1987 All-American Bowl
Encyclopedia
The 1987 All-American Bowl featured the first meeting between the and the . BYU, coached by Lavell Edwards
, had a 9–3 record going into the bowl game and Virginia, coached by George Welsh had a 7–4 record.
BYU settled for a 20-yard field goal from Leonard Chitty on its first possession to take a 3–0 lead. The Cougars had a first-and-goal from the 4-yard line but Darren Handley dropped a would-be touchdown pass on third down. Trailing 3–0, the Cavaliers struck quickly. Quarterback Scott Secules
scored on a three-yard keeper
to make it 7–3. Early in the second quarter, Virginia went 66 yards in four plays behind the running of Kevin Morgan
, who scored on a 25-yard run to make it 14–3.
The third quarter belonged to BYU, who held the ball for all but two minutes. But the Cougars scored just once – on an eight-yard run by Freddie Whittingham. A muffed PAT
attempt left it 14–9. Another potential scoring drive ended when BYU drove inside the five yard line, but a fourth down pass to Matt Bellini was batted away in the end zone by Tony Covington
.
Virginia boosted its lead to 22–9 with 11:17 left in the game when John Ford hauled in a 22-yard pass from Secules and the Cavs had a successful two-point conversion. The Cougars answered with a one yard TD pass from Sean Covey
to Whittingham that made it 22–16 with 7:09 remaining. BYU had one last shot at a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes, but Covey was stopped two feet short on a fourth-down run by defensive end Sean Scott
.
Secules was named MVP after completing 10 of 19 passes for 162 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Covey threw 61 passes and completed 37 for 394 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
LaVell Edwards
R. LaVell Edwards is a former American football coach of Brigham Young University . With 257 career victories, he ranks as one of the most successful college football coaches of all time...
, had a 9–3 record going into the bowl game and Virginia, coached by George Welsh had a 7–4 record.
Game summary
The game ended up being filled with missed opportunities for BYU. The Cougars missed a pair of field goals – one from 51 yards and another from 47 yards. Virginia's defense also came through a couple of different times with key goal line stands to stop other potential scoring drives.BYU settled for a 20-yard field goal from Leonard Chitty on its first possession to take a 3–0 lead. The Cougars had a first-and-goal from the 4-yard line but Darren Handley dropped a would-be touchdown pass on third down. Trailing 3–0, the Cavaliers struck quickly. Quarterback Scott Secules
Scott Secules
Thomas "Scott" Wescott Secules is a former professional American football quarterback who played 6 seasons in the National Football League from 1988 to 1993 for the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and the New England Patriots.Secules was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 6th round of the 1988...
scored on a three-yard keeper
Quarterback keeper
A quarterback keeper or keeper in American football is a designed play in which the quarterback does not pass or hand off the ball to another player and instead rushes forward with it in an effort to gain yardage...
to make it 7–3. Early in the second quarter, Virginia went 66 yards in four plays behind the running of Kevin Morgan
Kevin Morgan
Kevin Andrew Morgan is a Welsh rugby union player who has won 48 caps for the Wales national rugby union team, mainly at full back but also on the wing.-Education:...
, who scored on a 25-yard run to make it 14–3.
The third quarter belonged to BYU, who held the ball for all but two minutes. But the Cougars scored just once – on an eight-yard run by Freddie Whittingham. A muffed PAT
Extra Point
Extra Point is a twice-daily, two-minute segment on ESPN Radio that covers generic sports-related topical news and opinion. The AM edition airs Monday through Saturday at various times between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET, and the PM edition airs Monday through Friday between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET...
attempt left it 14–9. Another potential scoring drive ended when BYU drove inside the five yard line, but a fourth down pass to Matt Bellini was batted away in the end zone by Tony Covington
Tony Covington
Anthony Lawrence Covington is a former American football safety in the National Football League and Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
.
Virginia boosted its lead to 22–9 with 11:17 left in the game when John Ford hauled in a 22-yard pass from Secules and the Cavs had a successful two-point conversion. The Cougars answered with a one yard TD pass from Sean Covey
Sean Covey
Sean Covey is an American author, motivational speaker, and publishing executive providing business leadership and time management educational tools for organizations and individuals. He is known for writing motivational books for children and teens...
to Whittingham that made it 22–16 with 7:09 remaining. BYU had one last shot at a go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes, but Covey was stopped two feet short on a fourth-down run by defensive end Sean Scott
Sean Scott
Sean Scott is an Arena Football League wide receiver/linebacker playing currently for the Philadelphia Soul. He went to Millersville University...
.
Secules was named MVP after completing 10 of 19 passes for 162 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Covey threw 61 passes and completed 37 for 394 yards, one touchdown and one interception.