BYU football: TE George's wife delivers — then he does

ALBQUERQUE — BYU tight end Andrew George enjoyed an exciting, and sleep-deprived, weekend.

Not only did he witness the birth of his first child, a son, but he also scored a crucial touchdown in the Cougars' 24-19 victory over New Mexico.

His wife delivered, then so did George.

"It's been kind of crazy," George said. "It was tiring, No. 1. Unforgettable, definitely. I will never forget the birth of my first child, for sure. Then to be able to score a touchdown and give him a birthday present was fun as well."

Not long after George arrived in Albuquerque with the team Friday afternoon, he learned that his pregnant wife, Tawny, was going into labor. Her water broke during the team's plane ride to New Mexico.

George was able to catch a flight back to Utah, arriving in Provo at about 8:30 p.m. By 10:15 Friday night, Tawny gave birth to an eight-pound, 14-ounce baby boy, named Jack Andrew George.

After only a couple of hours of sleep, the proud father caught a 6 a.m. flight back Saturday morning to Albuquerque. George arrived at University Stadium at around 10 a.m.

The senior from Englewood, Colo., caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Max Hall late in the second quarter to give the Cougars a 17-7 advantage.

"I was able to help my team," said George, who caught two passes for 30 yards. He added that the fact his wife and his son are doing well gave him the opportunity to play Saturday. "That was the reason I came — everything was looking good. Had there been any complications, I probably would have stayed."

George said he paid for the roundtrip ticket from Albuquerque to Salt Lake City.

"If it gets reimbursed, great. If not, it's fine, too, because we won the game," George said. "I'm happy I could play. It's my senior season and I have only a few games left, so I wanted to be here."

Hall said the team wanted the game to be a special experience for George.

"It's funny because we all said he needed to get (a touchdown). On that play, they played man coverage and we audibled to a man-play. He got open and made a great catch with a guy on him and took it for a touchdown."

e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com