70. 12/21/06 – Las Vegas Bowl: #19 BYU – 38, Oregon – 8

             The #19 BYU Cougars (10-2) won the 2006 MWC crown, going undefeated (8-0) in conference play. In 2005, the Cougars had represented the MWC in the Las Vegas Bowl as the conference’s second place team. However, starting in 2006, the Las Vegas Bowl pitted the MWC champion against a qualifying team from the PAC-10. That year, the Cougars were matched up against the Oregon Ducks (7-5).  Oregon was 3-2 against BYU in their 5 previous meetings, but the Cougars hadn’t played the Ducks since they’d beaten the Cougars in 1990, when they ruined #4 BYU’s national championship aspirations. As an added pinch of intrigue, Oregon’s offensive coordinator was Gary Crowton, who had been BYU’s head coach before being replaced by Bronco Mendenhall. The Cougars were languishing in a 10-year drought since their last bowl game victory. Meanwhile, the Ducks’ hadn’t won a bowl game in 5 seasons. Both teams were determined to end those streaks on this December evening.

It was obvious from the start that defense would have a major impact in this game. Neither team even got into scoring position during a hard-fought first quarter, as every drive ended in a punt. In fact, the Cougar D was so tenacious, that the nation’s #8 ranked offense only managed one drive longer than 20 yards in the entire first half.

In the second quarter, the Cougars finally got something going on offense. After starting a drive at their own 2, QB John Beck orchestrated a 92-yard drive to the Oregon 6. From there, Jared McLaughlin booted a 24-yard FG to put some points up on the board. On their next drive, the Cougars drove to the Duck 6 again. This time, however, Beck handed off to RB Curtis Brown, who burst up the middle into the end zone to give BYU a 10-point advantage. When they got the ball back, the Cougs drove to the Oregon 41. On third-and-10, Beck took the snap and studied the field. As the pocket began to collapse, he evaded a defender and spotted his big tight end, Johnny Harline, heading for the end zone. Beck let fly a long pass which Harline paused to catch before dancing into the end zone for a 41-yard TD reception. The Cougars got the ball back with 28 ticks remaining. Five plays and 25 seconds later, they were camped at midfield with 0:03 remaining. Beck launched a rocket for the end zone, but Oregon intercepted it as time ran out. Still, the Cougars entered the locker room with a 17-0 lead.

In the third quarter, Oregon started with the ball, but their drive ended in a seventh consecutive punt. The Cougars drove to the Oregon 26, but then Beck threw his second interception of the night. Luckily, the Cougar D took the ball back with an interception by Justin Robinson. Starting near midfield, the Cougars responded with another TD drive, including a 28-yard completion to Harline. On second-and-goal, from the 4-yard line, Curtis Brown swept right, dashing into the end zone untouched for his second TD rush of the night. It was now BYU - 24, Oregon - 0.

As the fourth quarter started, the Ducks were driving. However, as they tried to enter the Red Zone, Justin Robinson corralled a tipped ball for his second interception. Beck and company went back to work, driving to the Oregon 13. On third-and-8, with his receivers covered, Beck saw open space to his left and scrambled for the end zone, diving through the inside pylon for a 13-yard TD. Down 31-0, the Ducks finally took flight with a flurry. They followed an 18-yard reception with a 47-yard TD strike from QB Dennis Dixon to Brian Paysinger. They rammed into the end zone for a 2-point conversion to cut the lead to 23. Hoping to pull off a miracle, Oregon tried an onside kick, but the Cougars recovered at midfield. Three plays later, Beck swung to the left and connected with Manase Tonga for a 17-yard TD pass. With their wings clipped, the Ducks turned the ball over on downs with 6:19 remaining. The Cougars ran more than five minutes off the clock before punting it away for the first time since the first quarter. Oregon tried to score again, but ran out of time, and the Cougars celebrated their first bowl win in a decade.

Johnny Harline
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Curtis Brown
Courtesy of BYU Photo

            The 30-point win set a record for the Cougars’ largest margin-of-victory in a bowl game - a record that would stand until 2018. Jonny Harline was voted game MVP with 9 catches for a Las Vegas Bowl record 181 yards and a TD. Curtis Brown ended his BYU career as the team's all-time leading rusher with 3,221 rushing yards (a record that would only stand 3 years), and John Beck finished second in BYU history in passing yardage with 11,021 yards. BYU finished the season ranked #16.

 Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rD6JSf60u7E