Tanner Mangum's Heroics Lift BYU, Loss of Taysom Hill Will Be Hard to Overcome

Bronco Mendenhall’s face said it all.

In the immediate aftermath of the BYU Cougars' stunning, shocking, final-play Hail Mary win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, Mendenhall, BYU’s veteran head coach, was asked by ABC sideline reporter Todd McShay how he approached the task of replacing injured starter Taysom Hill with freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum.

“We made a point to say, ‘Tanner’s in, no big deal,’” he told McShay. “Even though we knew it was. They had trust in Tanner, next guy up. I can’t wait to get in and see Taysom and how he’s doing, and what’s wrong.”

Mendenhall looked concerned, and he had good reason to be. Shortly afterward, he told reporters that Hill was finished for the season with an apparent Lisfranc fracture, per ESPN.com's Mitch Sherman, the second time in 12 months that he’d been felled by a leg injury.

While there was reason to be excited about the stunning 33-28 win and giving Nebraska its first season-opening loss since 1985, Hill is the engine that makes BYU’s offense go. Without him, the Cougars stand little chance of making noise on a national stage.

Hill was a gamer Saturday in his first competitive game in 11 months. He completed 21 of 34 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown, adding 72 rushing yards and two scores on nine carries. He fought through a sprained foot, which he suffered in the second quarter, going to the locker room for treatment and returning to the game to help BYU build a 24-14 lead.

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Having admired Taysom Hill his entire career, it's indescribable what has happened to him.

— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) September 6, 2015"

But he left the game for good in the fourth quarter with the Cougars trailing 28-27, leaving the outcome of the game—and, as it turned out, the direction of the 2015 season—in Mangum’s hands.

With six seconds left, BYU had the ball at Nebraska's 42-yard line with one final shot. Mangum scrambled right and fired the ball deep. Receiver Mitch Mathews grabbed the ball between a pair of Huskers defenders and fell over the goal line for the shocking win.

“I just wanted to wait and let him get down there,” Mangum told McShay. “I underthrew it a little bit. It came out a little wobbly, and I’m glad it got there and Mitch could make a play on it.”

The Cougars were ecstatic, but their joy was tempered once they reached the locker room and found out the grim news regarding Hill.

A year ago, BYU played its way onto the national radar with a 4-0 start behind Hill, a dual-threat quarterback who is capable of hurting opposing defenses in multiple ways. But the Cougars were never the same after Hill broke his leg Oct. 3 against Utah State.

BYU finished the season 4-5, including a brawl-marred loss to Memphis in the Miami Beach Bowl.

Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images

As an independent school, BYU is not eligible for the automatic "Group of Five" spot in the College Football Playoff’s "New Year’s Six" bowls, but the Cougars can play their way into consideration for an at-large bid with standout performances.

This month is crucial to those hopes. Next week, BYU hosts Boise State, followed by a trip to CFP contender UCLA and then a trip to Jim Harbaugh-coached Michigan.

Those would be difficult tasks with a healthy Hill at the helm. With Mangum, a true freshman who made his college debut Saturday, they’re downright daunting. He just returned from a two-year Mormon mission to Chile in June, so he is more mature than the typical freshman.

“I’ve been preparing for this moment all summer long,” he said. “I just got back from my mission three months ago—knew I had to be ready to go, ready to play. When the time came, I just stepped in and was ready to play.”

Mangum is a talented player in his own right. Before going on his mission, he tied Jameis Winston for MVP honors at the Elite 11 quarterback camp in 2011. But there’s no substitute for the experience that a senior like Hill has accumulated throughout his career.

Saturday was a special day for Mangum and the Cougars. But its ultimate effects will likely follow them for the rest of the 2015 season.