Virginia jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead fueled by the running game, but Brigham Young kicked a 26-yard field goal in overtime to defeat the Cavs 38-35.
Leading by a touchdown with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter, Virginia (0-1) failed to convert on a fourth-and-one run from midfield. That allowed the Cougars (1-1) to tie the game at 35 on a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bret Engemann to wide receiver Margin Hooks.
The Cavaliers had a chance to win the game with 10 seconds left in regulation, but kicker David Greene missed a 48-yard field goal wide left, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, the Cavaliers could not get anything going to combat the BYU momentum. Virginia's first possession ended with a Dan Ellis interception on third down and three plays later, BYU kicker Owen Pochman booted the chip-shot game winner.
After the game, Cavalier coach George Welsh explained why he ran tailback Arlen Harris on that pivotal fourth down instead of punting.
"There is a strong argument for punting there," Welsh said. "I put the defense in a bad position at the end by doing that. If we make it, we probably win because the clock goes down at least another 2:30. But I probably shouldn't have done it. It was a mistake. We should have punted and put the ball in between the five and 10 and make them go 90 yards."
The Cavaliers looked like they had the game well in hand through the first half. Virginia drove the ball 80 yards on the first drive of the game, scoring on a 28-yard burst up the middle by Harris, who finished with 80 yards on 18 carries.
But the three-man Virginia rushing attack wasn't done. In the second quarter, Antwoine Womack scored from four yards out and Tyree Foreman ran one in from five yards to put the Cavs up 21-0.
The defense also did their part in the first half by containing the BYU offense. Cornerback Tim Spruill made a one-handed interception on third down to kill one Cougar drive on their 36-yard line. Brigham Young's next drive took them deep into Virginia territory, but free safety Jerton Evans knocked the ball loose from BYU wideout Mike Rigell and Cav defensive tackle George Stanley recovered the fumble at the Cavalier 16-yard line to end the threat.
The Cougars had one more first half drive, but once again the Virginia defense rose to the occasion. Defensive end Ljubomir Stamenich had two sacks and linebacker Yubrenal Isabelle sacked Engemann for an 11-yard loss to end the half.
The second half, however, was a totally different game. BYU came out fired up, scoring touchdowns on their first two drives of the half to make it 21-14 halfway through the third.
Engemann completed 34 of 41 passes for 447 yards, but did throw two interceptions. The second pick went directly into defensive back Rashad Roberson's hands near the end of the third, though the ball appeared to be tipped. Virginia took advantage of the gift with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Dan Ellis to senior wideout Kevin Coffey to go up 28-14.
After that pass, the Cougar defense only allowed one more score, a 67-yard run by Womack, who carried the ball 15 times for 160 of the Cavs 277 rushing yards. Engemann and the BYU offense did the rest, scoring on their final three drives to send the game into overtime.
"I was getting a little bit frustrated at halftime," BYU coach LaVell Edwards said. "We got off to a sluggish start. But I thought Bret showed a lot of poise today, made some good choices and threw the ball well"
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