37. 11/4/89 – Second Half comeback thriller: #23 BYU – 45, Oregon – 41
The #23 BYU Cougars (6-2) hosted the Oregon Ducks (5-3) in Provo.The Cougars were 1-2 against the Ducks all-time, but were victorious in the one match-up during the Edwards’ Era.
On their first possession, the Cougars made it to the Duck 23 before turning the ball over on an interception at the 10-yard line. The Ducks got on the scoreboard first, capping a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a 3-yard TD jaunt by Derek Loville. The Cougars responded with a 71-yard drive, thanks in part to a resolute catch for 18 yards by RB/WR Matt Bellini on second-and-14. That was followed by a 12-yard sideline catch by TE Chris Smith and a 15-yard personal foul against Oregon that placed the ball in the Blue Zone. Fred Whittingham carried the rock the last 19 yards, breaking a tackle at the 10, to even the score at 7-7.
The Ducks started the second quarter with a second-and-goal at the Cougar 4. On three straight plays, the Ducks handed off to RB Latin Berry, and three straight times, Berry was stopped cold just short of the goal. Although the Cougars managed to escape the shadow of their own end zone with a 55-yard reception by Andy Boyce, they still had to punt after a pair of incomplete passes. The Ducks flew back into Cougar territory and took the lead again on a 40-yard FG by Gregg McCallum. The Cougars were threatening to score again on their next possession, but their drive ended prematurely with a fumble at the Duck 21. The Ducks came right back, making it as far as the Cougar 4-yard line. This time, they attempted a field goal, but the kick was low and went right into the mass of players bunched at the line of scrimmage. The Cougars then invaded Duck territory, returning to the Blue Zone on an acrobatic catch by Matt Bellini. A handoff to Bellini advanced the ball to the Duck 12. Detmer then pitched the ball to Bellini, who swept right and scampered into the end zone to give the Cougars the lead. Another long drive by the Ducks resulted in a 28-yard FG, narrowing the Cougars’ lead to one. When the Cougars served up another interception, the Ducks capitalized, flying for 60 yards in 3 plays, including a 3-yard TD run by Loville with less than a minute remaining in the half. The missed extra point try meant that the Cougars entered the locker room down by only five (19-14) despite 3 turnovers in the first half.
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| Matt Bellini Courtesy of BYU Photo |
In the third quarter, the Ducks picked up right where they left off, orchestrating an 87-yard TD drive that ended with a 10-yard TD catch by Terry Obee. They followed that up with yet another rushing TD by Derek Loville - this one from a yard out. Down by nineteen (33-14) midway through the third, the Cougars Offense was jump-started by a thrilling 60-yard kickoff return by Tony Crutchfield that advanced the ball to the Oregon 34. A diving 26-yard catch by Jeff Frandsen brought the ball to the Duck 8. Two plays later, Detmer took the snap and looked left. Seeing the blitz coming, he broke right and spotted Jeff Frandsen just over the goal line. Eluding the defenders, Detmer led Frandson, who snatched the ball away from a leaping defender for a 6-yard TD catch. After allowing the Ducks to score on 4 straight possessions, the Cougar D finally clipped their wings, forcing the Ducks to punt. Although the Cougars were down 33-21 with one quarter remaining, they ended the quarter inside the Duck 10-yard line thanks to a 25-yard reception by Andy Boyce.
K Jason Chaffetz kick-started their fourth quarter comeback with a 27-yard FG. Then in the spirit of giving, both teams traded turnovers, with the Ducks tossing an interception, and the Cougars coughing up a fumble at the end of a 21-yard rush. Luckily, the Ducks couldn’t capitalize and the Cougars got the ball back with plenty of time to continue their comeback. On third-and-15, back at their own 34, the Cougar Offense was struggling; but when Detmer saw an opening, he tucked the ball and ran 24 yards for a first down into Oregon territory. Several plays later, on third-and-6, Detmer located Frandsen along the right sideline and fired a missle just out of reach of the defender. Frandsen made the catch, then ran up the sideline into the end zone for a 26-yard TD reception. After the Cougar D forced an Oregon fumble at the Cougar 23, the Offense orchestrated another long drive. A 26-yard strike to Brent Nyberg set up a first-and-goal at the Oregon 6, where Eric Mortensen burst into the end zone on a 6-yard TD sweep. The Cougars’ comeback appeared complete - 24 consecutive points resulting in a 38-33 lead. Unfortunately, the TD served as a wakeup call for the Ducks, who responded with an 80-yard scoring drive that put Oregon back on top. A 16-yard TD pass to Terry Obee was followed by a 2-point conversion (also to Obee) that gave the Ducks a 41-38 lead. With less than 3 minutes remaining, sitting on their own 5-yard line after two straight penalties, BYU had a long way to go to redeem their comeback. They started with a 14-yard reception by Bellini. That was followed by a 6-yard rush by Eric Mortensen. Fred Wittingham then rushed for 16 yards, followed by a loss of 3 on the next play. Detmer then fired a 36-yard strike up the middle of the field to Frandsen, who was brought down at the Duck 26. After Whittingham rushed for 9, an incomplete pass set up third-and-inches. Mortensen then plowed throught he line for the first down. On the very next play, Detmer to Frandsen proved effective yet again, with Franden making his third TD catch (a 15-yarder) to give the Cougars a 45-41 lead with 1:01 remaining. Two plays later, Oregon fumbled away their last chance and Cougar fans heaved a great sigh of relief.
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| Jeff Frandsen Courtesy of BYU Photo |
The high-scoring game produced more yards of offense (1,276) than any other game in history up to that point. The Cougars, who moved up to #21 in the AP poll, went on to win their final three games of the regular season, setting up a date against #18 Penn State in the Holiday Bowl. Unfortunately, the Nittany Lions won the cat fight, dropping the Cougars (10-3) to #22 in the final poll.
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