BYU Earns Return Trip to San Diego, 48-27 : Cougars: Detmer accounts for five touchdowns to help clinch WAC title and a spot in the Holiday Bowl.

Brigham Young University clinched the Western Athletic Conference title and earned its first Holiday Bowl berth since its 1984 national championship by defeating San Diego State, 48-27, Saturday night as Ty Detmer passed for 327 yards and accounted for five touchdowns.

The No. 21-ranked Cougars (10-2 overall, 7-1 in the WAC) will return to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium to play No. 22 Penn State in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 29. Penn State beat Pitt, 16-13, Saturday.

Detmer, who passed for three touchdowns and ran for two, completed 23 of 33 passes and finished the season with 4,560 yards, falling just short of the major-college record of 4,571 by BYU’s Jim McMahon in 1980.

The Cougars’ Stacey Corley rushed seven times for 121 yards, including runs of 57 and 49 yards.

San Diego State (6-5-1, 4-3) finished with its first winning record in three years.

Aztec quarterback Dan McGwire missed much of the first half due to a back bruise on the Aztecs’ first possession but returned to complete 14 of 21 passes for 215 yards and a touchdown.

The Aztecs trailed, 35-14, in the third quarter before closing to 35-24 on a 32-yard pass from McGwire to Tony Nettles and a 46-yard field goal by Andy Trakas.

But Detmer put the Cougars comfortably ahead again with a one-yard touchdown run late in the quarter after Dave Porter recovered a fumble by Monty Gilbreath on a punt return at the Aztecs’ 19.

In the fourth quarter, Trakas added a 38-yard field goal and BYU’s Fred Whittingham scored on a 34-yard run.

The Cougars trailed, 14-13, after one quarter but scored 22 points in the second quarter for a 35-14 halftime lead. Jeff Frandsen put BYU ahead, 21-14, early in the second quarter when he caught a 27-yard pass from Detmer, his second touchdown reception.

The Cougars added two touchdowns in the final 2:33 of the half when Matt Bellini scored on a three-yard run and Andy Boyce made a diving catch of Detmer’s nine-yard scoring pass with 18 seconds left.

Curtis Butts and Ron Slack scored on short runs for San Diego State in the first quarter. Frandsen scored on a 67-yard pass play, and Detmer scrambled 12 yards for BYU’s touchdowns in the first quarter.