52. 12/29/94 – Copper Bowl: #22 BYU – 31, Oklahoma - 6

 The #22 BYU Cougars (9-3) capped off their '94 season by taking on the Oklahoma Sooners (6-5) in the Copper Bowl. The two teams had never faced each other, but Oklahoma’s former coach, Barry Switzer, had been one of BYU’s biggest critics when they won their national championship in 1984. That may have played a factor in what would become one of BYU’s most dominating bowl performances.

The Cougar D dominated from the start, forcing a punt on Oklahoma’s first possession. When BYU took over, QB John Walsh faked a couple of handoffs while RB Jamal Willis took off downfield. Walsh turned and threw a sidearm pass, which the wide-open Willis caught and carried to the Sooner 35 for a 43-yard reception. They continued advancing in short chunks to the 7-yard line. From there, Walsh hit Bryce Doman with a short pass in the end zone for the first score of the game.

As the second quarter opened, the Cougars were marching again on a series of short passes. A 22-yard pass to WR Tim Nawatzke pushed the ball to the Sooner 3. Unfortunately, the Cougars had to settle for a 22-yard FG by David Lauder. On their next possession, the Cougars faced third-and-10 from their own 10-yard line. As the pocket collapsed, Walsh scrambled to the right and flung a desperation pass to Jamal Willis. Willis caught the ball and dashed up the right sideline to the Cougar 48. On third-and-16, Walsh found FB Hema Heimuli in the flat for a 33-yard gain. On second down, Walsh threw a pinpoint pass to WR Mike Johnston who caught it and somehow managed to stay in bounds for a 25-yard TD reception. Meanwhile, the Cougar D didn’t allow the Sooners to cross midfield the entire half, giving the Cougars a 17-0 lead at intermission.

In the third quarter, BYU was knocking on the door again. On third down, Walsh took the snap and ran to the right. The Sooner D must have gotten their signals crossed because they left Johnston wide open, and Walsh tossed him an easy pass for a 4-yard TD reception. Late in the third quarter, Oklahoma finally made it past midfield, but not much farther, and were once again forced to punt.

Down 24-0 in the fourth quarter. Oklahoma converted a first down on fourth-and-12 to keep alive a drive that would result in their only score of the game, a 2-yard TD rush midway through the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion attempt landed incomplete. BYU still had one last scoring drive in its tank. After marching down to the Sooner 28, Walsh rolled right to escape the press, spotted Bryce Doman in the end zone and fired a bullet that Doman caught for his second TD catch of the night.

Jamal Willis
Courtesy of BYU Photo

John Walsh
Courtesy of BYU Photo

The win was the Cougars’ first bowl win since 1988. In their final games at BYU, John Walsh passed for 454 yards and 4 TDs to earn MVP honors, while Jamal Willis (who finished his career as the Cougars’ all-time leading rusher and TD scorer) netted 144 total yards to be named Offensive Player of the Game. BYU, which racked up more than twice as many yards as the Sooners, finished the season ranked #18 in the AP poll - a far cry from their #10 ranking in the final Coaches’ Poll.

 

Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxkx_oIB-jc