- Oct 27, 2012 - #12 BYU (7-1) @ #17 GT (5-2) Atlanta, GA ESPN 5pm EST

Riley Pulls Off Another Miracle as BYU Rallies Late to up-end GT

After a heart breaking defeat against VT opening weekend GT rattled off 4 straight blowout wins before getting blown out themselves in Death Valley. They then had a bye week and proceeded to beat BC handily at home. Theyve kind of been all over the place this season and you never know what Yellow Jacket team will show up.

This is a game that Bronco has called the toughest spot on our schedule this season. After the huge, emotional win @ND the team would have to travel over 1500 miles back to Provo and get home early Sunday morning. Then they have really only 3 full days of practice to prepare for the vaunted GT option attack and have to travel another 2500 miles to Bobby Dodd Stadium. GT is like AFA but with legit athletes. As good as our D has been this is more about being assignment sound and knowing your role as it is being athletic.

The first 2 quarters prove that 3 days were not enough. GT races out to score TDs on their first 2 possessions and carry a 14-0 lead after one quarter of play. Thankfully the quarter ends with Riley driving in GT territory. Four plays into the 2nd quarter Riley scrambles, avoids a sack and finds Apo in the corner of the endzone. GT answers right back, and while BYU tacks on one more TD via an Adam Hine run, the Cougars find themselves down 28-14 at the half. They havent given up this many points in an entire game yet this season much less one half and they genuinely look confused out there. GT has had 2 scores come on plays of 50 yards or greater and the other 2 scoring drives had at least one play of 35 yards or more. What little is left of BYUs BCS hopes hang by a thread at this point.

Fortunately BYU gets the ball to start the half and they dont disappoint. A long, sustained drive allows Pritchard to sneak it in from the 1 after a great catch by Hoffman to set up the score. 28-21 GT. BYU finally forces the Yellow Jackets to punt on consecutive possessions and it appears Bronco did some more film work at half-time. BYU is finally getting a guy on the lead man and the pitch man at the same time and its frustrating GT. They try to go long a few times to keep BYU honest but one throw is way off and the other is covered nicely by P. Hadley. GT only manages a FG in the 3rd quarter, and has just fumbled one of their pitches on their own 40 yard line. BYU recovers and has a 3rd and short to start the 4th.

Doman opts for the option with Hine and BYU gives GT a taste of their own medicine. Surprisingly this play call caught GT off guard and Hine races down the sideline only to get pushed out at the 3 yard line. A play-action roll-out later and Wilson records his 5th TD catch of the season! BYU narrows the gap 31-28 with about 11 minutes left. The two teams exchange punts for a few possessions and then GT breaks out again with another big play setting up a chip-shot 24 yard FG. Some GT fans booed wanting them to go for it on 4th and 1 from the 7, but GT elects to take the points hoping they can stop Riley and Co. from reaching the endzone with about 4 minutes left. Didnt they watch any film from last season?

After Hoffman returns the ball to the BYU 26, Riley nails Falslev over the middle for an 8 yard gain. He then scrambles for 5 yards and then throws it way behind Holt. On 2nd and 10 Hine picks up 3 setting up a crucial 3rd and long situation. BYU rolls Riley out but both options are covered so Riley takes it himself and gets stopped just shy of the first down. Its now 4th and 1 from the BYU 47 yard line. With just under 3 min left many believe Bronco will punt it and try and stop GT one more time. This seems to be the case as the punting unit trots on the field. Except this time speedster Taysom Hill, who has seen some limited action as backup has taken Rileys spot as the halfback in the punting formation. The BYU LS snaps it directly to Hill who bolts to the long side of the field to try and outrace the GT defenders to the first down marker. Not only does he get the first down but he picks up about 12 yards on the completely unexpected play call. Riley keeps it on first down for a gain of 2, then nails Hoffman on a slant for a first down and gain of 8. 1st and 10 on the GT 301:59 leftHine gets stuffed for a 1 yard loss, and then Riley overthrows a WIDE open Mathews in the middle of the field. That would have been a TD and it looked like Riley just got too excited. 3rd and 11 from the GT 311:30 lefttimeout BYU. Doman saw the blitz coming and perfectly countered with a timeout and a screen call. Probably his best call ever. Falslev gets nailed by the safety but spins and falls forward for a gain of 13 and another Cougar first down. With no timeouts Doman then draws the ire of BYU fans everywhere by calling a blast with Iona on 1st and 10 from the GT 18 and only 1:03 leftclock is tickingand it only gained 3 yards! Riley rushes everyone to the line and signals the hurry uponly 7 seconds tick off play clockRiley spotted that GT was only single-covering Apo on the corner b/c they were so worried about Hoffman who has been abusing the GT secondary all night. On 2nd and 7 from the 15 he throws a perfect fade to Apo who out jumps and out-muscles the GT CB. Ross manages to get both feet in bounds just for good measure and BYU ties the game at 34 with 50 seconds left! Sorensons extra point is good and the Cougars take their first lead, 35-34.

Sadly for GT, they are not made to drive the field in such a short time. They actually nail one pass to get to midfield but the hail mary as the clock winds down to 0:00 falls just short and BYU somehow escapes with the victory on a game that was on the east coast and seen by more people than any other BYU game this season (except the ND game).

Player of Game: Nelson 29/40, 393 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT, 9 rush att, 48 yards, 1 fumble.