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Boise, Idaho

The BYU Cougars were hoping to complete a memorable October, and they succeeded.

Just not necessarily for the right reasons.

After the Cougars drove into position for a potential game-winning field goal, Boise State's David Moa blocked Rhett Almond's 44-yard attempt.

Almond was trying to give the Cougars their third two-point win of the season via a field goal in the last few seconds. But No. 14 Boise State held on for a 28-27 victory Thursday night at Albertsons Stadium in a game that was BYU's for the taking in multiple ways.

The outcome matched BYU's 28-27 loss to the Broncos in 2004, when the Cougars missed a shorter field-goal try at the end.

In this case, Almond could have added to the Cougars' list of dramatic marches to winning field goals against Arizona and Toledo this season. This drive carried a higher degree of difficulty than than the others, starting at the BYU 8-yard line. Taysom Hill found a passing rhythm and moved the team down the field.

The coaching staff could have tried to move closer to the end zone after reaching the Boise State 27-yard line with 15 seconds remaining, but who knows if that would have made any difference.

Even after the block on a second-down play, the Cougars recovered the ball and had a last shot, but Hill's pass was knocked away in the end zone.

So ended another wild adventure in BYU coach Kalani Sitake's first season. The Cougars have experienced a double-overtime victory, a pair of two-point wins via last-second field goals and four losses by three points or fewer.

The Cougar defense that delivered two touchdowns via interception returns in the second quarter was otherwise shredded all night, with Boise State driving for a go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter and finishing with 571 total yards to BYU's 322. The Cougars played without star running back Jamaal Williams and struggled to move the ball consistently — until the final drive that ultimately failed.

The reality is the Cougars (4-4) needed this potential upset of the Broncos to validate their September/October record. The three Power 5 opponents (Arizona, Michigan State and Mississippi State) have a collective 1-9 mark in conference play. They're recognized programs, but not vintage teams in 2016.

BYU can regroup for a November run, the only trouble being that no glamorous rewards are available to them against any of their remaining opponents, other than maintaining possession of the Old Wagon Wheel in the rivalry with Utah State.

That's why beating Boise State would have been meaningful, while probably denying the unbeaten Broncos a New Year's 6 bowl bid.

And the Cougars certainly had their chances — creating some opportunities with five takeaways and a blocked field goal. The defense turned two interceptions into touchdowns, but the offense failed to capitalize on three fumble recoveries, netting three points.

Hill needed a strong finish to end up 21 of 42 for 187 yards; Boise State's Brett Rypien went 25 of 39 for 442 yards.

In many ways, this game resembled the Cougars' 55-53 victory over Toledo, their only other Group of 5 opponent this season. Toledo gained 692 total yards in Provo. Thanks mostly to Rypien's passing, Boise State posted 379 yards in the first half, actually getting ahead of that pace. The difference in this case was the Broncos' five turnovers, limiting their offensive production - and giving BYU two touchdowns.

Even so, Boise State went ahead 28-27 with a touchdown drive early in the fourth quarter. Playing without star running back Jamaal Williams, BYU's offense couldn't respond. The Cougars reached the Boise State 41-yard line before punting with 6:43 remaining.

When the Broncos scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the game, a rout seemingly was in the making. But when has a BYU game in the Sitake era lacked a bunch of twists and turns?

Sure enough, this one became crazy in the second quarter, when BYU's Fred Warner and Dayan Lake returned interceptions for touchdowns and the Cougars blocked a field-goal attempt, leading to their first points.

And there was more to tell. Sitake authorized a fake punt on fourth-and-19 play from the BYU 5-yard line, and Jonny Linehan was caught at his own 2. Somehow, the bizarre call worked in the Cougars' favor. An excessive celebration penalty pushed back the Broncos, and they missed a field goal, forgiving Sitake's blunder.

The Cougars could have added to to their 17-14 lead after Handsome Tanielu's fumble recovery, but the Broncos made a fourth-down stop at their 31 and launched a touchdown drive. Rypien's 36-yard pass to Cedrick Wilson gave the Broncos a 21-17 edge, justifying their 379-114 advantage in total yards.

The Cougars went ahead 27-21 early in the fourth quarter on Almond's 37-yard field goal. But they lost their lead on Boise State's next possession, and never got it back.

Twitter: @tribkurt