NEBRASKA -- The Brigham Young University Cougars opened their football season Saturday with a game at Nebraska, who hadn't lost a season opener in 29 years. But that record was shattered thanks to a literally last-second Hail Mary from BYU--which is vieweable in the tweet below from ESPN.
Things weren't all rosy for BYU though, as BYU TV reports Taysom Hill suffered a foot injury and is out for the season.
Nebraska got on the board first, scoring on a 14-yard pass with about 8 minutes left in the first quarter. After some punting, BYU was able to find the endzone on a drive that included a 53-yard pass from Taysom Hill to Kurtz and was capped off by a 3-yard goal line run from Hill to make it 7-7 near the end of the first.
Nebraska took the lead again with 16 seconds left in the first quarter on a 22-yard touchdown pass, but BYU answered back a short time later to make it tied once more--this time at 14 with 13 minutes left in the first half.
The Cougars forced Nebraska to punt on their next drive, and the following BYU drive ended with a 41-yard field goal to make it 17-14 for BYU. A Nebraska fumble set up another Cougar touchdown, making it 24-14. A turnover on downs by the Cougars set up Nebraska for field goal, which went wide left and kept the score 24-14 at halftime.
Nebraska started the second half with the ball but was forced to punt, but a Nebraska interception on the following BYU drive set up the Cornhuskers for the first score of the second half. That touchdown made it 24-21 Cougars.
Another turnover on downs set up another Cornhusker touchdown, giving Nebraska their first lead of the second half at 28-24.
Taysom Hill left the game late in the third quarter due to a sprained foot he suffered in the first half. Hill returned to play some in the second half after injuring the foot, but he later left the game and several reports now indicate he may be out for the season.
The next score came in the fourth quarter, with BYU knocking in a 35-yard field goal to make it 28-27 Nebraska.
A pair of punts followed, and Nebraska had possession as the game reached the two-minute warning. BYU held strong on a critical 3rd-and-short to set up 4th and 5 for Nebraska with 1:15 left on the clock.
Nebraska missed the field goal opportunity, turning the ball over to the Cougars with under a minute left to play.
The Cougars drove down the field with little time left but could not get into field goal range. With one second left and at about the 42 yard line, BYU attempted one final play.
With a 3-man rush and plenty of time for backup quarterback Tanner Mangum to throw, a long-bomb prayer was hurled toward the endzone and a sea of red jerseys--only to come down in the hands of BYU's Mitch Matthews despite several defenders hanging all over him.
The last-minute heroics secured the win for BYU, with a final score of 33-28. Tune in to FOX 13 News at Nine for coverage of the game and highlights.
A Vine video posted by BYU Football Player Personnel Director Justin Anderson appeared to show a very happy Cougar team celebrating in the locker room with Bronco Mendenhall atop several sturdy sets of shoulders.
