Best
Bruin Bowl Moment:
UCLA was almost unbeatable in the 1980s, winning seven of eight bowl
games, including three Rose Bowls. However, the 1960s were home to
its most unforgettable postseason victory. Before 1964, the Bruins
had played in five Rose Bowls, losing each one. The 1965 squad
mercifully ended that futility in a thriller with No. 1 Michigan
State that ended when three Bruin defenders stopped a game-tying
two-point conversion with under a minute left in the game.
Best Cougar Bowl Moment: Best Cougar Bowl Moment – From 1978
to 1984, BYU and the Holiday Bowl were synonymous with the magic and
excitement of the postseason. That was never truer than in 1980,
when Jim McMahon and the high-voltage Cougars engineered an
incredible comeback for the school’s first bowl triumph. Trailing
SMU 38-19 at the start of the fourth quarter, BYU stormed back,
pulling out a miraculous win when McMahon connected with TE Clay
Brown from 41 yards out as time expired. BYU's best win ...
BYU 17 ... Utah 10
Down 10-9, BYU needed a 49-yard catch by Austin Collie on
fourth-and-18, a few pass interference calls and a personal foul, and an
11-yard touchdown run from Harvey Unga with 38 seconds to play to break
Utah's heart for a second straight season. Utah had taken the lead with
1:34 to play on a one-yard Darrell Mack run and got a 35-yard Louie
Sakoda field goal in the third quarter, but couldn't move the ball on a
last gasp drive. Mitch Payne nailed three field goals for the Cougars
before their final drive. Player
of the game: BYU RB
Harvey Unga ran 23 times for 141 yards and a touchdown and caught a
27-yard pass. Stat Leaders: Utah - Passing: Brian Johnson, 17-29,
129 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Darrell Mack, 14-56, 1 TD. Receiving: Bradon
Godfrey, 7-73 BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 17-40, 269 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 23-141, 1 TD. Receiving: Austin Collie,
5-126
BYU's worst loss ...
Tulsa 55 ... BYU 47
In a wild shootout with the two teams combining for 1,027
passing yards, it was two false start penalties to ruin a final BYU
chance, and Tulsa's defense snuffing out long drives with four
takeaways. Paul Smith threw five touchdown passes with three to Charles
Clay, but BYU always had an answer in the see-saw game. Max Hall threw
for 547 yards and four touchdowns, and Manase Tonga ran for two
touchdowns. Tulsa's defense got in the big play act with a 49-yard
interception return for a score from Ray Roberts, but this was all about
the haymakers. In one tremendous second quarter sequence, Hall his
Austin Collie for a 45-yard touchdown, and Smith answered ten second
later by connecting with Brennan Marion for a 75-yard touchdown pass.
BYU responded in four plays with a 13-yard Dennis Pitta scoring grab,
and the scoring went on and one, with the two teams combining for 44
points in the quarter. In all the two teams cranked out 1,289 yards of
total offense and 59 first downs. Player of the game:
Tulsa QB
Paul Smith completed 21 of 35 passes for 454 yards and five touchdowns
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 35-57, 537
yds, 4 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Harvey Unga, 21-100, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael
Reed, 8-132, 1 TD Tulsa - Passing: Paul Smith, 21-35, 454 yds, 5 TD,
1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 18-79, 1 TD. Receiving: Trae Johnson,
5-95, 1 TD
UCLA's best win ...
UCLA 40 ... Oregon State 14
Oregon State appeared to be on its way to an easy win, taking
a 14-0 first quarter lead on an Al Afalavia 33-yard fumble return
for a score, and a one-yard Yvenson Bernard touchdown run. The then
came the self-destruction. UCLA managed two Kai Forbath field goals
in the second quarter, and took advantage of two fumbled kickoff
returns from Gerard Lawson to get two short Kahlil Bell scoring
runs. Brandon Breazell scored from 69 and 30 yards out, with the
first score coming after a personal foul call, and Chris Markey ran
it in from two yards away as part of a 28-0 fourth quarter Bruin
run.
Player of the game:
UCLA CB Trey Brown made eight tackles with two interceptions. Stat Leaders: UCLA - Passing: Ben Olson, 14-25,
220 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 24-80, 2 TD. Receiving: Brandon
Breazell, 2-99, 2 TD Oregon State - Passing: Sean Canfield, 22-35,
146 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Yvenson Bernard, 27-125, 1 TD. Receiving:
Anthony Brown, 6-34
UCLA's worst loss ...
Notre Dame 20 ... UCLA 6
In a game that might have set back offensive football 50
years, Notre Dame forced seven turnovers to pull off the win despite
amassing just 140 yards. The Irish scored in the third quarter on a
one-yard Jimmy Clausen touchdown run, and 50 seconds later, got a
Maurice Crum 34-yard fumble recovery for a score. UCLA lost starting
quarter Ben Olsen to a knee injury, and was only able to manage two
first half Kai Forbath field goals. Player of the
game: Notre Dame LB
Maurice Crum made seven tackles, one sack, forced a fumble,
recovered two fumbles, picked off two passes, and scored a 34-yard
touchdown. Stat Leaders: Notre Dame - Passing: Jimmy
Clausen, 17-27, 84 yds Rushing: James Aldridge, 22-52. Receiving: John
Carlson, 6-38 UCLA - Passing: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, 12-28,
139 yds, 4 INT
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 18-64. Receiving: Joe Cowan, 5-69
2006 PurePioneer Las Vegas Bowl
BYU 38 ... Oregon 8
BYU embarrassed Oregon as John Beck threw for 375 yards and two
touchdowns while Jonny Harline made nine grabs for 181 yards. After a scoreless
first quarter, the Cougars scored 17 in the second with Curtis Brown running for
his first of two scores and Harline scoring on a 41-yard grab. A Beck 14-yard
touchdown run early in the fourth quarter made it a laugher. Oregon finally got
on the board with a 48-yard Brian Paysinger touchdown catch, but BYU recovered
the onside kick and scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass to Manase Tonga.
Player of the game ... BYU QB John Beck completed 28 of 46 passes for 375 yards and two
touchdowns with two interceptions and ran for a score. Stat Leaders: Oregon- Passing: Dennis Dixon,
10-20, 122 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Dennis Dixon, 10-57 Receiving:
Jordan Kent, 5-33 BYU - Passing: John Beck, 28-46, 375 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Curtis Brown, 17-120, 2 TD Receiving: Jonny Harline,
9-181, 1 TD
