"That may be one of the single most outstanding plays that I've ever seen a guy make," Edwards says. "It's a shame it didn't happen today because it would have been on ESPN and all of the other (highlight shows) because that play never got the (play) it should have. It was special."

"I'm a college football analyst for ESPN now and I see a lot of plays. I still haven't seen a play that tops that, in terms of timing and importance," says Matich, who says the closest comparison he knows of was the touchdown catch by Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree in the final seconds against Texas last season. "Morrell's play was just as big when you look back on it, as far as what it meant to the season."

"That has to be one of the greatest plays, given the situation," Bosco says. "The game was on the line, the season was on the line. It wasn't like we could afford to lose a game and still have a chance to win the national championship. For him to make that play was amazing. It was one of the great plays of all time."

After Hawaii's field goal, BYU re-took the lead by scoring on its next possession, a drive capped by a touchdown pass from Bosco to Kozlowski on third-and-21 with a little more than five minutes left. Still, the drama wasn't over.

Hawaii punted on its ensuing possession, but BYU failed to move the ball and also had to punt. Johnson's punt was blocked by Al Noga, giving Hawaii the ball at Cougar 16-yard line. Once again, BYU's defense kept Hawaii out of the end zone. Receiver Walter Murray dropped a pass that hit his hands in the end zone with 40 seconds remaining.

The Cougars escaped Honolulu that night with their perfect season still intact, barely. Two days later, when the polls came out, BYU had fallen to No. 8. No one in Provo was upset about that, though.

And — who knows? — without Haysbert's TD catch against Pitt, Morrell's high-flying antics probably wouldn't be remembered like it is today.

Those two plays, which occurred weeks apart and on opposite ends of the country, served as cornerstones of BYU's national championship season.

TOMORROW: What's happened to the BYU players who won the 1984 national championship?

e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com