#94 - 8/28/03 – BYU’s NCAA Record Scoring Streak Continues: BYU - 24, Georgia Tech - 13

After suffering their first losing season in 30 years in 2002, the BYU Cougars wanted to start their season off on the right foot against the formidable Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets from the tough ACC. It would be the second ever meeting between the two schools. Their initial meeting had occurred the previous season, when the Yellow Jackets scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Cougars 28-19.
The Yellow Jackets put points on the board first. Taking advantage of a Cougar interception at the Cougar 38, they marched 30 yards before booting a 26-yard FG. Following the kickoff, QB Matt Berry guided the Cougars to the Yellow Jacket 38. Rather than punt on fourth down, the Cougars decided to go for it. TE Daniel Coats got a step on his defender, and Berry led him with a pass that Coats snatched out of the air and ran straight up the gut for a 38-yard TD reception. The Yellow Jackets drove back into scoring position on the ensuing possession. Dan Burnett’s 39-yard FG narrowed BYU’s lead to 7-6 after one quarter. In the second quarter, the Cougar Offense was struggling to pick up yardage. Things went from bad to worse when GT’s Nathan Burton corralled a blocked Cougar punt and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. The Cougars got the ball back, and drove 69 yards, but failed to score. Although the Cougar D had played well, the Cougars headed to the locker room down 13-7. In the third quarter, the Cougars charged out of the locker room and embarked on an 80-yard drive. After reaching the 15, Berry faked a handoff, then rolled left before firing to Coats, unguarded in the middle of the end zone, for a 15-yard TD pass. The Cougar D forced another punt on fourth-and-one. Berry led the Cougars right back into the Blue Zone. With three Cougar receivers bunched on the right side, Berry took the snap and dropped back. Toby Christensen streaked free of his defender and headed to the far right corner of the end zone, leaping to grab Berry’s pass for a 14-yard TD reception. After three, the Cougars now led 21-13. In the fourth, the Yellow Jackets were threatening to score, but Jernaro Gilford nailed the GT running back just short of the Cougar 10-yard line, knocking the ball free, and BYU recovered. A Cougar punt from their own end zone left Georgia Tech in good scoring position on their next possession. Luckily, Jon Burbidge intercepted a pass at the Cougar 6, to thwart another potential scoring threat. The Cougars then ran more than six minutes off the clock on a 16-play drive to the GT 6. Matt Payne then booted a 24-yard FG with 2:32 remaining. The Yellow Jackets attempted one last drive, but the Cougar D came up with another forced fumble that they recovered at their own 15 with 1:06 remaining. The Cougars then assumed the “victory formation” to run the last minute off the clock for a 24-13 win. The win was only BYU’s second win over a current ACC team in six matchups. The win also extended BYU’s NCAA record streak of not being shutout to 351 games. The last time the Cougars had been shutout was 9/27/75, when they were shut out by ASU. Unfortunately, the streak would end on the last day of the 2003 season, when the Cougars were finally shut out 3-0 by the Utah Utes. By then, the streak had reached 361 games. Eventually, Michigan would surpass BYU’s streak in 2013. The Florida Gators currently hold the record, but BYU’s scoring streak still ranks #4 all-time. Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMbcrPS74VA

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