Cougar Corner Blog
Thursday, November 30, 2006
The Answered Prayer
On Saturday I had a tremendous experience, which is unlike any other I have ever had in my life. The experience came during the BYU - Utah football game. This is a football game with tremendous importance to football fans in Utah, and all over the world (during the post game show, listeners emailed in to talk about the game from Utah, North America, South America, Europe and Asia!).
BYU Started out it's usual dominating fashion, moving the ball at will in the first quarter and scoring 14 points while the defense handled the Utes. But then Utah came alive, and fight their rivals they did. They took their game up a notch, playing more physical and intense than they had all season long. They scored 24 unanswered points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. BYU took the lead back in the 4th quarter by scoring two touchdowns. But with just 1:19 seconds left to play in the game, the Utes scored a touchdown. This put them up by 4 points. BYU's missed extra point from earlier in the game was proving to be costly now. BYU couldn't just hope to get in field goal range to tie it up, they had to go the length of the field and score a touchdown.
John Beck, BYU Senior QB huddled up with his players and told them, 'We're going to get this done. We are going to go down and score.' Beck and the offense may not have doubted, but thousands of fans were anxiously awaiting what the next minute would bring. BYU began it's drive, and behind the master Beck's arm went 64 yards, including converting on 4th down. With 3 seconds left in the game, BYU faced it's last chance from the Utah 11 yard line.
Beck snapped the ball, Utah dropped every defensive player into coverage except for 2, Beck rolled out to his left, visibly directing where his receivers should go with his hands. With 4 or 5 receivers and 9 defenders, it was quite a crowd in the endzone that play. Beck waited, trusting his receivers, while one Ute defender decided to come up to give pressure on an otherwise completely untouched Beck. Beck began to run to his right to avoid the pressure, as he did so, you could see a few pockets of blue surrounded by waves of crimson move to the right side of the endzone. Suddenly, just as the defender was on Beck he launched the ball across his body, back to the left, while running and being pushed to the right. Time slowed and hearts stopped, as the camera angle showed every player in the team to the right, but as the camera angle turned we saw salvation, as big Johnny Harline, completely alone in the left corner of the endzone dropped to his knees to cradle in a ball that while officially only went 11 yards, truly probably traveled 40 across the field and across the body of John Beck to float into Harline's arms for the game winning touchdown.
This was one of the most remarkable come back victories that has ever occurred.
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posted by Chad @ 9:26 AM
I completely concur. An incredible play.
I have been trying for a long long time to find a way to get a photographic print of this picture. Does anyone out there know how I might go about this. One cougar fan to another. .... I would be ETERNALLY greatful.
Thank you!!
RussellBollard@hotmail.com
Byu rules! That was the best football game in history!!!!!!!!!!