Fans walk around after the Cougar Walk and before a game against the UCF Knights held at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. The Cougars will take the field Saturday afternoon for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff against Arizona State. | Isaac Hale, Deseret News Dave McCann Sat, October 31, 2026 at 12:00 AM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Halloween and BYU football are like a Milk Dud — a combination of ingredients that go perfectly together — and thanks to Fox television, they can complement each other Saturday instead of competing.
Placing the BYU-Arizona State game in the 1:30 p.m. broadcast window opened the door for a joyous doubleheader — football by day and trick-or-treating by night. For a while, it felt like it was going to be one or the other, but not both.
The vampire Cougs hosting the Sun Devils appeared tailor-made for that haunting and cold 8:15 p.m. start time. However, BYU's hot start (6-1, 3-1) and No. 8 national ranking is a hot ticket item for television. The Cougars' last-minute 28-24 victory against No. 2 Notre Dame in front of 12.3 million viewers has pushed them out of the shadows.
BYU kicked off in the sunshine last week at UCF with a Fox audience that peaked at 10 million. They host Arizona State on Fox in the daylight Saturday and will play at Utah next week at 10 a.m. on either ABC or ESPN.
Even as parents and children celebrate the day game, no one is happier than Arizona State. The Sun Devils (4-3, 2-2) will start true freshmen at quarterback and running back in an environment that has been paranormal for opponents, especially under the cloak of darkness where the Cougars have won 16 straight and 42 of their last 46.
In relating Saturday's game to a night of trick-or-treating, here is how things might go.
First quarter: Just like a trick-or-treater, BYU starts the game with nothing but high hopes. They work door-to-door, or possession by possession, to get a feel for how things might go. Not everything will be ideal. Just as some homes hand out apples or toothbrushes, there might be a few false starts or a dropped pass. No matter — the Cougars and trick-or-treaters press on. BYU 7-0.
Second quarter: Things get a little more intense. The weight of the game, just like the candy in the bag, starts to get a little heavier. So do the decisions. For Aaron Roderick and the BYU offense, do they start taking risks for a big payoff or stick to the game plan? It's not unlike a trick-or-treater deciding whether to hit an apartment complex or stay on the main streets and focus on homes. BYU 21-3.
Third quarter: The rhythm of the afternoon is in place. BYU is running and throwing, and the defense has dialed in on Arizona State's youthful quarterback. The Cougars are back performing like a playoff team. For a trick-or-treater, this is like scoring a Twix, Snickers and KitKat at three consecutive doors. BYU 35-10.
Fourth quarter: Sometimes things can get a little crazy late in the game and BYU has had back-to-back heart-stoppers. But if all goes well, the biggest decision for Kalani Sitake will be whether to keep scoring, like the trick-or-treater, out past nine, wondering if they should pack it in for the night. It's not an easy call to make. There is something to say about chasing style points and extra candy.
The College Football Playoff rankings debut on Tuesday. An additional touchdown or two for BYU might pay off just as some late trick-or-treating did for the McCann kids. A home on our street in Las Vegas ditched candy one year and handed out money instead. Now that was a happy Halloween! BYU 42-17.
As recent weeks have shown, anything can happen in the Big 12. Arizona State is more than capable of handing the Cougars a trick or two, even a defeat. But if BYU is truly refocused and reenergized after last week's double-overtime loss at UCF, then extending their Halloween win streak to nine games is likely — and there will be a full house to watch it.
The last Halloween game at LaVell Edwards Stadium came during the 2020 COVID-19 season. In the eerie setting, with less than 7,000 fans ghostly scattered around the 65,000-seat stadium, Zach Wilson threw three touchdown passes and ran for another as No. 10 BYU socially distanced themselves from Western Kentucky, 41-10.
No matter what happens Saturday, Halloween 2026 will be much better than that one. Thanks to Fox, we have an afternoon game with a full house, and trick-or-treating at night — ingredients that go perfectly together — like the caramel and chocolate of a Milk Dud.
Cheerleaders perform as BYU plays Western Kentucky at Lavell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Oct. 31, 2020. | Jocelyn Allan
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts "Y's Guys" at ysguys.com and is the author of the children's book "C is for Cougar," available at deseretbook.com.
Source: Sports
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