In a span of eight days, BYU went from living its college football dreams to reliving a nightmare.
Or maybe, even, a Knight-mare.
Backup quarterback Keyone Jenkins threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning score to Lehi native Grayson Brousseau in double overtime, to help the Knights hand No. 2 BYU its first loss of the season, 39-31, at the Acrisure Bounce House in Orlando, Florida.
Just eight days after the Cougars’ monumental win over then-No. 2 Notre Dame in Provo, a cross-country trip brought Kalani Sitake’s squad back down to earth.
In the trap game of all trap games, BYU (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) fell right into it.
And yet somehow, still had a chance to win.
Bear Bachmeier completed just 16 of 32 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.
But the Knights (4-3, 2-2 Big 12) piled up 463 yards of offense, including two touchdowns from Landen Chambers and 137 yards receiving from freshman Tyren Hornes.
Kyler Kasper caught six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown to lead BYU, and the Oregon transfer could only watch as UCF kicker Stone Jenkins lined up a potential game-winning field goal on third down from 46 yards out before the end of regulation.
Faletau Satuala blocked that attempt, but then chaos ensued.
Jenkins recovered his own kick and was tackled as his helmet flew off. Initially, it was ruled a facemask against BYU — but that flag was picked up, forcing a 10-second run off and pushing the game into overtime.
On the Cougars’ first possession, Bachmeier found Legend Glasker for a 28-yard touchdown on third-and-13.
Jenkins needed just one play to respond, stepping out of a sack attempt by Braxton Lindsey to find Josh Derry for a 25-yard touchdown.
With the roles reversed, Brousseau — the tight end who grew up in Utah County before playing collegiately at Utah State and Oklahoma State before finding his way to Orlando — scored on a 4-yard toss in the flat to stretch the Knights’ lead to 39-31.
Bachmeier tried to respond again. But the sophomore quarterback’s final drive featured pass attempts on five of six plays, resulting in four incompletions and a 4-yard run. His final pass, intended for Walker Lyons, fizzled in the rainy Central Florida air as a flood of students stormed the field.