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BYU senior running back Lopini Katoa runs for a touchdown during the game against East Carolina at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU junior quarterback Jaren Hall throws a pass during the game against East Carolina at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU defenders make a tackle during the game against East Carolina at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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When things aren’t going well for a college football team, every play takes on greater significance and a chance to win means everything.

That’s the position BYU was in going into Saturday night’s game against East Carolina at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo and that ramped up the drama as the Cougars and Pirates traded blows.

In the end, however, a late pass interference call proved to be the difference-maker as it set the Pirates up to hit the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired to win, 27-24.

With the game tied in the fourth quarter, both teams had chances to seize the lead and the momentum. East Carolina missed a makeable 42-yard field goal but the Cougars had two fourth-down-and-short opportunities and even though BYU rushed the ball for more than 240 yards, it couldn’t get them when it counted.

On the first, at the Pirate 12-yard line, instead of giving the ball to one of the top three playmakers (Hall, Katoa or Nacua), the Cougars gave it to freshman running back Miles Davis to run right into the teeth of the East Carolina defense. He was stacked up for no gain and the visitors got the stop.

BYU then tried to go quick on a fourth-and-1 from its own 44-yard line and it failed miserably as well, with Hall getting barely a foot as the Pirate defenders swarmed to the ball.

That gave East Carolina the ball in excellent field position. With the aid of a targeting call, the visitors moved down inside the Cougar 10-yard line.

Facing a fourth-and-1, the Pirates eschewed the field-goal attempt and went for it, but East Carolina sophomore running Keaton Mitchell was stopped just short of the line to gain.

That gave BYU the ball back with just over four minutes left but the Cougars couldn’t even get a single first down and had to kick it back with 2:26 on the clock. The Pirates faced a fourth-and-8 and went deep. It was likely to be defended by the safety coming over the top but the defender was whistled for the pass interference to keep the East Carolina drive alive.

There were some pluses in the early going for the home team, at BYU actually won the coin toss for only the second time in 2022 and then — aided by a fumbled snap by the Pirates — forced a three-and-out to start the game.

The Cougars drove into East Carolina territory but got stuffed, forcing a 36-yard field goal attempt. In another positive moment, BYU junior kicker Jake Oldroyd blasted it through to give the Cougars the early 3-0 lead.

But the defensive struggles combined with missing a bunch of contributors resulted in the Pirates answering with a 75-yard drive.

Mitchell capped the drive when he took a handoff, sped through a gaping hole on the right side of the line and saw nothing between him and the end zone. His 31-yard TD put the visitors in front.

The Pirates had the lead and appeared to be in position to put a ton of pressure on the Cougars. On a third-and-3 from the BYU 43-yard line, Cougar junior quarterback Jaren Hall got hit hard from behind and the ball popped loose. East Carolina defenders jumped on it and started celebrating the turnover — not realizing there was a yellow flag on the field.

One of the Pirate defenders had lined up in neutral zone, drawing an offside penalty that not only nullified the fumble recovery but also gave BYU a big first down.

The Cougars took advantage of the “turnover reversal” thanks in large part to the hard running of senior running back Lopini Katoa. He had a 24-yard run on a first-and-15 play, then took the handoff on a third-and-1, broke a tackle in the backfield and raced 24 yards to the end zone.

East Carolina tied the game with a field goal on its next possession but BYU answered with four big plays.

On a third-and-10, Hall hit junior receiver Puka Nacua, who then spun away from a couple of tacklers to get past the line to gain and a 14-yard pickup.

Then it was Hall taking advantage of the hard-charging Pirate defense on a couple of quarterback runs, one for 15 yards and then another for 23 yards.

He then went back to Nacua, who sprinted past a confused East Carolina secondary and was wide open in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown.

The lead was short-lived, however, as East Carolina got another big run by Mitchell to set up a one-yard plunge by senior quarterback Holton Ahlers to tie the game.

BYU had plenty of time to score going into halftime but the Cougars were stuffed on a pair of head-scratching run plays and forced to punt. BYU sophomore punter Ryan Rehkow, however, boomed a 71-yard punt that pinned the Pirates deep and kept East Carolina from getting a late score.

The Cougars came out with a good drive to start the second half, going 75 yards in 11 plays. Hall hit freshman wide receiver Chase Roberts on the wide receiver screen for a 2-yard touchdown to put BYU back in front.

Again it wouldn’t last long, however, as the Cougar defense put up little resistance on the next East Carolina possession. Ahlers tied the game again with a 4-yard quarterback run.

That set the stage for the drama in the final minutes, resulting in the game-winning field goal for the Pirates.