November 21, 1981-For the first time in the Brigham Young Cougars and Utah Utes rivalry, the winner would win more than just bragging rights. A conference championship was on the line. With the stakes raised, 47,163 people crammed into Cougar Stadium to form the largest crowd ever to witness a sporting event in the state of Utah. Utah jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead on an 87-yard touchdown run on the first play of the game. That turned out to be an aberration. It was senior day, and senior quarterback Jim McMahon was not going to let anyone rain on his parade. McMahon had treated Cougar fans to many memorable performances in his career, but the home crowd found out that the record setting quarterback had saved his best for last.McMahon picked the Utah defense apart. He quickly answered the Utes’ touchdown, and then left them in the dust. He completed 35 of his 54 attempts for a career high 565 yards and four touchdowns. It was the second most passing yards in a game in BYU history, a...
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