A little Mangum magic didn’t hurt either.
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The Pirates tied the score on Davis Plowman’s 34-yard field goal with 4:01 remaining.
Also impressed with Brown’s performance was BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, stating that his starting running back was healthier than he was during last week’s win against Connecticut. “I didn’t expect to see him come back but I’m certainly glad that he did”.
The Cougars had 508 yards of total offense, just shy of the Pirates’ 518 total yards.
Mangum threw for 332 yards and three touchdowns. He threw three touchdowns and had no interceptions. Chris Hairston capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown run to pull the Pirates within ten points at 38-28.
“(Unga) came up to me after the game and said, ‘That last run – you did exactly what I would have done, ‘” Brown said.
Devon Blackmon had a game-high 142 yards on nine catches.
ECU jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter after two costly turnovers by BYU.
The Cougars expanded their lead five minutes later on a touchdown pass from Mangum to Matthews, and they widened the gap to 28-14 with 2:14 left in the half on another touchdown.
Shortly thereafter, East Carolina’s Trevian Hicks blocked a BYU punt and Yiannis Bowden scooped up a loose ball for another touchdown.
The Cougars marched down the field to answer back.
Afterward, Brown shared a big reason for Saturday’s success. After a three and out by the Pirates, BYU came up with a blocked punt of their own, recovering at the ECU one-yard line.
The offensive onslaught continued for BYU in the second quarter. Kemp provided the Pirates with a spark, going 6-7 for 64 yards on the drive. With 8:05 left in the second quarter, Mathews caught a 13-yard reception to make it 21-14. His 34-yard, first-quarter scamper put East Carolina up 7-0 early. After a Worth Gregory punt to the BYU 32-yard line, Mangum again led the Cougars on a touchdown drive, this time 10 plays and 68 yards. Unfortunately, BYU was unable to convert any of those turnovers into touchdowns.
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For Brown, the game turned out to be a memorable one. The BYU defense, however, forced a game-tying field goal and set up Mangum’s dramatic return and subsequent game-winning drive. Tanner Mangum returned to the field for the next BYU drive in an attempt to seal the deal for the Cougars.
