Friday's game was played in front of more than 2,000 fans on the BYU West Campus Field, as LaVell Edwards Stadium was unavailable due to a new grass playing surface being installed.
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Earlier in the day, BYU legends and former players gathered for breakfast, joined head coach Kalani Sitake for a team meeting and met with teammates of different eras at a luncheon at LaVell Edwards Stadium. BYU athletic director [Tom Holmoe] and Sitake addressed the alumni and their families, spreading a message of unity, brotherhood and mentorship for the current program.
In the afternoon, the alums and families watched BYU's current team hold a light practice during spring ball as the team prepares for the 2024 season. Members of the current team and the alums visited after practice before heading to the evening's game.
Before the game, the team captains gathered on the 50 yard line for the coin toss, done by former BYU running back Fui Vakapuna, who is recovering from recent brain surgery and received many well wishes from his former teammates and Cougar Nation.
Making his alumni game debut, NFL Hall of Fame and Super Bowl champion Steve Young threw the first two passes of the game for the Navy team, connecting for a first down to Jonny Harline on his first toss and then throwing an interception to Uani Unga on his second throw. Team Royal would march down the field and Max Hall connected with Mitchell Juergens for the first touchdown of the game, making it 6-0 Royal.
In the second quarter Navy forced a turnover on downs and then Jake Heaps went 9-of-12 and capped off the drive with a touchdown pass to Cody Hoffman to get team Navy on the board. After a successful one-point conversion it was 7-6. That would be the score going into halftime.
To start off the second half, Young took the opening snaps again, this time for team Royal. He led a drive that eventually ended with touchdown pass to Aleva Hifo, making it 12-7.
In the fourth quarter, Hoffman caught another touchdown pass early to make it 13-12 for Team Navy. But it was Neil Pau’u who would steal the show with a touchdown grab from Jackson Brown in the corner of the end zone, over two defenders, to put Team Royal up 18-13. Team Navy still had time to march down the field. With Heaps quarterbacking the drive, Team Navy got all the way to the three-yard line but could not punch the ball in as the Royal defense successfully defended the final attempt in the end zone as time expired.
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