Jonny Harline knelt on his knees in the end zone, the game clock long since expired. He'd been standing, waving his arms to quarterback John Beck. It seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, the ball was heading his direction with everything on the line.
Tick, tick, tick. Harline cradled it like a loaf of bread.
That catch, the one that elevated BYU to a 33-31 win over Utah, is easily the biggest play of Harline's college career.
Same goes for Beck's throw. It solidified their place as pilots of a remarkable BYU championship season and 10-2 finish heading into the Las Vegas Bowl.
A year ago in LaVell Edwards Stadium, against these same Utes, Harline's quarterback had faced a similar situation in overtime. Beck's pass ended up bouncing harmlessly out of the reach of Michael Reed, securing a Utah win.
But on this day, in what may go down as one of the most thrilling games ever played in this storied rivalry, Harline was on his knees, waiting like a catcher for the pitcher to deliver a strike. And he did.
"I wasn't thinking about anything but making the play," Harline said. "I was open. I think I stood there for about two seconds, and I was hoping John would look my way. He did."
How long that play lasted is anybody's guess. There were 3.2 seconds when Beck took the snap. It could have been 7, 8 or even 10 seconds until Harline caught the pass.
In the meantime, Utah defenders and BYU receivers were locked in a dance, and they mirrored one another, jockeying for position like soccer players.
Until Utah lost Harline. Where did he go?
Moments earlier, during a BYU timeout, BYU offensive coordinator Robert Anae asked his offensive players what the odds were of Utah expecting him to call the same play they'd just run — a fade to Harline.
The feedback was unanimous — Utah wouldn't expect it.
On the previous call, a throw to Harline, receiver Zac Collie was wide open in the left corner of the north end zone.
"I was sure we could run it again, have John take his time, misdirect the play to Jonny and then find Zac," Anae said. "But he was covered.
Anae said there isn't much an offense can do, facing an opponent's 10 when defenders are dropping back in zone coverage. But Harline saw Ute safety Eric Weddle cover him on top with a corner and he took off at the snap, knowing it would be a tough play if it came his way, and maybe Collie would be open.
"Beck bought himself some time by scrambling and looking to where Jonny was supposed to be," Anae said. "Then he bought some more time with another move."
Said Harline: "I slipped across the end zone and ran to the other side. Somehow I got lost in their zone."
It was a finish made for TV, typical of BYU in 2000, when LaVell Edwards escaped Rice-Eccles in his final game with a razor-thin win.
Anae said he's been part of a lot of big-play games at BYU, including the 1980 Holiday Bowl win over SMU when he played on the offensive line.
Plays like the one BYU defeated Utah on at the end "just happen," he said. "You don't design them."
Said Anae: "There is no way you can orchestrate that again. No way. It just happened. Who would have thought Jim McMahon would find Clay Brown in the end zone in that win in 1980?"
Just to get to the final play took everything the Cougars had to hold off their rival.
"My hat's off to Utah's defense, their players and their preparation," said Anae. "That is the best we've been defended all season. We were going to our second and third reads, and they put us in position to struggle in the second and third quarters."
But as huge as Utah's defense and offense played, stifling and pinning the Cougars down 24-14 at the end of three quarters, BYU's championship squad, a cadre of seniors who'd never beaten Utah, answered their own call by scoring 19 points in the final 15 minutes.
With the game on the line, Anae turned to the playmakers he'd leaned on all season — John Beck, Curtis Brown, Jonny Harline and Daniel Coats.
It was Coats and Harline, along with Brown, who made critical plays in three consecutive drives on Utah during the key fourth.
With Utah taking a 31-27 lead in the final two minutes and appearing to deliver the upset, the press box in Rice-Eccles Stadium erupted. Protocol aside, you could hardly blame those folks who'd been warned not to cheer. It was a dramatic catch-and-run TD by Brent Casteel and spectacular finish to a great game.
The story line was there — BYU might be champs, but Utah owned the Cougars for the fifth-straight time.
That Utah had practically dominated the Cougars through the middle part of the game, doing so without gaining a turnover, was impressive, almost inspiring. Nobody had done that on BYU all season.
But (gasp) it wasn't over.
With just 79 seconds left, the Cougars marched 75 yards in 10 plays for the wining score. Beck hit Bryce Mahuika for 15 yards. He followed an incompletion with a pass to Brown for 6 more. He missed Collie on the next play, and on fourth-and-four, he found Harline for a 17-yard gain to get to midfield.
Beck again went to Harline for 7 yards and then found freshman McKay Jacobson for a 19-yard gain to Utah's 11.
And that's where the two tosses to Harline ended the game. One failed, the other struck gold for Cougar seniors who were on the verge of ending their careers with a dagger in their hearts, a loss to their rival. Again.
"They all came through," Anae said. "And I thought Coats played an outstanding game. He made huge plays for us down the wire, including a touchdown."
In the middle part of the game, when Utah's defense ruled, both Harline and Coats almost disappeared from BYU's play book. For the record, Coats and Harline combined for 198 yards and four touchdowns, three by Harline.
He was lost, but then, he was found.
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com