The scoreboard read: BYU 28, Miami 21.
Ty Detmer had just left the Cougar locker room, and as he walked across the edge of the south end zone toward an interview room, he held a piece of gauze to his chin, which had been stitched up in the middle of the battle that night on Sept. 8, 1990.
That BYU win over defending national champion Miami and Detmer's performance helped catapult the Texan to the forefront of the Heisman Trophy race and his future induction into the College Football Hall of Fame as one of the NCAA's most prolific passers ever.
Detmer still carries the scar under his chin from that game, a sign of his unconquerable competitive spirit, a trait that places him at the forefront as one of BYU's most-beloved football players of all time.
On Saturday, BYU will officially retire Detmer's jersey No. 14. That number was also worn by another college Hall of Fame QB, Gifford Nielsen, who will also be honored Saturday at halftime of the BYU opener against Arizona in LaVell Edwards Stadium.
"I don't remember a time two players who wore the same number will have their numbers retired at the same time, so it will be pretty unique," said Detmer this week.
"It's a great honor. I'm appreciative of all the guys who put in all the effort, who didn't get recognition and were deserving. This is an exciting time. It will be great to have the family and friends around to enjoy it."
Detmer currently works with a financial investment company in Austin that deals in real estate property and sports management. He also owns a 1,000-acre hunting ranch outside of Austin. He and his wife, Kim, keep busy just raising their four children — Kaili, 14; Aubri, 12; Maysei, 8; and Reylli.
If Michael Vick's troubles had happened last year, Detmer said he might have received a call from the Falcons. But it's a year later with a new coaching staff, and Detmer is more in shape to hit a driver or pull the trigger on his deer rifle than to extend an NFL career that spanned 13 years. A ninth-round pick coming out of BYU, he played for Green Bay, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cleveland, Detroit and Atlanta until he retired in 2005.
"I'm too out of shape to get back in shape right now," said Detmer, who had given up most weekends his entire life for football.
As an All-American at San Antonio's Southwest High, Detmer shattered both city and state passing records, many of which still stand. His mark as the all-time leading high school passer in Texas stood for 11 years. As a junior, the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce recognized him as the Texas high school player of the year. The committee consisted of Tommy Nobis, Bob Lilly, Bobby Lan, Sammy Baugh and Doak Walker.
Detmer redshirted his first year at BYU in 1987 after committing to the Cougars the summer after his junior year. In 1988, Detmer received the call to come on in relief of Sean Covey seven times. In the Freedom Bowl, he ended up leading the Cougars to a 21-17 win over Colorado and was named the game's MVP.
It was 1989, his sophomore year, that actually laid the foundation for his Heisman Trophy run in 1990. Detmer and another Texan, Andre Ware of Houston, registered two of the top passing seasons ever.
That year, Detmer helped lead the Cougars to a 10-3 record and a WAC title. He set a dozen NCAA records and finished with 4,560 yards and 32 touchdowns. Ware had 4,699 yards, breaking Jim McMahon's NCAA single-season passing mark by 128 yards.
But if Detmer, who had 412 attempts and averaged a whopping 11.2 yards per attempt, had the 578 that Ware had in Houston's run-and-shoot offense, it is feasible Detmer could have passed for 6,398 yards that year.
Detmer's pass-efficiency rating led the NCAA — 175.6 to Ware's 152.5. Detmer's yards per completion (17.21) was not only an NCAA record but significantly higher than Ware's (12.87).
Statistics aside, Detmer's 1989 season was a springboard to All-American honors. The year ended when he set an NCAA record for total offense in a bowl game by amassing 594 yards against Penn State in the Holiday Bowl, a postseason NCAA mark that has stood for 16 years.
Said Joe Paterno: "Dan Marino never had that kind of night against us. Detmer is a great one. He smells of confidence. He has a great feel for the field and was not confused at anything we threw at him."
The second-biggest bounce for Detmer's career was BYU's 1990 win over defending national champion Miami. A player who was always aggressive in challenging the safeties with post passes, Detmer's risks were high, but so were the rewards. Miami was not prepared to absorb such an assault that night, even after gaining six BYU turnovers. Detmer completed 38-of-54 passes for 406 yards and three touchdowns. Nobody had done that on a Miami defense since 1984, when Doug Flutie got 472, including the Hail Mary game-winner.
"If someone would have told me we would have six turnovers and beat Miami, I'd have asked them to give him a saliva test," said coach LaVell Edwards after the game.
Of the scrape to his chin that night, Detmer told reporters, "I'll take six stitches for a good deep sideline pattern any time."
Veteran Miami Herald columnist Edwin Pope wrote: "BYU's 28-21 stunner at Provo, Utah, was devoid of the slightest iota of flukishness. It could have been inordinately worse. Miami hasn't been handled so brutally since Tennessee did it 35-10 in the Sugar Bowl at the end of 1985."
Of Detmer, Pope wrote: "There is only one Detmer. Even Miami can't defend against perfectly thrown passes. That's about all Detmer delivered. If he isn't Heisman Trophy stuff, there's not a Mormon in Utah."
Detmer had two big playmakers in his BYU tenure — Matt Bellini, who became BYU's all-time leading receiver, and all-American Chris Smith, who set an NCAA mark for receiving yards by a tight end.
"I cannot forget my teammates and those who went before, the other quarterbacks, who really paved the way," Detmer said.
In 1990, Detmer passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns, setting 42 NCAA records. The NCAA does not recognize bowl statistics in a player's record prior to 1992, which means Detmer is shorted seven touchdown passes and 1,175 yards in his college career total.
But aside from his records, his 15,031 yards and his 121 touchdowns, it is the intangibles that his teammates and coaches remember of his days as a Cougar. A prankster, a dry comic, Detmer remains an outstanding leader and is loyal to his friends.
"He is a great football player," said Edwards. "You couldn't make a mold and have a guy turn out any better than Ty."
E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com