Bruins Stop Detmer at the Finish : UCLA: Fourth-down pass knocked away in end zone for 27-23 victory over BYU. Williams gets winning score.

An unheralded UCLA defensive back made the key play Saturday night at the Rose Bowl as the Bruins held on to defeat Brigham Young, 27-23, before a crowd of 61,542.

Ty Detmer, BYU’s Heisman Trophy quarterback, was faced with a fourth and seven at UCLA’s 16-yard line with 1:27 remaining.

He lofted a pass into the end zone intended for wide receiver Bryce Doman. However, cornerback Carl Greenwood, a redshirt freshman from Corpus Christi, Tex., broke up the pass, enabling the Bruins to win their season-opening game.

“I knew the ball was coming because I saw his (Doman’s) eyes getting big,” Greenwood said. “So I turned around and batted the ball down.”

UCLA was using as many as seven defensive backs in passing situations in an effort to control Detmer.

“If you can stop BYU in a situation like that, you can stop a lot of teams in the nation,” UCLA quarterback Tommy Maddox said.

Detmer put on a show worthy of a Heisman winner. He completed 29 of 46 passes for 377 yards for two touchdowns with two interceptions.

He established his 45th NCAA record in a losing cause. He needed 197 yards to break the passing record of 11,425 yards held by San Diego State’s Todd Santos. He got the yardage he needed late in the second quarter.

Maddox wasn’t as effective in the second half as he was the first. Even so, he completed 16 of 24 passes for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He had one interception.

Asked about Detmer’s performance, UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said: “He was fantastic. He was like Houdini. I think he’s a tremendous athlete.”

The Bruins got a lift from tailback Kevin Williams, who had an injury-marred season in 1990.

Williams gained 132 yards in 13 carries, a 10.2-yard average. He broke away on a 55-yard run late in the fourth quarter while UCLA was protecting its 27-23 lead.

Brigham Young, which lost to No. 1-ranked Florida State Aug. 29 at Anaheim Stadium, is 0-2. The Bruins, 5-6 last year, had their first season-opening victory since 1988.

The first half was the Detmer-Maddox passing show, as expected.

Maddox was more successful, though, as the Bruins led, 20-10, at halftime.

The Bruins scored on their first possession in rapid fashion. It took only three plays for UCLA to cover 61 yards for a 7-0 lead.

On second down from the UCLA 42-yard line, Maddox, out of the shotgun, teamed with flanker Paul Richardson on a 38-yard pass play.

Then, on third down, Maddox faked a pitch and threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Sean LaChapelle in the corner of the end zone. Louis Perez kicked the extra point.

It took UCLA only 64 seconds to score its first touchdown.

Detmer then drove the Cougars to the Bruin 15-yard line, where he had some bad luck. He threw an apparent scoring pass to fullback Peter Tuipulotu, but it was nullified by an illegal procedure penalty.

On third down, halfback Brad Clark dropped Detmer’s pass in the end zone. So BYU settled for Earl Kauffman’s 37-yard field goal.

The Bruins increased their lead to 14-3 before the quarter ended. They drove 81 yards in 10 plays with tailback Ricky Davis scoring on a pitchout from the seven-yard line.

Maddox set it up with a 21-yard pass to LaChapelle and then found tight end Rick Daly with an 11-yard pass on second down from the BYU 35.

A subsequent dead-ball penalty provided the Bruins with a first down at the BYU 13-yard line, and Davis scored on second down. Perez made the extra point.

Brigham Young responded with a four-play, 52-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter.

Detmer keyed the drive with a 26-yard pass on first down to halfback Scott Charlton, followed by passes of 11 and 10 yards to Tuipulotu and split end Micah Matsuzaki.

Tuipulotu got the touchdown from the one-yard line.

Midway through the second quarter, the Bruins reached the Cougar 20. However, on third down, Maddox was stripped of the ball by tackle Greg Pitts and BYU recovered.

UCLA drove 79 yards for a touchdown on its next series.

Williams got the drive going with a 14-yard burst up the middle. Then, on second and eight from the Bruin 37, Maddox teamed with Bryan Adams for a 43-yard gain, the split end doing a fine job of open-field running.

UCLA was then cited for holding. But on first down from the BYU 29, Maddox found LaChapelle alone on BYU’s five-yard line for a touchdown.

Perez missed the extra point, but the Bruins led, 20-10.

The Cougars reached the Bruin 22 late in the half, but a holding penalty took BYU out of field-goal range and Detmer’s third-down pass was intercepted by Othello Henderson in the end zone as the half ended.

Maddox threw only 15 passes in the first half, completing 12 for 225 yards and two touchdowns. Detmer was 16 of 24 for 234 yards. He was also sacked three times.

Maddox threw his first interception of the game at the outset of the third quarter and it was costly for the Bruins.

BYU cornerback Ervin Lee carried the ball 11 yards to the UCLA 21-yard line. On second down, Detmer teamed with wide receiver Bryce Doman for a 19-yard touchdown. Kauffman made the extra point to trim UCLA’s lead to 20-17.

BYU was on the move again late in the third quarter, driving 51 yards in 12 plays for a go-ahead touchdown.

Detmer was faced with a third-and-19 situation at his 40 before connecting with Tuipulotu for a 21-yard gain.

Then, on second and six from UCLA’s 36, Detmer scrambled for seven yards and a first down. Detmer gave the Cougars the lead when he threw a two-yard scoring pass to flanker Eric Drage. Kauffman missed the extra point, but BYU led, 23-20.

UCLA regained the lead early in the fourth quarter, 27-23, when Williams outsprinted the Cougars on a two-yard end sweep, completing a 10-play, 65-yard drive.

A key play was a nine-yard pass from Maddox to LaChapelle and then a 15-yard penalty assessed against BYU cornerback Tony Crutchfield, a former Pasadena High star, for a facemask violation.

Another penalty against Crutchfield, this time for pass interference, gave UCLA a first down at BYU’s three, where Williams scored on second down.

BYU then drove to the UCLA 23, where Detmer was faced with fourth and one. He threw a perfect, short pass to Drage, who dropped the ball.

Williams then stunned the Cougars with a 55-yard run to BYU’s 22.

However, the Bruins came away empty. On fourth and two from the 14, the Bruins disdained a field-goal try and fullback Kaleaph Carter was stopped for a one-yard loss.

That set up BYU’s final drive, which ended with Greenwood’s big defensive play. The Bruins then ran out the clock.