BYU football: Upset win at Pitt got things started

It all began with a comeback victory and quarterback Robbie Bosco stretched out in the aisle of the team charter.

It was September 1984 and the BYU football team was flying back to Salt Lake City after beating Pittsburgh in the season-opener. Bosco, who had just made his debut as BYU's quarterback, had tweaked his back during a heroic performance, and the only relief he could find was to lie down in the aisle of the jet, forcing teammates to step over and around him.

A few hours earlier, the Cougars had found themselves in a tough spot against the Panthers. They faced third down and four yards to go at the 50-yard line, trailing 14-12 with 1:40 left in the game. The next play made Bosco and the Cougars and launched a young, green team on its drive to the national championship.

From the press box, BYU coaches had spotted a flaw in the Pitt defense. "The free safety is cheating up like hell," offensive coordinator Norm Chow told his fellow coaches. Safety Bill Callahan, Pitt's free safety, had been edging up closer to the line of scrimmage all afternoon to take away the short pass, leaving the deep middle zone open. Earlier in the day it paid off for Pitt when Callahan picked off a pass and returned it for a touchdown.

For the rest of the afternoon, BYU receivers pestered their coaches — they insisted they could go deep down the middle. Charlie Stubbs, another offensive assistant coach, agreed — "(Callahan) has no respect for our deep pass," he told Chow.

With the ball at midfield and the game in the balance, Chow called a play that would force Callahan's hand: "63." Wide receiver Adam Haysbert ran a post pattern from the right side and Glen Kozlowski ran a dig route from the left under Callahan's nose. Kozlowski would normally be the primary receiver and Haysbert a decoy, but as Bosco dropped back he saw Callahan come up again, apparently biting on the underneath route.

Bosco, who had been so nervous at the game's outset that he could barely throw a pass, threw a strike to Haysbert, who had single coverage and no safety help. Haysbert caught the ball at the 20 and scored.

For Bosco and the Cougars, the season would start and end the same way — with Bosco hurting and throwing a late touchdown pass to win the game, the latter for a national championship. In the interim, the Cougars would produce many more big plays and narrow escapes to preserve their unbeaten season.