Arizona State was fined for a messy finish in Saturday’s win over BYU.
The Big 12 announced Tuesday that it is fining the school $25,000 and issuing a public reprimand for the field storm near the end of the 28-23 victory. Arizona State fans swarmed the field thinking the game was over, but there was officially one second left as they rushed the field.
The Sun Devils accidentally tried to run out the clock instead of scoring a touchdown and taking a two-goal lead with less than a minute left. On fourth down, QB Sam Leavitt pulled the ball out of bounds in an attempt to end the game. However, the ball landed in the stands with one second remaining.
The clock read zero right after Leavitt’s pass, leaving fans to believe the game was over. The game was delayed for more than 10 minutes as officials checked the play to see if time was still left on the clock when the pass landed.
It was a wild scene as the check took place with fans crowding around the officials and an angry Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham watching over the officials’ shoulder.
“In accordance with the Big 12’s principles and standards of sportsmanship, the conference has issued a public reprimand and fine of $25,000 to Arizona State University for an on-field incident that occurred during Saturday’s football game against BYU,” the conference said in a statement. .
“The safety of student-athletes and all participants in the game is our top priority,” Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our institutions on event management policies at all Big 12 sites.”
After a replay review, BYU had a chance to throw a Hail Mary for the win. However, Jake Retzlaff’s pass to Chase Roberts was short.
The Big 12 fine for Arizona State is a quarter of what the SEC levies on its teams the first time fans invade the field. Auburn and Oklahoma were fined $100,000 for storming their fans in Week 13. Oklahoma was penalized twice because, like Arizona State’s fans, their fans stormed the field too early and caused the game to be delayed before the finals even started.
The win puts Arizona State in a four-game tie for first place in the Big 12 heading into the final week of the regular season. However, the Sun Devils have the best tiebreaker chances of all. ASU is in Big 12 play if it beats Arizona on Saturday no matter what anyone else does.