10.12/22/07 – 2007 Las Vegas Bowl: #19 BYU – 17, UCLA – 16

        In the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl, the #19 BYU Cougars (10-2) earned a rematch with the UCLA Bruins (6-6), who had beaten them 27-17 earlier in the year. At the time, UCLA had been ranked #13, and jumped to #11 with the win, but the Bruins went 4-6 down the stretch and were barely bowl eligible when the Las Vegas Bowl came calling. The Cougars, on the other hand, started the season 1-2, but won 9 straight games to win the MWC and earn a third straight invitation to Vegas.

On the second play of the game, the Bruins knocked the ball out of QB Max Hall’s hands and recovered the fumble at the BYU 43-yard line. Although UCLA made it to the Cougar 3-yard line, the Cougar D tackled Chris Markey in the backfield for a 2-yard loss on third down. UCLA settled for a 22-yard field goal to put the first points on the board. Near the end of the quarter, Hall completed a 31-yard pass to WR Austin Collie to move the ball into the Blue Zone. With just over a minute left in the first quarter, Mitch Payne tied the score with a 29-yard FG.

In the second quarter, UCLA fumbled a BYU punt, which the Cougars’ Matt Bauman recovered at the Bruin 14-yard line. On the very next play, Max Hall lofted the ball to the corner of the end zone, and Austin Collie snagged it right before being shoved out of bounds to give BYU the lead. Later, when BYU failed to convert a fourth down, UCLA took over at their own 33-yard line. That possession resulted in a 32-yard drive that ended with a 52-yard field goal by Kai Forbath - the longest FG in Las Vegas Bowl history. The Cougars quickly marched down the field to the Bruin 13-yard line. With just over a minute remaining in the half, Hall fired a laser into the end zone. Michael Reed snagged it to extend the Cougar lead to eleven - 17-6. The Bruins next possession ended with a punt with less than a minute of game time elapsing. Instead, BYU had to run one play from their own 8-yard line. Unfortunately, they fumbled the ball and UCLA recovered at the Cougar 4-yard line with twelve ticks remaining on the clock. A last second touchdown pass by UCLA narrowed the score to 17-13 at halftime.

The second half was dominated by defense. The Cougars got the ball six times in the second half, and were forced to punt each time. UCLA, didn’t fair much better, after 3 punts and an interception, Forbath booted a 50-yard fourth quarter field goal, which narrowed the Cougars’ lead to one point.

With 2:02 remaining in the game, the Bruins began their final drive at their own 2-yard line after the Cougars’ special teams made a spectacular aerobatic play to keep the ball from bouncing into the end zone for a touch back. The Bruins methodically marched down the field, stopping the clock whenever possible, until they reached the BYU 11-yard line. With BYU clinging to a one-point lead, and three seconds remaining on the clock, UCLA lined up to kick a 28-yard game-winning field goal. Since Forbath had already nailed two 50+ yarders that day, the situation looked grim. *As UCLA’s center hiked the ball, the Cougars and Bruins collided. Forbath calmly made his approach, booting the ball for what should have been the winning score. However, six-foot-two freshman Eathyn Manumaleuna stretched heavenward grazing the ball with his fingers as it sailed over the battle lines. The deflected ball fluttered short of the crossbar as the clock ran down to 0:00, preserving the 17-16 win (#24). 

Eathyn Manumaleuna
Courtesy of BYU Photo

2007 Las Vegas Bowl Trophy
Legacy Hall

With the win, the Cougars finished at #14 ranking in the final AP poll. They also snapped a seven game losing streak against the Bruins, with their only other win dating back to the teams’ first ever meeting back in 1983. Austin Collie was named Offensive MVP, racking up 107 receiving yards on 6 catches. 

Austin Collie's jersey
Legacy Hall

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

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