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BYU stuns #20 Boise State, 35-24, with 2 last-minute touchdowns

Mangum to Mitch for the win again!

Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

It happened again.

No, it wasn't technically the final play of the game, but it would have been BYU's last play if not for yet another Mangum Miracle.

Facing a 4th & 7 and out of field goal range with 50 seconds left, Mangum offered up another prayer after navigating the pocket and extending the play.

Mitch Juergens climbed the ladder and pulled it in for the go-ahead score, leading BYU to a 35-24 win over #20 Boise State.

For good measure, Kai Nacua intercepted his third pass of the day on the next play, returning it 50 yards for a touchdown.


Nacua pulled down three picks in his first game of the season -- sitting out the opener at Nebraska for his cheap shots during the Miami Beach Bowl brawl -- to tie Derwin Gray for BYU's single game interceptions record.

The go-ahead score was fitting, as Mangum connected with Juergens on an 84-yard touchdown pass one minute into the first quarter to put BYU ahead 7-0.

Juergens finished with 172 receiving yards on only four catches. Not a bad day.

The difference-maker, however, was Robert Anae's re-invention of the running game in the second half, something that seemed to be aided by Boise State wearing down while BYU just kept going. Adam Hine racked up 80 yards on only eight carries in the second half, giving life to a lifeless Cougars offense.

Hine ran 11 times for only 13 yards in the first half.

The run game found life as BYU tried its hand at rushes on the edge instead of between the tackles. Then, when going between tackles, the endurance of the offensive line seemed to eventually wear down the Bronco front seven. It was rough sledding, but Anae, Hine and the Cougars stuck with the run and it paid off.

The highlight for Hine's resurgence came with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. Trailing 17-7 and with no offense to speak of, Hine sparked the Cougars by busting multiple tackles on a 21-yard touchdown run. BYU was back in business.

The other storyline was BYU's defense. Boise State spent the entire first half in BYU territory. After evening up the game 7-7 on what was only a 52-yard drive, the Broncos took the next four drives across BYU's side of the 50 -- some of them starting there -- without getting a single point.

On the final drive of the first half, Boise State finally got close enough to the endzone for Tyler Rausa to punch through a 31-yard field goal as the half expired. That sent Boise to the locker room with a 10-7 lead, and helped BYU stay close enough to make it a game in the second half.

Hardly a time for a deep breath, BYU travels to play top-15 UCLA next Saturday. It's another tough task that might see BYU outmatched, but for now, let's celebrate another crazy awesome win.