60. 10/10/15 - Brown scores 4 TDs as Cougars hold off Pirate Counterattack - BYU - 45, E. Carolina - 38

             The BYU Cougars (3-2) hosted the East Carolina Pirates (3-2) for their annual Homecoming game in the middle of what was ranked as the toughest schedule of any NCAA football team for the 2015 season. The game featured the first ever meeting between the two schools, and the first time in program history that BYU had played a team from either of the Carolinas.

            On their initial drive, the Cougars fumbled the ball in Pirate territory. Starting at their own 31-yard line, the Pirates fought their way to the Cougar 34. On fourth-and-three, James Summers took the snap, got set, then bolted for the end zone, scoring the first TD of the game. The Cougars couldn’t get much traction on their next possession and were forced to punt. Unfortunately, the Pirates blocked the punt, and Yiannis Bowden landed on the loose ball after it squirted into the end zone, putting E. Carolina up 14-0. Luckily, the Cougars’ third drive was much more successful. The Cougars trekked through Pirate-infested territory to the 22. On second-and-two, Freshman QB Tanner Mangum flipped the ball to Algernon Brown, who ran it up the left sideline for a 22-yard TD reception that cut the Pirates’ lead in half.

            The Cougar D came up big in the second quarter. After pushing the Pirates back ten yards, the Cougs blocked a punt and recovered it near the goal line. On third down, Brown burst over the line, tying up the game. On their next drive, the Cougars faked a punt on fourth-and-2, as converted Rugby star Johnny Linehan tucked the ball and followed his blockers for a 7-yard gain. The 68-yard drive resulted in 7 more points when Mangum fired a pass to Mitch Mathews, coming across the middle. As he was tackled, Mathews made sure he extended his arm across the plane, giving BYU its first lead of the day. The Cougars then invaded Pirate territory again. With the Pirates blitzing, Mangum scampered left, then threw across his body to Devon Blackmon, who was finally brought down inside the 10-yard line. Mangum ducked away from a flying Pirate defender before firing a 9-yard TD pass to Terenn Houk, who slipped just inside the pylon to complete the 87-yard TD drive. However, with 2:07 remaining in the half, E. Carolina sailed 77 yards in 9 plays, scoring on a short 1-yard pass to Trevon Brown with 6 seconds remaining. At intermission, the Cougars led 28-21.

            In the third quarter, the Cougars picked up right where they left off. Alge Brown took the handoff and broke free, racing 53 yards for his third TD of the day. The Pirates fumbled away the ball on the ensuing possession, but the Cougar Offense went the wrong way and were forced to punt. The Cougar D stopped another Pirate incursion by forcing another fumble. This time, the Cougars marched to the Pirate 19, where Trevor Samson booted a 37-yard FG to extend the Cougar lead to 17. Unfortunately, QB Tanner Mangum suffered a pulled hamstring on the drive. However, when Fred Warner intercepted a deflected Pirate pass as the third quarter drew to a close, it looked as if BYU might cruise to an easy victory.

The tides changed as the fourth quarter got underway. Backup QB Beau Hoge couldn't get anything going. The Pirates, meanwhile, embarked on an 85-yard drive, striking pay dirt when Chris Hairston burst over the line from two yards out. Midway through the quarter, East Carolina orchestrated a 63-yard drive that pulled them within 3 after Isaiah Jones caught a 6-yard TD pass. With just over 5 minutes remaining, the Pirates intercepted Hoge at midfield and ran it back to the BYU 43. They drove to the BYU 16, but the Cougar D kept them from taking the lead by forcing a fourth down. Instead, the Pirates tied up the score with a 34-yard FG. With 4:01 remaining, Tanner hobbled back into the game to lead the final drive. Mangum had already engineered more dramatic 4th quarter comebacks in the first half of his freshman year than most QBs manage in their entire careers. Tanner didn’t disappoint, leading a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a 9-yard TD jaunt by Algernon with 19 ticks left - his fourth TD of the game! ECU made a valient last ditch effort, going 40 yards in 3 plays, but time ran out with the Cougars on top.

Algernon Brown vs. East Carolina
Courtesy of BYU Photo

The victory sparked a strong second half of the season, with the Cougars finishing the regular season with a 9-3 record, earning an invitation to face Utah in the Las Vegas Bowl, where Mangum’s magical freshman year came to a disappointing close with a 35-28 loss.