Start your day with BYU football: The Mangum Miracle against Nebraska

Heartbreak turned to happiness for BYU football in Week One of 2015. When Taysom Hill got injured, Tanner Mangum saved the day.

On September 25, 2015, BYU football traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers. Nebraska hadn’t lost a season opener since 1985, and the Cougars were coming off an 8-5 campaign that finished with the horrendous Miami Beach Bowl/brawl performance.

No one knew how BYU football would fare in the 2015 season opener, but at that time the Cougars were just 3-7-1 against the Big Ten.

Taysom Hill was playing some of the best football of his career against Nebraska, and the Cougars took 10-point lead into halftime.

It looked like they’d roll to a win, but Nebraska wouldn’t go away.

And disaster struck.

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On a scramble in the second quarter, Hill suffered a Lisfranc injury. Despite the severity of it, he returned to play into the fourth quarter before taking himself out.

It would be the end of his 2015 season. He completed 21-of-34 passes for one touchdown and added 72 yards and two scores on the ground.

In Hill’s absence, freshman Tanner Mangum – fresh off the plane from his LDS mission – entered the game.

With BYU trailing 28-27 with just one second left on the game clock, Mangum brought the Cougars to the line.

He got the snap, rolled to his right, stepped up, and delivered a 42-yard bomb to wide receiver Mitch Mathews. Mathews hauled in the pass, cutting in front of Nebraska defenders, and gave BYU the 33-28 victory.

Mangum finished the game completing 7-of-11 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.

BYU would return to Provo the next week to host Boise State, and the Cougars would once again get the win with some Mangum Magic.