53. 9/04/04 – First Cougar win over ND in Provo: BYU – 20, Notre Dame – 17

 In their season opener, the BYU Cougars hosted the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The Cougars were looking to rebound from their worst season (4-8) since 1970. Notre Dame, meanwhile, was also hoping to restore its spot among College Football’s elite schools after a disappointing season of their own (5-7). In four previous meetings, the Fighting Irish held a 3-1 advantage, having only lost to the Cougars in 1994.

The Cougars jumped out to an early lead on a 75-yard drive that was highlighted by a 50-yard completion on a rocket launched by John Beck to Todd Watkins on second-and-15. On first-and-goal, Naufahu Tahi took the handoff and scampered into the end zone for a 5-yard TD rush. On their third possession, the Cougars started at their own 45. They advanced 29 yards to set up a 44-yard FG by Matt Payne, giving BYU a 10-0 lead.

After forcing three straight punts in the first quarter, the Cougar D gang-tackled the Notre Dame running back, forcing a fumble that was recovered at midfield. They continued to dominate the field of play, forcing 3 more consecutive punts. Late in the quarter, starting QB Beck was knocked out of the game with a an injury and Matt Berry took over as quarterback. Despite starting their final possession of the half at the Notre Dame 31, the Cougars retreated 4 yards on the drive and were lucky to score 3 more points on a long 53-yard field goal that snuck inside the left goalpost. The Notre Dame offense finally started clicking on their final drive of the half, crossing into Cougar territory for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. They made it all the way to the Cougar 3-yard line, then settled for a 21-yard FG as time expired. BYU - 13, ND - 3

In the third quarter, Notre Dame had an excellent opportunity to score when they forced a fumble, which they recovered at the BYU 36. On fourth-and-2, Brady Poppinga ripped his way through the line to sack ND QB Brady Quinn for a 10-yard loss, ending the threat. On third-and-6, Matt Berry completed a sideline pass to TE Daniel Coats, who ran it into ND territory for a first down. On the next play, Berry fired a bomb to freshman Austin Collie, who caught the ball with his fingertips and ran it into the end zone for a 42-yard TD reception, extending the Cougars’ lead to 20-3. BYU’s defense continued to dominate the line against the Notre Dame Offense, but the Fighting Irish started their final possession of the quarter at their own 46. With four Cougars honing in on him, Quinn lobbed a desperation pass to Rhema McKnight in the backfield. McKnight cut across the field, narrowly avoiding a pair of Cougars and proceeded to race up the sideline for a 54-yard TD catch-and-run. At the end of the third quarter, the Cougars lined up to punt on fourth-and-10 at their own 40. The snap was bad, but Payne not only picked up the ball, he ran past the oncoming defenders and managed to get off a running punt that the Cougars downed at the Notre Dame 2-yard line.

On the Cougars’ first possession of the fourth, Matt Berry’s pass was picked off by Notre Dame’s Preston Jackson, who ran it back 38 yards for a pick 6. Suddenly, he Cougars’ lead was shaved to three points. The Cougar D stood tough for the remainder of the quarter, forcing punts on each of next two Notre Dame possessions. With 2:23 to go, the Cougar Offense needed to run off as much time as they could. On third-and-8, with 1:42 remaining, Berry faked a handoff, then threw a missile to Todd Watkins, who caught it in double coverage for a 37-yard first down, allowing the Cougs to run out the clock and stave off the comeback for a 20-17 win.

Todd Watkins
Courtesy of BYU Photo


The victory was the Cougars first, and only, win over Notre Dame in Provo. Unfortunately, the Cougars would finish the season with a disappointing 5-6 record, despite starting it off with a fantastic victory. After 3 straight losing seasons, head coach Gary Crowton was shown the door, to be replaced by his defensive coordinator - Bronco Mendenhall. Notre Dame didn’t fare much better, finishing the season with a 6-6 record.

 Game highlights; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzzMPxdqZ4I

 

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