Y. outlasts Irish

PROVO — Matt Berry got to shake skeletons out of his haunted broom closet Saturday night in LaVell Edwards Stadium.

Berry almost lost his battle with this boogeyman, however, throwing a late-game interception that resulted in a 38-yard touchdown by Notre Dame's Preston Jackson that trimmed a 10-point BYU lead down to three.

But, whew, bats out of the belfry, the Cougars held on to defeat Notre Dame 20-17 and Berry, bless his heart, got to step on some Irish clover.

Berry got to finish what he failed to do in South Bend when a hand injury and misfiring offense chugged to a halt against the Fighting Irish in their hallowed football shrine last November.

Acting as backup in relief of injured starter John Beck, who got the Cougars going early, Berry tossed a finger-tip 42-yard bomb to freshman Austin Collie in the third quarter to help preserve an impressive Cougar upset of Notre Dame in the season-opener for both teams. The victory extended head coach Gary Crowton's season-opener win streak at BYU to 4-0.

Backing up Berry's act, the Cougars needed a total team effort against the favored Irish. They did it by delivering huge defensive stops and outstanding special teams gems, including a third-quarter running punt by senior all-America punter candidate Matt Payne that John Burbidge downed inside the 5.

X-rays of Beck's undisclosed injury proved negative. He suffered a slight shoulder separation and could have come back in the game. But doctors decided to protect it.

Just like a year ago, the Cougars needed two quarterbacks to get the job done.

Berry, on the other hand, can thank the Cougar defense at church this morning. Well, he can also thank juco star receiver Todd Watkins, who came back and caught a jump ball against two Irish defenders on a hanging chad of a Hail Mary third-down pass with 1:34 to play to ensure, preserve and seal the Cougar victory with the 37-yard play.

BYU's defense, led by senior linebacker Brady Poppinga, defensive end Manaia Brown and safety Burbidge, sacked Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn four times, forced a fumble and turned back two of three Fighting Irish fourth-down plays. Cougar defenders limited the Irish to zero yards on the ground through most of the fourth quarter.

The Cougars led 20-10 when Jackson stepped in front of Berry's sideline spiral for Notre Dame's final touchdown with just more than nine minutes to play. After failing to gain a first down, Payne stepped up and booted a 64-yard punt to pin Notre Dame inside their own 10 — 90-yards away from a win.