Oregon fans still talk about the time when a No. 4 BYU came into Autzen Stadium and its national championship aspirations went up in smoke in the 32-16 Duck victory in 1990.
The Cougars haven’t been back to Eugene since.
That drought ends Saturday as No. 14 BYU visits Oregon (12:30 pm, Fox) for the first time in 32 years.
The Cougars are hoping for a vastly different result while the Ducks are hoping to mimic that September day in 1990 and keep rolling as the Pac-12 season begins next week.
It would be hard to top that previous matchup as that game lives in the lore of Duck football history.
BYU doesn’t have a Heisman Trophy candidate, and eventual winner, quarterback Ty Detmer running the offense this time around.
What the Cougars do bring, however, is Jaren Hall, a very efficient passer who rarely makes a mistake.
Hall threw for nearly 2,600 yards last season and completed 64 percent of his passes. He is continuing that success this year through the first two games where Hall is 48-of-71 passing (67 percent), 522 yards, and three touchdowns.
“One of the things about BYU is the offense is there over time, they’ve been one of the most explosive offenses as far as getting the ball down the field” said Oregon coach Dan Lanning this week.
“They really stretch the field. Hall does a great job of distributing the ball. He throws a good ball and understands their offense, but also has the ability to run, so he presents some good challenges with his ability to scramble. But I’d say he’s a quarterback that looks to throw it right and keeps his eyes downfield.”
Those are the things Hall was able to do last week as BYU is coming off a program-changing victory with its 26-20 double-overtime win over No. 9 Baylor.
Even without their top two receivers in Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney, the Cougars were able to defeat a team of Baylor’s caliber. Whether one or both play in the game this week remains to be seen.
BYU insiders are hoping Nacua can play after a sprained ankle he suffered in the season-opening win over South Florida. Romney hasn’t seen time on the field in 2022 due to an undisclosed leg injury.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cougars feature perhaps one of the best linebacker groups in the country. Keenan Pili, Ben Bywater, Payton Wilgar, and Max Tooley could be starters on any Pac-12 defense.
Lanning says BYU’s defense is so good because they have a good handle on the fundamentals and the ability to change looks on the fly.
“They just do a good job of mixing it up and then when it is a pass they do a great job of recognizing and getting out and they key run-pass really well,” explained Lanning.
“They present different looks and they let their core play the front and they handle the run. They play really well on the perimeter, a lot of overlap up front, but then their back end, their secondary does a good job. They have talented corners and a good secondary. Those guys handle the wideouts and they play off of each other well.”
It should be one of the better games during Saturday’s slate of college football.
It’ll be tough to live up to the previous matchup in 1990, but look for a similar result.
Oregon 27, BYU 24
Feature photo by Tom Corno, Duck Sports Authority