#77 - 10/15/77 - Wilson Throws a BYU Record 7 TDs in Debut as Starting QB: BYU - 63, Colorado State - 17

         When BYU’s All-American QB Gifford Nielsen went down with a season-ending injury against Oregon State on Oct. 8, it felt like a death knell to Cougar fans. The “Mormon Rifle” had led the Cougars to their third WAC title by leading the nation in TD passes, and finishing second in total offense. With Nielsen at the helm, the Cougars began the 1977 season with a 3-0 record, and had jumped up to #13 in the AP poll; and Gifford became the early favorite to win the coveted Heisman Trophy. BYU’s fourth game was on the road at Oregon State. Sports Illustrated wanted to put Nielsen on the cover of their magazine, and flew a team to Oregon to cover the game. Although the Cougars took an early 19-0, the Beavers came back with a run-heavy offense and a hard-hitting defense that knocked Nielsen out of the game. Nielsen tried to play injured, but was ineffective. The Cougars lost the game, their starting quarterback, the Heisman, their Top 20 ranking and their dreams of winning another conference championship. Or so it felt to BYU fans as their Cougars (3-1) traveled to Fort Collins to take on the undefeated Colorado State Rams (5-0) with an unproven quarterback, Marc Wilson, at the helm.

Marc Wilson jersey
Legacy Hall

        BYU started its first drive at its own 8-yard line. Wilson led them to the Ram 37, where he launched a 37-yard TD pass to Tod Thompson. Colorado State tied up the game when Ron Harris returned the kickoff from his own end zone 100+ yards for a touchdown. If that weren’t bad enough, things took a turn for the worse when BYU fumbled the kickoff return at their own 21, where it was recovered by the Rams. Luckily, the Cougars pushed the Rams back a yard on the ensuing series and the Rams’ FGA went wide left. A sack and an interception gave the Rams another opportunity in Cougar territory, but the Cougars stopped a fourth down attempt at their own 25 to quell the threat. Wilson led a 75-yard assault that featured a 44-yard pass to John Van Der Wouden and culminated with a 25-yard TD pass to George Harris. Late in the first quarter ended, the Cougar D intercepted a pass in Ram territory, but ended up punting. Fortunately, the punt return was fumbled and recovered by Todd Christensen at the Ram 9. On fourth-and-inches, Wilson scored on the keeper to put the Cougars up 21-7.

        In the second quarter, the Rams booted a 47-yard FG to cut into the Cougar lead. After a Cougar punt and three successive penalty calls, the Cougars got the ball back when Tony Hernandez intercepted the ball at the Cougar 25 and returned it 18 yards to the Ram 47. The Cougars responded with a short drive that was punctuated by an 8-yard TD pass to Thompson. The Cougars’ next drive went for 66 yards, with half of them coming on a 33-yard TD pass from Wilson to Thompson again - his third TD reception (T5th) of the day. When the Cougar D recovered another Ram fumble at the Ram 32, the Cougars capitalized with a 22-yard TD pass to George Harris. Cougar fans were starting to jump on the Marc Wilson bandwagon as their Cougars entered the locker room with a 42-10 halftime lead.

TE Tod Thompson
Courtesy of BYU Photo

        In the third quarter, the Cougars picked right back up where they’d left off. On their first drive of the second half, Wilson led the Cougars 71 yards, hitting Todd Christensen with a 28-yard TD pass. When the Rams’ backup QB Gary Crowton (yes, that Gary Crowton) fumbled the ball at the Ram 30, the Cougar Offense converted the turnover into seven more points. Wilson connected with John Van Der Wouden for a 12-yard TD pass - Wilson’s record seventh of the day, with more than a quarter and a half remaining to play. When the Rams fumbled again, the Cougars decided it was time to run out the clock rather than run up the score with more TD passes. That didn’t stop Scott Phillips from scoring a rushing TD from the Ram 10 giving the Cougars a 63-10 lead. The Rams went back to Crowton, who ran for three, completed a pass for three, then fumbled away the ball at the Ram 27 - the Rams’ third consecutive drive to end with a lost fumble. This time, however, the Ram D forced a 47-yard FGA, which they managed to block. The Rams threatened to score, advancing to the Cougar 16 before being stopped on fourth down. Right before the quarter ended, the Cougars fumbled away the ball deep in their own territory. The Rams offense managed to cross the goal line for the first time that afternoon on an 8-yard TD pass to Chuck Kovac.

        In the fourth, the Cougar offense played conservatively, focusing on running out the clock. The Cougar D, however, continued to dominate, stopping the Rams on fourth down on two consecutive drives, and netting their third interception of the afternoon to end the Rams’ last gasp effort at the Cougar 1-yard line. When you add in the Cougars’ 5 fumble recoveries, they forced 8 turnovers and stopped all four of CSU’s fourth down attempts. The longest drive against them went for a paltry 46 yards.

        Wilson finished the game with 332 passing yards and a WAC record 7 TD passes (T1st) before turning the ball over to his backups for mop-up duty. Not bad for a backup QB making his first start on the varsity squad. He would finish the year with several more records, including a couple of NCAA records, en route to winning WAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The Cougars would jump back into the AP poll the following week at #17, and finish up the season with a 9-2 record, a share of the WAC title and a #20 AP ranking (#16 UPI).