I’m just happy we won. That’s the thought that keeps coming back to my head. We won the game. – BYU freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum said.
PROVO — BYU freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum arrived in Lincoln, Nebraska last Friday as a relatively obscure backup quarterback. He left Saturday night as a household name across the country — and the Cougars’ new starting QB.
In his college football debut, and his first game in four years, playing in relief of an injured Taysom Hill, Mangum was part of the biggest play on the first weekend of college football.
His 42-yard Hail Mary to Mitch Mathews — “The Mangum-to-Mathews Miracle at Memorial Stadium” — propelled the Cougars to a dramatic 33-28 win at Nebraska in front of 90,000 fans and a national television audience, and thrust him into the national spotlight.
The touchdown was the No. 1 play on SportsCenter Saturday, and he did a live interview with ESPN Sunday.
But wait, the story gets better. His brother, Madison, a wide receiver at Idaho State, also had an amazing, one-handed touchdown catch that same day (No. 2 on SportsCenter's Top 10).
Mangum has already been asked many times, and he's tried to explain, how a guy just three months removed from a mission could pull off a final drive, and a final play, like that.
Mangum's storybook start continues Saturday (8:15 p.m., MT, ESPN2) when he faces his hometown team, Boise State, in his first collegiate start in the Cougars' home-opener.
Mangum, who turns 22 on Tuesday, is getting ready for the Broncos on the heels of a whirlwind 36 hours following the victory at Nebraska.
“It’s been eventful, to say the least,” he said Monday afternoon. “Definitely not something I expected, preparing throughout the week. More than anything, I’m just happy we won. That’s the thought that keeps coming back to my head. We won the game. We’re 1-0. That’s the thing I care about most.”
So how did Mangum put himself in a position to execute such a big play?
When Mangum entered the game for the first time, in the second quarter, Mendenhall was a little surprised by his freshman quarterback's reaction.
"I talked to him and I actually wanted him to be a little bit more nervous. He was excited to play," Mendenhall said. "What he didn’t know then, I hope he keeps that same mindset because he acted like it was no big deal. I certainly thought it was a big deal.”
Mangum lives for those moments.
“I love situations like that. They’re fun. It’s always been that way. I thrive in those situations. It doesn’t mean I’m not a little bit nervous, but I keep reminding myself to stay calm, you know what you need to do. Enjoy it and have fun.”
On the game-winning drive — which began with 48 seconds left and no timeouts, on the BYU 24-yard line and going into a stiff wind — Mangum wasn’t overwhelmed.
“Throughout the whole fourth quarter, looking around on the sidelines, looking into the eyes of the guys, we believed," he recalled. "We knew when it came down to it, we were going to win the game. With 48 seconds to go, I walked out there and said, ‘This is sweet, let’s go do it.’ …When it came to the final play, (offensive coordinator Robert) Anae told me to buy some time, throw it up and make a play… It was a moment of pure joy and elation. But it was a moment that came from confidence and belief, knowing we could do it if we stuck together and kept fighting to the end.”
Despite being away from the game for two years, Mangum credits his mission for helping him in critical situations.
“The mission teaches you so much — hard work, persistence and definitely confidence that you can do hard things, despite adversity and trials,” he said. “If you stay positive and upbeat, you can accomplish your goals.”
Not long after returning from his mission to Chile in June, Mangum arrived on campus and immediately began preparing for the upcoming season.
“Tanner’s desire to study from the minute he got back has really helped him, plus his poise, maturity and individual makeup gave him a chance to go out there in his first college game after a mission and look like he belonged,” said coach Bronco Mendenhall. “He was having fun."
“All summer long, I’ve been preparing myself mentally … I didn’t know when the time was going to come," Mangum said. "It happened to come in the second quarter against Nebraska. So when coach Anae told me, ‘You’re in,’ I was like, ‘Alright, let’s do it.’ I was ready. I’ve got to credit Taysom and the coaches for that during the summer to be prepared for that situation.”
The Cougars are rallying around Mangum and are optimistic about what they can accomplish with him.
“As a freshman coming in, I’ve never seen the amount of poise that he showed,” Mathews said. “He gave the receivers a lot of confidence, knowing that this kid’s not scared. It’s not like, ‘Well, we have a freshman in, let’s see what we can do.’ No, it was, ‘This guy’s our quarterback now.’ This season, we’re not just trying to win nine games with a freshman, or eight games with a freshman. We’re trying to win every single game and with his ability, we really believe that we can.”
A year ago, just before BYU lost Hill to a season-ending injury in a home loss to Utah State, the Cougars were undefeated and nationally ranked. Hill’s replacement was senior Christian Stewart.
“The expectations after four weeks with Taysom and what and whom we had beaten at that point might have escalated the expectations even more than maybe what Tanner’s inheriting,” said Mendenhall. “Hard for me to say. I don’t gauge the outside influences as much. But I do know that with the way Tanner played, just coming off his mission, that probably heightened expectations as well.”
Mendenhall’s approach with his team, just like last year, is that every player needs to step up to help compensate for the loss of Hill.
While Mangum and Mathews connected on one of the most dramatic plays in BYU history, how does Mangum build up chemistry with the receivers, when they had invested so much time with Hill?
“I’ve always had a really good relationship with Tanner because he’s been like a little brother to me on the team. He’s a guy who comes off his mission and knows he’s going to be the backup,” Mathews said. “I kind of have him under my wing. We were close before his mission and I played with all three of the Mangum brothers, so I know the family really well. To see him get his chance to shine is really fun … He’s a guy with so much ability that he’s going to make it seem like he’s a starter. He’s going to do some awesome things this year and years to come.”
Mangum has always been a BYU fan, but he grew up going to Boise State games. He acknowledged that “it is pretty special” to be playing the Broncos in his first start. As a highly touted recruit, he narrowed his choices to BYU and Boise State.
“In the end, I chose BYU and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” Mangum said.
Mangum's improbable story has just begun, and he's eager to write many more memorable chapters.
“He was able to find a way to win,” Boise State coach Bryan Harsin said of Mangum’s performance at Nebraska. “Now this week, he’s preparing as the starter. His world has changed the last four or five months quite a bit.”