The BYU Cougars toyed with their prey on Friday night.
No. 23 BYU hosted West Virginia in front of a packed crowd inside LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo, Utah. The Cougars held a commanding 28-10 lead coming out of halftime.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick reached into his bag of tricks during BYU’s second-half opening drive. Facing 4th-and-6 at the Mountaineers’ 35, the Cougars lined up for a 53-yard field goal. But it turned out to be a picture-perfect fake-out to get the first down.
#BYU with the FAKE FG! Up by 18 points.
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) October 4, 2025
The holder faked pitching it back between his legs and then scooted up the middle of the first down. pic.twitter.com/acEWdtR2E1
Holder Sam Vander Haar kept the ball after the snap and sauntered into 11 yards for a first down.
Here’s another angle of the special teams trickery.
Now that's a fake FG. pic.twitter.com/bKyXgMQAKV
— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) October 4, 2025
Despite stealing a first down near the red zone, BYU was unable to punctuate the drive with a touchdown. The Cougars had to settle for a 37-yard field goal, an attempt that surely had the Mountaineers’ defensive unit on its toes. The home team held on for a 38-24 victory.
It’s been that kind of season for BYU. The Cougars have won four of their first five games by at least two scores, with their closest call surprisingly coming against Colorado.
