64. 9/14/85 - Proving the Naysayers wrong: #16 BYU – 31, Washington – 3

             In a match-up between the two schools that finished 1984 ranked #1 and #2 in the polls, the defending champion (#16) BYU Cougars (1-1) were on a mission to prove their naysayers wrong. The Washington Huskies (0-1), who had been some of the most vocal critics of the Cougars “soft” schedule, claimed that they should have been #1. Both teams started the 1985 season in the Top 20, but both had suffered an early season loss to other ranked teams. Fans of both teams were hopeful that their team could rebound and prove that their team was indeed better.

            On BYU’s first possession, they leveraged good field position into a short 57-yard TD drive. Vai Sikahema took the ball and swept right, breaking a tackle before racing up the right sideline for a 29-yard TD rush. Then the turnovers started. A Huskies fumble, a Cougar interception and another Huskies fumble led to another short field for the Cougars. However, their FGA inside the Blue Zone missed to close out the first quarter.

            On their first drive of the second quarter, QB Robbie Bosco led the Cougars back to the Blue Zone. This time, however, Gary Webster booted the ball through the uprights for a 34-yarder. Husky QB Hugh Millan tried too hard to get the Huskies back into the game and was picked off by Marc Sherman. Starting at the Husky 28, the Cougars quickly put themselves into position for another score. Bosco turned to Sikahema again, and the powerful running back swept left before bursting into the end zone from 5 yards out to give the Cougars a 17-0 lead. The Huskies weren’t ready to roll over and play dead. They organized their longest drive of the half (49 yards) and booted a 48-yard FG to put some points on the board before the half.

            The Cougars came out of the fired up for the second half, driving 80 yards, including a 29-yard completion to Glen Kozlowsky. Lakei Heimuli bounced off one defender, then charged into the end zone for an 11-yard TD to complete the drive. Washington tried to answer, driving to the Cougar 5, but the Cougar D came up huge, forcing a pair of incomplete passes to force a turnover on downs. After a Cougar punt, the Huskies tried again, driving to the Cougar 15 before the Cougars dragged down Vince Weathersby just short of the first down marker on their fourth down attempt. A Bosco interception, set the Huskies up with great field position at the Cougar 27. Four plays later, the Cougar D snuffed out Washington’s fourth-and-one attempt ending a third consecutive drive with a fourth down stop.

            Entering the fourth quarter, the Cougars held a commanding 24-3 lead. A long Cougar drive ended in a blocked FGA. However, when Rodney Thomas intercepted a long pass by Millen, and ran it back 42 yards to the Husky 22, they were ready to drive the final nail into the coffin. Heimuli once again did the honors, pounding the ball in from a foot out to break 30 points. The Huskies had one more drive left, marching 76 yards to the Cougar 1. However, the Cougar D forced a third Washington fumble to keep them out of the end zone once again. From there, all the Cougars had to do was run out the clock to complete the shellacking.

Lakei Heimuli
Courtesy of BYU Photo

By trouncing the Huskies 31-3, the Cougars jumped up to #13 in the polls en route to an 11-3 season, a Citrus Bowl appearance, another Top 20 finish (#16) and their 10th straight conference championship. The Huskies rebounded to finish the season with a winning record (7-5), including a victory in the Freedom Bowl, but finished unranked.

 

Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1kJqaxlOgc

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