Las Vegas Bowl Moment 23: BYU-Oregon draws largest crowd in Nevada history
To celebrate the local bowl’s milestone, the Review-Journal will rank the top 25 moments in Las Vegas Bowl history. We’ll relive one moment per day until game day on Dec. 17 at Sam Boyd Stadium.
No. 23: Record crowd sees BYU beat Oregon
Date: Dec. 21, 2006.
Score: BYU 38, Oregon 8.
Back story: Brigham Young became the first Mountain West champion to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. The matchup drew 44,615 fans to Sam Boyd Stadium, the largest crowd to ever witness a team sporting event in the state of Nevada. Temporary bleacher end-zone seats of 4,100 were added to meet ticket demands.
Game: The then-No. 20 Cougars extended their winning streak to 10 games thanks to the game’s MVP, Jonny Harline, who caught nine passes for 181 yards and a touchdown. Harline, a tight end, received All-American honors that season. Also senior quarterback John Beck passed for 375 yards passing and accounted for 3 touchdowns,
Since: BYU, which has played in six Las Vegas Bowls, played in the game four more times after this contest.Oregon has yet to return to the bowl. Beck played six seasons in the NFL before playing two seasons in the CFL and retiring. Harline signed as a free agent with the Indianapolis Colts, but never played in an NFL game.
Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.
