jumped up and down, feeling that euphoric feeling of disbelief mixed with pure joy that only sports provide. Anyone wearing an inch of orange stood still, stone-faced and silent.
"That was out of body," said Retzlaff after the game. "That was a spiritual experience."
The Cougars' unfathomable game-winning drive Friday snatched the win from Oklahoma State, 38-35.
The rest of the game was nearly as exciting as the end.
Retzlaff and the Cougar offense took the field and immediately came out firing. The first play from scrimmage was a 50-yard bomb to Lassiter.
BYU's offense methodically chipped the next 25 yards away, and Retzlaff found the end zone on a designed keeper.
Sophomore QB Garret Rangel trotted onto the field for his first-ever start for Oklahoma State. Whatever had been ailing the Cowboy's offense for the past four weeks appeared to have been cured in the bye week.
Ollie Gordon III immediately began tearing up the Cougar's defense. The drive featured four runs in a row, the last one resulting in a 50-yard tear from Gordon.
Gordon, having struggled early this season, found his groove, posting 127 total yards and three touchdowns.
Both teams then punted and a botched trick play from BYU resulted in the running back throwing an interception. Rangel immediately returned the favor and overthrew his receiver. Tanner Wall, who had an interception last week, picked it off and returned it to the 1-yard line.
It was an easy punch-in for LJ Martin and the Cougars took the lead, 14-7, at the beginning of the second quarter.
The Cowboys responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Rangel used his legs, and Gordon continued to tumble down the field as he tacked on his second touchdown of the night on a 17-yard pass to tie it up at 14-14.
BYU's next drive looked promising, but an aggressive play call and a poor decision from Retzlaff resulted in an interception, his first of the game. Retzlaff struggled early on but ultimately won the game with 218 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Oklahoma State continued to punish the Cougars in the run game, gaining every yard of their next drive on the ground. The biggest play was a 54-yard sprint from Rangel, who landed awkwardly and was taken off the field. He was ruled out the rest of the game with an apparent collarbone injury and Alan Bowman came in at quarterback.
Bowman was the starter for the first six games of Oklahoma State's season and was now unexpectedly tasked with leading the Cowboys offense.
Thankfully, he still had Gordon in the backfield with him. Gordon scored his third TD four plays later, and Oklahoma State took its first lead of the game, 21-14, and closed out the half.
This season, BYU has outscored opponents 83-23 in the third quarter, including 14-0 tonight. The defense has been the biggest reason for the staggering numbers, notoriously recording takeaways at the beginning of the second half.
This second half started with a Cowboys missed field goal, followed by a methodical BYU drive that consisted entirely of run plays and didn't require a single third-down conversion. The Cougars run game was impressive, averaging 7.1 yards per carry and 255 yards total. It's by far the best performance of the season.
Leading that attack was Martin. The talented sophomore had a career night, running for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
The BYU defense picked off Bowman on the next drive, and the offense took advantage with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Keelan Marion to take the lead, 28-21.
Right when it looked like the Cougars had all the momentum they needed to close the game out, Oklahoma State drove down the field again to knot it up at 28-28 at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
BYU's offense continued to pound the ball but stalled and had to settle for a field goal to take the lead by three.
The Cowboys then conducted an arduous 17-play, 76-yard drive that burned 8:22 off the clock. They found the end zone to take the lead, 35-31, with just 1:13 left on the clock.
That's when BYU executed one of the greatest drives in its storied history. Retzlaff found Lassiter for a 35-yard touchdown to win the game and pandemonium ensued.
Lassiter ended the game with six catches, 129 yards and the biggest touchdown of his life. The Cougars scored 24 points on their final four drives and won 38-35.
BYU is now 7-0, with the toughest part of the schedule in the rear-view mirror.
When asked about whether or not this team was a team of destiny, Sitake kept it rational.
“I don’t want to define it that way . . . You have to work. You have to find a way to be disciplined and be humble," he said.
Personally, I don't think any part of this team is rational, but winning is winning, and BYU is dang good at it.
The Cougars travel to Orlando next week to take on UCF and continue to defend their undefeated record.