The Cougars used a defensive stand on a 2-point conversion attempt with less than a minute to play to hold on for the 17-16 victory on Friday night in San Jose, California.
After allowing the only Spartans' offensive touchdown of the night, the BYU defense stepped up when Michael Wadsworth broke up a half-back pass from Tyler Ervin to secure the win and leave San Jose with a 7-2 record.
Scoring recap
The Spartans got on the board on their first possession of the night when Austin Lopez connected on a 31-yard field goal. One of the key plays to set up the score came when quarterback Kenny Potter found Billy Freeman for a 19-yard gain on third-and-9 to extend the drive.