12.12/7/96 - WAC Championship Game: #6 BYU Cougars – 28, #20 Wyoming Cowboys - 25 (OT)

             In the first WAC Championship game, the #6 ranked Cougars (12-1) took on the #20 ranked Wyoming Cowboys (10-1) in a battle of WAC division winners in Las Vegas. On the line for the Cougars, was an invitation to a lucrative New Years Day bowl game (the first in school history), with a chance to crash one of the newly created Bowl Alliance bowl games by securing one of the two at-large slots. A BYU win would also tie the NCAA record for most wins in a season (13), with a shot to win an unprecedented 14 games. The Cowboys, which boasted the #1 passing offense in the country, were also hoping to earn an invite to a lucrative bowl, as well as dash the hopes of their longtime rivals.

            Both teams started sluggishly, punting after 3-and-out possessions. On Wyoming’s second possession, they began on their own 23-yard line. On first down, their senior QB Josh Wallwork, who led the nation in pass completions, passing yards and total yards, found his receiver over the middle, but the ball was deflected into the arms of BYU DB Chris Ellison, who ran it to the Cowboy 22-yard line. Unfortunately, BYU’s senior QB Steve Sarkisian, who led the nation in pass-efficiency, couldn’t get anything going either, and BYU had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Ethan Pochman. On their next possession, the Cougars drove to the Wyoming 26-yard line, but this time, Pochman missed the FG attempt. On Wyoming’s fourth possession, they finally got the ball rolling, driving to the BYU 28-yard line. Luckily, they too missed the FGA, leaving the Cougars with a 3-0 lead after the first quarter.

            As the second quarter began, the Cougars were driving. Relying heavily on RB Brian McKenzie and RB Ronney Jenkins, BYU drove 72 yards, with McKenzie breaking two tackles to smash his way into the end zone from 11 yards out. Midway through the second quarter, DB Lane Hale intercepted Wallwork again, this time deep in Cougar territory. Starting at their own 26-yard line, the Cougars went driving again, making it to the Cowboy 29-yard line before facing fourth down. Pochman and the FG unit trotted out and Ethan nailed the 47-yarder to put the Cougars up 13-0 at halftime.

            On the Cougars’ opening drive of the third quarter, Sarkisian was sacked at the Cougar 25-yard line. Wyoming LB Jay Jenkins picked up the loose ball and ran it in untouched for the Cowboys’ first score of the game. The Cowboy defense continued to corral the Cougars, forcing BYU to punt on their next four possessions. The Cowboy offense followed up their TD with a 77-yard drive, highlighted by a 36-yard pass to All-American WR Marcus Harris, who led the country with 1,650 receiving yards. On third-and-two at the Cougar 4-yard line, the Cougars mauled the Cowboy RB, forcing Wyoming to settle for a 20-yard FG. After three quarters of play, the Cougars led 13-10.

            As the fourth quarter began, the Cowboys were driving. After starting at their own 17-yard line, they advanced into Cougar territory on a 30-yard pass completion to Harris (who would later be named WAC offensive Player of the Year). However it was WR David Saraf who caught a tipped ball in the end zone for a 7-yard TD reception, giving Wyoming its first lead of the day. After the Cougar punt, all the momentum was on the side of Wyoming. However, on the first play of their next possession, Wallwork was picked off by DB Omarr Morgan at the Wyoming 44-yard line. The interception blew some adrenaline back into the sails of the stagnant Cougar Offense. A 30-yard pass-and-run to TE Chad Lewis, put the Cougars at the Cowboy 14. On second down, Sarkisian found Lewis again, this time in the end zone for a 13-yard TD reception as the Cougars took back the lead. Wyoming wasn’t done though. Starting at their own 20-yard line, Wallwork connected with Richard Peace, who ran over several Cougars for a 66-yard gain. On third-and-ten at the Cougar 14-yard line, Wallwork led Saraf with a lob, as he got hit, which Saraf corralled to put the Cowboys on top again. On the extra-point attempt, the holder fumbled the ball, but the kicker, Cory Wedel, picked it up and lobbed it into the end zone for an unconventional 2-point conversion. The Cougars took over at their own 28-yard line, needing a TD to win with 9:16 to go. On fourth-and-one at the Cowboy 13-yard line, McKenzie powered his way to the 6-yard line to set up first-and-goal. Three plays later, it was fourth-and-goal with 2 1/2 yards to go. With only 3:09 remaining, the Cougars went for the TD, but the play fell apart. Sarkisian, scrambling for his life, made a desperation heave into the end zone, but it was batted away.

With 2:57 remaining, and leading by five, Wyoming took over on downs. They tried to run out the clock with a couple of running plays. On third down, Wallwork tried to throw for a first down, but the ball sailed out of bounds. Facing a shallow punt from the back of the end zone, the punter instead ran around the end zone until he was tackled for a safety. That allowed them to move out to the twenty-yard line for the punt, but it also put the Cougars within three with just under two minutes to play. The punt was fumbled, but Nate Forman recovered the ball for the Cougars at their own 40-yard line. Needing only a field goal to tie, Sarkisian drove the Cougars to Wyoming’s 3-yard line; but with two seconds remaining, the Cougars called their final timeout to set up a game-tying field goal. Ethan Pochman nailed the 20-yarder to send the game into overtime. 

The Cowboys started their OT possession at the Cougars 25-yard line. One first down, Wallwork was sacked for a 5-yard loss. After two incomplete passes, the Cowboys attempted a 47-yard FG. The kick sailed left, giving the Cougars a shot at winning the game outright with a score. Keeping the ball on the ground, the Cougars used three running plays to advance the ball to the 15-yard line, inches away from the first down. *On fourth down, Ethan Pochman trotted out to kick the game winner. With a Wyoming defender racing in from the side in an attempt to block the kick, Ethan nailed the 32-yard FG for win #13 and the WAC Championship (#34). 

WAC Championship celebration

Ethan Pochman
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Following the win, and an official snub by the Bowl Alliance, the Cougars accepted an invitation to their first ever New Years bowl game - the Cotton Bowl against the #14 Kansas State Wildcats. The snub by all three Alliance bowl games sent reverberations around the nation as the WAC and other less prestigious conferences threatened the Alliance with legal action and college football fans around the nation once again clamored for a playoff system. On the other side of the field, the #22 Cowboys (10-2) were astonishingly left out in the cold without a bowl invitation due to their relatively small fan base.

Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob3w21RHgs4

*BYU Tv's Top 100 plays in BYU Football TV history (updated 12/12/20 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYzgPw-bQ_c)