63.11/17/90 – Detmer breaks NCAA SS record as BYU clinches WAC: #5 BYU - 45, Utah - 22

            During the early years of the BYU/Utah rivalry, the Utes dominated. When LaVell Edwards took over, the rivaly suddenly swung the other way, with the Cougars going 16-2. However, with the hiring of Ron McBride as the new head coach of the Utes in 1990, the rivalry was getting ready to ratchet up several notches, and become a true rivalry in every sense of the word. Still, when the #5 BYU Cougars (8-1) invaded SLC to take on the Utah Utes (4-6), with a chance to clinch the WAC title, only the die-hard Ute fans gave their team much of a chance.
Ty Detmer's Heisman Trophy
BYU's Legacy Hall

            BYU QB Ty Detmer, the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, guided the Cougars in a blitzkrieg assault on the Cougars’ opening drive, dashing 78 yards in 4 plays, including a 46-yard pass to Chris Smith. Stacey Corley opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD rush. Utah responded by driving 67 yards, setting up a 31-yard FG by Wayne Lammle. The Ute Defense then rose to the occasion, forcing the Cougars into two straight three-and-out drives. The Utes then caught the Cougar D by surprise with a 56-yard yard TD strike from Mike Richmond to Bryan Rowley. Suddenly, Utah held a 10-7 lead. To make things worse, the Utes picked off an errant throw on the ensuing drive. Luckily, the Cougar D provided the remedy by picking off a Richmond pass and returning it to midfield. Four plays later, Detmer connected with Micah Matsuzaki for a 25-yard TD reception, giving the Cougars a 14-10 lead through one period of play. 
        The Cougar D manhandled the Utes for the remainder of the half. A second interception in Ute territory, and a 27-yard return by Josh Arnold, set up the next Cougar score - a 21-yard TD pass to Andy Boyce. As soon as they got the ball back, Detmer aired it out with a 55-yard TD pass to Brent Nyberg. As the half drew to a close, the Cougars tacked on seven more points with a 6-yard TD pass to TE Chris Smith, giving the Cougars a 35-10 halftime lead. 
        In the third quarter, the Ute D rose to the occasion, shutting out the high-octane Cougar offense. Meanwhile, the Ute Offense orchestrated two scoring drives. The first one went 44 yards, culminating withe a 40-yard FG. The second went 57 yards, setting up a 21-yard three-pointer. BYU -35, Utah - 16 after three. 
        Early in the fourth, Detmer completed a 32-yard pass to Brent Nyberg to set up a 33-yard FG by Earl Kauffman to snap the scoring drought. Later, the Cougars capped an 82-yard scoring drive, including a 38-yard completion to Scott Charlton and a 31-yard catch by Chris Smith, with a 4-yard TD pass to Eric Drage. Utah finished out the scoring with a 4-yard TD pass to Mike Anglesey, but it was too little, too late as the Cougars defeated the Utes 45-22.
Chris Smith
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Matt Bellini
Courtesy of BYU Photo

        Ty Detmer threw for 451 yards and 5 touchdowns to clinch the WAC championship, as well as BYU's 13th straight bowl appearance. During the magical season, the Cougars put on the greatest air show in college football history. Detmer broke the NCAA single-season record for passing yards (eventually 5,188 yards); Chris Smith set an NCAA record with 1,156 receiving yards (6th) for a TE; Andy Boyce set a BYU record with 1,241 receiving yards (3rd); and Matt Bellini set team records with 204 career receptions (4th) and 2,635 career receiving yards (6th). Most important, Ty Detmer became BYU’s first Heisman Trophy winner. Detmer won the trophy based on his eye-popping numbers that included: 41 TDs, an NCAA record 5,188 passing yards, ten victories on the season, and a total of 47 NCAA records. The achievement was the culmination of 25 years of great quarterbacks at BYU.

Andy Boyce
Courtesy of BYU Photo


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