The dramatic Hail Mary pass from Tanner Mangum and Mitch Mathews to beat Nebraska on Sept. 5, 2015, will live forever among the greatest moments in BYU football history. It should be noted, however, that the iconic play rose from the ashes of a misfire between the two players just seconds before.
“I was laying in the end zone when (Nick) Kurtz jumped on top of me and he’s crying, ‘We are legends! We are legends! We did it!’” — BYU’s Mitch Mathews of his game-winning catch against Nebraska
Facing third-and-2 from the Nebraska 42, and trailing 28-27 with six seconds remaining, Mangum threw a short pass to Mathews near the Cornhuskers’ sideline. The 6-foot-6 senior from Beaverton, Oregon, pulled it in at the 35 but just missed getting a foot in bounds. The clock stopped with one second to play.
“Had I made that catch we were going to attempt a field goal,” Mathews said. “Comparing a Hail Mary vs. a field goal, the odds of making a kick are so much higher. We kick the field goal for sure.”
Cougars kicker Trevor Samson had already hit field goals of 41 and 35 yards and was warming up his leg. However, the late afternoon breeze on an otherwise perfect Saturday for football in Lincoln, Nebraska, forced Bronco Mendenhall’s hand. The BYU coach decided to keep Samson on the sideline and go for broke with a final pass.
Relying on a Hail Mary catch to win is a slim proposition, but BYU’s chances seemed even further remote. Not only were the Cougars facing a program that hadn’t lost a season opener in an NCAA-best 29 years, but they were also attempting to do it on the road and without star quarterback Taysom Hill, who had been knocked out of the game.
Wadsworth’s big tackle
The fact that BYU even had a chance is a tribute to backup safety Michael Wadsworth. With Nebraska driving at the BYU 23-yard line and facing third-and-3 with 1:39 to play, the former Orem Tiger bolted through the line and dropped Cornhuskers running back Jamal Turner for a 2-yard loss.
Nebraska missed a 41-yard field goal on the next play, leaving the Cougars with a precious 48 seconds to make a miracle happen.
Forty-seven seconds later, on fourth-and-3 at the Cornhuskers 42, Mathews lined up to Mangum’s left — a good 60 yards from where he would end up at the goal line to Mangum’s right.
It was time for Big Ben.
“We practiced that play (called Big Ben) everyday in practice where Terenn Houk and Nick Kurtz line up on the right and I go from the left,” Mathews said. “I’m supposed to either catch it or tip it up for one of them. Coach (Robert) Anae said, ‘Well, we already know the play call. Let’s go out and do it.’”
Just prior to the snap, running back Algernon Brown patted his quarterback on the back to offer assurance that his blockers would buy him enough time. With 89,959 fans holding their collective breath, Tejan Koroma hiked the ball and Mangum rolled to his right, where he waited for Mathews to motor down the field.
The catch
“This had been a frustrating game for me. They had a good plan to stop me and I was double-teamed a lot. It was not the start I was hoping for,” Mathews said. “I remember saying to myself, ‘Mitch, this is your chance to do something big.’”
ABC broadcaster Sean McDonough described what happened next.
“Mangum steps into the throw — into the wind — down to the goal line — and, caught! Touchdown BYU! Mitch Mathews!”
Mathews had positioned himself between the incoming ball and Nebraska defenders Luke Gifford and Nate Gerry at the goal line. He used his size to keep them from getting in front of him.
“I knew I had to catch it with my body, which I don’t ever do. The chances of it being knocked out of my hands were too great,” he said. “I felt my feet hit the ground and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh! I’ve got it!’”
In fear that he might be short of the goal line, Mathews used his big frame to push himself backward into the end zone and make sure the ball crossed the line. It was there that he heard the sliver of BYU fans going nuts.
“I was laying in the end zone when Kurtz (Mathew’s roommate) jumped on top of me and he’s crying, ‘We are legends! We are legends! We did it!’” Mathews said.
Houk was also in the area. Instead of hugging Mathews, he ran to the field judge who was signaling “touchdown” and threw his arms around him.
The catch not only won the game 33-28, but it triggered a pair of celebrations — both before and after the officials review to make sure Mathews had the ball in the end zone. The dramatic grab was one of Mathews’ 152 receptions at BYU and the favorite among his 24 touchdowns.
“I don’t think a day goes by when I don’t talk about the Hail Mary. Someone always brings it up,” he said. “It’s nice to have a hallmark moment that people can remember, but I was just trying to make a play for the team.”
Big 12
When the 2023 Cougars march into their debut season in the Big 12 this fall, they will include another sizable group of pass catchers, including 6-foot-4 Keanu Hill, 6-foot-4 Chase Roberts, 6-foot-3 Darius Lassiter and 6-foot-6 tight end Isaac Rex.
“BYU has to have big receivers every year because the teams in the Big 12 have bigger defensive backs,” Mathews said. “But our ‘big play’ game has to be there. We must have the ability to make big plays down the field. Knowing that we’ve done that in the past can remind them that it’s possible to do it again.”
NFL talent
Beating Nebraska in 2015 turned a lot of heads around the country, but not with the Cougars. They marched into Lincoln with a team decorated in NFL talent, including Hill (three total touchdowns), Fred Warner (fumble recovery), Michael Davis (team leading five solo tackles), Harvey Langi (sack) and Bronson Kaufusi (sack).
Mathews, who finished the game with three receptions for 69 yards and two touchdowns, took his own professional shots with the Chiefs, Browns, Vikings and Dolphins but, ironically, he never caught on. Instead, his days in football parlayed him into a business career.
Still, when it comes to the great finishes in BYU history, Mathews has his hands all over one of the best — a miracle catch for the ages that came inches from being a kick instead.
Dave McCann is a contributor to the Deseret News and is the studio host for “BYU Sports Nation Game Day,” “The Post Game Show,” “After Further Review,” and play-by-play announcer for BYUtv. He is also co-host of “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com.