16. 9/5/15 - Mangum’s Hail Mary defeats Nebraska: BYU - 33, Nebraska - 28

             As the BYU Cougars (8-5 in 2014) looked over their 2015 football schedule, they knew they had one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Luckily, they were led by their Heisman candidate, senior quarterback Taysom Hill. Unfortunately, the Cougars’ first game was in Lincoln, Nebraska, where the Cornhuskers (9-4 in 2014) hadn't lost a season opener since 1985. It was the first ever match-up between two teams that had dominated the college football landscape over the previous 40 seasons. Since 1975, Nebraska had won more games (389) than any other Division 1 team, and the Cougars ranked #5 with 354 wins.

Nebraska started off the scoring, marching 88 yards on 9 plays on their opening drive. On third-and-9, at the Cougar 14-yard line, QB Tommy Armstrong Jr. completed a short pass to WR Jordan Westerkamp. Westerkamp was hit behind the line of scrimmage and it looked like BYU would force a fourth down FGA. Instead, Westerkamp somehow wriggled out of grasp of the defender and raced around the right side of the line into the end zone for a touchdown. After punting on their first two possessions, the Cougars started their third drive on their own 1-yard line. Rather than play it safe, Taysom rolled right and completed a 24-yard pass to WR Terenn Houk. On the next play, Hill threw an even longer 53-yard pass to Nick Kurtz. Two plays later, sitting on the Nebraska 3, Hill sold the handoff, then ran left, straight into the end zone. But, Nebraska responded on their next drive, with Armstrong connecting with Alonzo Moore, who ran it up the right sideline for a 22-yard TD reception at the end of the first quarter.

The Cougars began the second quarter with another long drive, this one starting at their 25-yard line. On second-and-2, Taysom took the snap from the shotgun position and quickly surveyed the field. As soon as the line cleared, he tucked the ball and ran for a 21-yard TD. Unfortunately, he pulled up lame and headed to the locker room. He returned heavily taped and led the Cougars into field goal range. Trevor Samson booted a 41-yarder to give the Cougars’ their first lead of the game. BYU got a huge break on Nebraska’s next possession when they fumbled the handoff and Fred Warner jumped on the ball at the Nebraska 22. On third-and-3, Mitch Mathews beat his defender, and Hill calmly hit him with a bullet just over the goal line for a 15-yard TD and a 24-14 halftime lead.

Early in the third quarter, Hill threw an interception. The defender ran it back to the Cougar 35-yard line, where Taysom knocked him out of bounds. On first-and-goal, from the Cougar 10, Terrell Newby burst through the line and rumbled into the end zone to cut the Cougar lead to three. After the Cougars turned the ball over on downs, Nebraska began its next drive at their own 38. After leading the Huskers to the Cougar 9, Armstrong completed a short pass to Trey Foster, who bumped his way into the end zone to give Nebraska a four point lead. Micah Hannemann intercepted a pass in Cougar territory to stop another Cornhusker drive as the third quarter drew to a close.

When Hill was knocked out of the game with a season-ending injury, things looked bleak - not only for the game, but the entire season. The backup QB was freshman Tanner Mangum, who had only returned from his mission to Chile a couple of months before. Luckily, Tanner didn't realize that the deck was stacked against him. In the midst of a 71-yard drive, he faced a fourth-and-one at his own 41-yard line. After taking the snap, he ran left, but was forced back the other way by the blitzing Husker D. Escaping the grasp of one defender, and heading towards a collision with another, he let loose with a throw that was caught by Nick Kurtz at the Husker 40. Kurtz dodged the defender and ran to the Husker 21 before being pulled down. Unable to convert another first down, the Cougars settled for a 35-yard field goal that pulled them within one (28-27). With the clock winding down, and Nebraska driving, it looked like BYU was going to come up just short. Luckily, the Cornhuskers missed a field goal and BYU got the ball back on their own 35 with 48 seconds remaining. After a couple of first down runs advanced the ball to the Nebraska 42, BYU faced a 4th and 3 with one second remaining. *Tanner rolled right, looking toward the end zone and spotted star receiver Mitch Mathews at the goal line blanketed by two defenders, with 6 more in the vicinity. After drifting to the 50-yard line, Mangum heaved the ball and Mitch caught it just short of the line. Mitch fell back into the end zone, barely breaking the plane amid a mob of red for the victory (#4).

Game-winning Hail Mary
Mangum to Mitch Mathews
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Mitch Mathews
Courtesy of BYU Photo

TannerMangum
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Despite the thrilling finish, the Cougars faced the daunting challenge of navigating their heavy-weight schedule without star QB Taysom Hill. Mangum was still an unknown. He had proven unflappable against one of the most storied football programs in the nation, but could he do it again? His next test would be against #20 Boise State. The Cornhuskers, meanwhile never really recovered from their crushing defeat. They finished the season a mediocre 6-7.

 Game recap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nxJLBG9z8k

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