Tie Means No Holiday for Aztecs : College football: Brigham Young wins WAC title when last-minute touchdown ties score, 52-52. SDSU headed for Freedom Bowl.

They were going to the Holiday Bowl for three quarters, but the Holiday Bowl was looking for a four-quarter team.

And that team wasn’t San Diego State.

San Diego State, in a game that might be one of the most gut-wrenching in school history, blew a 28-point second-half lead and possibly a chance at its second Western Athletic Conference title as Brigham Young stormed back and forged a 52-52 tie.

Because SDSU (8-2-1, 6-1-1) has a conference loss, the tie ensures BYU (7-3-1, 6-0-1) its third consecutive trip to the Holiday Bowl. SDSU will settle for the Freedom Bowl, probably against Tulsa.

In front of an SDSU record crowd of 56,737 in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium, Aztec quarterback David Lowery completed 26 of 39 passes for a school-record 568 yards and six touchdowns.

But it wasn’t enough.

“We played our butts off and gave it our best shot,” an emotional Lowery said. “We did what we needed to do but came up short.”

BYU tied the game with 30 seconds to play when freshman Jamal Willis ran for a five-yard touchdown to make the score 52-51. Earl Kauffman’s conversion kick tied the score.

A last-ditch SDSU effort fell short. Although Lowery passed 21 yards to Darnay Scott to the SDSU 41, the Aztecs could not go further.

It was a night that will not be forgotten by either team for a long time. BYU quarterback Ty Detmer completed 31 of 54 passes for 599 yards and six touchdowns. Three of his passes were intercepted.

Marshall Faulk left late in the third quarter with a bruised rib cage. He carried 20 times for 118 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught six passes for 116 yards and two more touchdowns.

Three Aztecs ran track last spring--Patrick Rowe, Keith Williams, Gary Taylor--but this was totally unexpected.

Of SDSU’s first seven bomb attempts, the Aztecs completed three for touchdowns. A 75-yarder to freshman Darnay Scott--who finished with 243 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions, an 80-yarder to freshman Marshall Faulk coming out of the backfield and a 79-yarder to Scott.

It was the first time in SDSU history that an Aztec team completed three pass plays for 70 or more yards.

And it wasn’t only the offense. Darrell Lewis intercepted a Detmer pass in the first quarter and Damon Pieri intercepted a Detmer pass to end the first half. Chris Johnson got one at a crucial juncture in the third quarter. Detmer had gone four consecutive games without an interception.

Still, this one went late into the night and, when it was fiished, it was not decided. The Aztecs, who led by as much as 45-17 in the third quarter, twice watched their lead melt to a touchdown. BYU pulled to within 45-38 with 10:39 to play and to within 52-45 with 6:19 to play before finally catching the Aztecs with 30 seconds left.

The night cost SDSU more than just emotionally. The Holiday Bowl payout is $1.3 million per team--to be split among WAC teams. The Freedom Bowl payout is only $650,000 per team.

But what a night it was.

BYU and SDSU combined for 819 total yards of offense----by halftime.

Their combined passing total was 655 yards--by halftime.

The list goes on. Lowery, whose best passing output this season was 308 yards at Utah Oct. 26, passed for 341 yards by halftime. BYU’s Ty Detmer had 334.

The teams immediately went after each other. BYU took the opening kickoff and went 77 yards in five plays for a touchdown.

Detmer passed twice for 49 yards to freshman Jamal Willis during the drive--the big one a 31-yard touchdown pass on a play-action that left the Aztecs utterly confused.

Maybe it was the play call that shocked the Aztecs, maybe it was Willis. Here was a true freshman who had caught one pass--for six yards--all season. And he was going to steal the show?

Talk about taking the crowd out of the game.

The Aztecs, though, wasted no time in getting the crowd revved up again. On their first play from scrimmage, Lowery and Scott hooked up for a 75-yard touchdown pass play.

Scott, running a streak down the right side of the field, got about five yards behind BYU defensive back Tony Crutchfield, caught the ball in full stride at about the BYU 25 and went the rest of the way untouched. Figure Lowery dropped back at least five yards, and it was a perfect 55-yard pass.

For those keeping score at home, the drive went one play, 75 yards, 13 seconds.

After forcing BYU to punt and then having to punt themselves, the Aztecs came up with another big play. Safety Darrell Lewis intercepted a Detmer pass intended for Byron Rex at the SDSU 32 and returned it 18 yards.

It took the Aztecs nine plays to drive the 50 yards for another touchdown. With 6:16 left in the quarter, Faulk bulled over from the 2, and the Aztecs were suddenly in control, 14-6.

It stayed that way until early in the second quarter, when Detmer passed 20 yards to Nati Valdez for another touchdown. Trailing, 14-12, a wide-open Mark Atuaia hauled in Detmer’s conversion pass.

If BYU’s opening drive proved the defending WAC champions weren’t going to lose their crown easily, this drive proved the defending champs also weren’t going to be easily rattled. It was a 97-yard drive, in six plays, after SDSU’s Eric Duncan batted a punt down at the BYU 3.

Part of SDSU’s problem was one play, when split end Micah Matsuzaki burned the Aztec secondary for a 65-yard reception that went from the BYU 4 to the SDSU 31.

Undaunted, the Aztecs pressed on. On the next play from scrimmage, Lowery and Faulk hooked up for an 80-yard touchdown pass play. One play, 80 yards. This time, the SDSU drive took 15 seconds. And it was 21-14.

And after a BYU field goal, SDSU stuffed it down the Cougars’ throats again. The Aztecs took over at their 18 and, on the first play, Faulk carried for 21 yards.

It wasn’t as simple as it sounds. He cut right and linebacker Scott Giles grabbed his jersey behind the line of scrimmage. So Faulk broke free and cut back across the field. Lowery and Tony Nichols threw key blocks. Faulk rambled 21 yards down the left sideline.

Two plays later, Lowery passed 52 yards to Patrick Rowe to the BYU 4. Faulk took it from there. 28-17.

And two possessions later, the Aztecs did it again. Scott again burned the BYU secondary and again hauled in a touchdown pass from Lowery--this time a 79-yarder. A two-play, 83-yard drive. And 16 seconds.

You couldn’t accuse the Aztecs of wasting time.

By halftime, the Aztecs had a 35-17 lead.

* RECORD SETTER

Freshman Marshall Faulk wasted no time putting his name in the NCAA record book. C17A