Bosco was sure, and he returned early in the second quarter. But because of his physical limitations, the Cougars decided to employ the shotgun formation, something they hadn't done before during that season.

Somehow, the Cougars made it work. A gimpy Bosco made plays when he needed to, completing 30-of-42 passes for 343 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions.

"Never have I seen a more courageous performance by a kid," coach LaVell Edwards said of Bosco after the game. "He was in pain. But as long as he could stand up, he wanted to play."

While BYU rolled up 483 total yards compared to 202 for Michigan, the Cougars' many turnovers kept the game close. In fact, the Wolverines enjoyed a 17-10 advantage early in the fourth quarter.

That only set the stage for another vintage Holiday Bowl finish.

The Cougars scored two touchdowns in the final 11 minutes, starting with a leaping grab in the back of the end zone by Kozlowski, who soared over a Michigan defender to tie the game at 17.

"I still tease Robbie. I think he was really trying to throw the ball away," Kozlowski says. "I just thought I had a chance at it. So I jumped up and the (Michigan player) kind of pushed me up a little bit more because I jumped before him and got a little leverage on him. It lifted me up a little bit, and I caught the ball."

As it did all night (and all season) long, BYU's defense came up big again to give the offense the ball back at its own 17-yard line with 4:36 remaining. Then came the Cougars' final drive that was capped by Smith's game-winner.

BYU linebacker Marv Allen intercepted a Michigan pass with 44 seconds left to clinch the win. That was fitting, considering the key role BYU's defense played that night.

"We had a lot of great players on that team. We, as a defense, were underrated by other people all year," said linebacker Leon White, a San Diego native who went on to play several seasons in the NFL. "That was what was so exciting — to play such great defense in the national championship and keep our team in it.

"When Robbie went down, it was big for the defense to step up. Without the defense that year, we wouldn't have been able to do what we did. You're not supposed to win games when you turn the ball over six times. That tells you how well the defense played. I look back on that and say, 'Wow, how did we overcome six turnovers?' We created some turnovers of our own. We didn't quit."

For White, the triumph was especially sweet, to win that game in his hometown.

"That meant the world to me because all my friends, family, ex-teammates and coaches were all there," says White, who runs after-school programs for youths in San Diego. "It's a special feeling to be able to do that in your hometown, to bring a championship home."

Though the Cougars would have to wait a couple of weeks to officially earn national championship honors from the AP and UPI voters, as far as they were concerned, the championship was already theirs.

Earlier that day, Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer had said BYU would deserve the national title if it beat Michigan.

"You're the greatest BYU team that's ever been," Edwards told his team after defeating the Wolverines. "I guess if Barry Switzer says we're No. 1, then we're No. 1."

FRIDAY: How Cougars head coach LaVell Edwards accomplished the next-to-impossible — guiding BYU to the national title.

e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com