Jason Benetti’s announcer jinx dooms BYU’s defense on first play vs. Iowa State

The BYU Cougars’ defense has indeed been a dominant force and a big reason the Big 12 squad was 7-0 heading into Saturday’s showdown with the Iowa State Cyclones.

But, you know, keep that to yourself, Jason Benetti!

Benetti was on the call for Fox Sports alongside Robert Griffin III on Saturday. As the game got underway, the announcer showered the Cougars’ defenders with praise and noted how Iowa State was likely to have its hands full trying to score on them.

“They’re gonna have to do it with their defense, which has been a very strong defensive side,” said Benetti of BYU. “Top 15 scoring defense in the FBS.”

As he finished saying that, Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht launched a deep ball down the field, which landed in the waiting arms of Brett Eskildsen. The receiver then beat out those staunch BYU defenders for a touchdown on the first play of the game.

TOUCHDOWN ON THE VERY FIRST PLAY OF THE GAME 🔥@CycloneFB with an electric start pic.twitter.com/raNF9EFvEv

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 25, 2025

(For some reason, Fox’s clip on X doesn’t include announcers, but you can hear the call here.) 

As of the time of this writing, the Cyclones lead the Cougars 24-17 at halftime, so we’ll see if that vaunted defense can put the hammer down or if Benetti’s jinx carries over to the end of the game.