#79 - 9/8/88 – Back-to-back wins over national powerhouse: BYU – 47, #19 Texas – 6

         In 1987, the BYU Cougars beat the Texas Longhorns 22-17 in Austin in the very first matchup between the national powerhouses. In 1988, the Cougars (0-1) hosted the rematch against the #19 Longhorns (0-0) for a nationally televised game on ESPN.

        The Cougars got off to a fast start. On their very first play from scrimmage, junior QB Sean Covey took the snap and dropped back, faking a handoff. He then turned and located WR Bryce Doman all alone, racing past midfield. Covey’s missile was on target, and Doman grabbed it at the Texas 37 and cruised into the end zone for an 80-yard TD reception. On their next possession, the Cougars drove 42 yards, setting up a 31-yard FG by Earl Kauffman. Meanwhile, the Cougar D successfully herded the Longhorns, forcing punts on each of their first three possessions. On the fourth, however, the Horns drove 45 yards, capping the drive with a 41-yard FG late in the first quarter. After one period of play, BYU led 10-3.

Bryce Doman
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Sean Covey
Courtesy of BYU Photo

        BYU responded by driving to midfield. Covey then took the snap and noted that in the cross pattern, WR Chuck Cutler had pulled away from his defender. Cutler caught Covey’s pass at the 35 and threw on the brakes at the 25, so that two defenders would flail at him as they sailed by. Cutler then cut back toward the middle avoiding another defender as he raced into the end zone for a 52-yard TD reception. Another Longhorn punt set up the Cougars’ next drive. This one only went for 30 yards, but Kauffman booted a long 51-yard FG to put 3 more points on the board. Not to be outdone, the Longhorns advanced 42 yards into Cougar territory. From there, their kicker, Wayne Clements, booted an even longer 55-yard FG. For the remainder of the half, the defenses took over. At intermission, BYU led 20-6.

        The Cougar Offense struggled in the third, punting on each of their first three possessions. Luckily, the Cougar Defense was up to the task. They stopped the Longhorns on fourth-and-goal at the 2-yard line to squelch one drive. Then Rodney Rice extinguished the Longhorns’ next drive when he picked off an errant pass and outpaced the Longhorn pursuit as he returned it 70 yards for a Pick-6. After three, BYU’s lead was now 27-6.

        In the fourth, the Cougar D continued to maul the Longhorns, sacking the quarterback to crush another fourth down attempt, and intercepting three more passes by the harried Longhorn quarterbacks. Meanwhile, the Cougar Offense added on. A two-play drive featured a 17-yard bootleg run by Covey and a 20-yard TD rush by Fred Whittingham. On their next drive, freshman QB Ty Detmer came in and immediately led the Cougars into Longhorn territory with a 44-yard pass to Mike O’Brien. Then, on third-and-8, he spotted Chuck Cutler open in the flat. Cutler snatched Detmer’s pass and raced into the right corner of the end zone for a 20-yard TD reception. The Cougars’ final scoring drive was set up when Rocky Biegel snagged a deflected ball for an interception. A 17-yard TD rush by Eric Mortensen rounded out the scoring - a 47-6 trouncing of the #19 Longhorns.

        In the blowout, BYU quarterbacks threw for 402 yards - the most passing yards ever given up by a Longhorn Defense. The win jump-started a 7-game win streak for the Cougars, who finally broke into the AP Top 20 in Week 10. Unfortunately, the Cougars would lose three of their last four regular season games to finish the season with an 8-4 record. Still, they were invited to play in the 1988 Freedom Bowl, where they beat the Colorado Buffaloes 20-17.

Game Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PACbBk0Uq0o

 

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