PROVO, Utah — BYU fans have a long-standing reputation for being
relatively staid when they attend football games at LaVell Edwards
Stadium.
But on Sept. 8, 1990, at least for one night, that reputation was ruined.
That's when BYU upset No. 1-ranked and defending national champion
Miami, 28-21, on national television at what was then known as Cougar
Stadium, renowned for its picturesque setting.Fans
uncharacteristically showed up in droves well before kickoff, and not
only did they stay through the entire game, but they also celebrated
raucously (in a stone-cold sober way) on the field after the Cougars'
landmark victory.
It stands as the most memorable event in the 45-year history of the
stadium and one of the biggest college football games in the history of
the state.
"I've never been in anything like that before," quarterback Ty
Detmer said afterward of the spontaneous postgame party, which saw fans
transform the field into a giant mosh pit. "I was just trying to
high-five everybody. I took more hits going in (to the locker room)
than I did the whole game."
Some fans wore blue Ty Detmer "ties" to promote the Cougar
quarterback for the Heisman Trophy. As it turned out, Detmer stated his
Heisman case loud and clear. And he had plenty of backing from the
then-record crowd of 66,235.
"They were on their feet the whole night," Detmer said of the fans. "The student section right behind us really kept us going."
The game was billed as Utah's version of The Game of the Century.
BYU's sports information office issued 300 press credentials, including
media outlets like Sports Illustrated (which did a story on the game in
its next issue), and reporters from places like New York, Chicago, Los
Angeles and Dallas.
The BYU-Miami showdown was preceded by months of hype and buildup as
Hurricane players boasted that their quarterback, Craig Erickson, was
better than Detmer, that the Cougar offensive line was slow and that
they would run over and past BYU's defense.
The 'Canes were a 13 1/2-point favorite over the No. 16 Cougars, and
all week leading up to the game, just about everybody predicted a Miami
win.
Legendary BYU coach LaVell Edwards, not one given to hyperbole, admitted that this game was huge.
"It truly is a big event for us," he said. "What I think it is, is a
tremendous opportunity, the kind of game you hope will come along for
your program."
Afterwards, Edwards said: "It obviously has to be one of the biggest
nights we've ever had, the biggest regular-season night we've had."
One Cougar player, defensive lineman Rich Kaufusi, wrote an entire book, "Calming the Storm," about that game.
"Were you there?" then-BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chow asked a
reporter a few years later of that night. "It was like electricity."
Not only did BYU dethrone the top-ranked team, but Detmer's Heisman
Trophy-worthy performance grabbed the nation's attention. Detmer ended
up winning college football's top individual prize in December that
year.
Against Miami, Detmer completed 38-of-54 passes for 406 yards, one
interception and three touchdowns. Though Detmer was sacked a couple of
times (he suffered a cut to his chin that required six stitches), he
was still able to elude the ferocious Miami rush and, like a magician,
made big plays that baffled the Hurricanes' defense.
Said Miami coach Dennis Erickson: "Ty Detmer, to me, is
unbelievable. He made some great plays and throws with pressure in his
face. Obviously, he's a great, great quarterback, and he showed it
tonight."
"BYU's 28-21 stunner at Provo was devoid of the slightest iota of
flukishness," wrote Edwin Pope of Knight-Ridder Newspapers. "It could
have been inordinately worse. ... Never fly 4,200 miles to play a good
team at 4,500 feet — especially if they have Ty Detmer. Even Miami
can't defend against perfectly thrown passes. If he isn't Heisman
Trophy stuff, there's not a Mormon in Utah."
The Cougars coughed up five turnovers that almost marred the upset.
But Detmer, and the entire BYU team, outplayed the defending national
champs.
Detmer was so good that he overshadowed BYU's physical,
opportunistic defense.The Cougars scored for the final time with three
minutes left in the third quarter.Twice in the fourth quarter, the BYU
defense came up with big stops. Alema Fitisemanu recovered a Miami
fumble at the Cougar 15-yard line. Later, BYU fumbled at its own 37 and
the 'Canes marched to the 13. On third-and-10, BYU cornerback Ervin Lee
intercepted an Erickson pass to turn Miami away. Finally, with less
than two minutes left and the Hurricanes driving deep into BYU
territory, BYU held again after an incompletion on fourth down on a
ball batted down by Lee.
The Cougars then ran out the clock, touching off a wild celebration
in Provo, marking BYU's first — and only — victory over a No. 1-ranked
opponent. Days later, the Cougars vaulted from No. 16 to No. 5 in the
AP poll — their highest ranking since winning the 1984 national
championship. Three voters were so impressed by BYU's win that they put
the Cougars No. 1 on their ballots.
Fans in Provo talked about another national title.
"The victory was the most important in Brigham Young history," wrote
Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune. "Even if Brigham Young doesn't win
the title, it captured something equally as important Saturday:
respect. It didn't come after the 1984 national championship, because
then BYU was criticized for playing an easy schedule. Indeed, the
Cougars didn't beat a ranked team that year. Brigham Young did
Saturday. And it opened many eyes throughout the nation."
"Miami vs. Brigham Young. Sure. You figure 2 Live Crew vs. the
Osmonds. Battery acid meets vanilla ice cream," wrote Mark Whicker of
the Orange County Register."(Miami) slips death threats under Notre
Dame's door and gives the No. 1 sign before the game. ... Perhaps Miami
had talked too often, or maybe Brigham Young had heard too much."
Unfortunately for the Cougars, they lost a few weeks later at Oregon
to spoil their undefeated season. BYU ended the 10-3 year with
back-to-back blowout losses at Hawaii and against Texas A&M in the
Holiday Bowl.
But on Sept. 8, 1990, fans in Provo saw the top-ranked Hurricanes
reduced to a mere breeze. Mighty Miami huffed and puffed, but it
couldn't blow down the house that Edwards built.
For BYU fans, players and coaches who were there, it was a night they'll never forget.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com