BYU rallies to beat Mississippi, 14-13

OXFORD, Miss. -- Kyle Van Noy saw the bouncing football heading toward the end zone with only one thought in mind: Don't let this opportunity get away.

After nearly four quarters of missed chances by Brigham Young, the sophomore linebacker recovered a fumble for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:09 to play in the Cougars' stunning 14-13 comeback win over Mississippi on Saturday.

"I just got lucky," said Van Noy, from Reno. "I was trying not to panic, but my adrenaline was really running because I knew this was a good play."

BYU trailed 13-0 early in the fourth quarter, but Jake Heaps hit Ross Apo for a 19-yard touchdown with 9:52 left. Less than five minutes later, Ole Miss quarterback Zack Stoudt fumbled under pressure, and Van Noy jumped on the ball to cap both teams' season opener.

"We played with more urgency," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "It was enough to win the game."

Three BYU defenders converged on Stoudt, slamming him to the turf as the ball popped loose on the critical play. Stoudt, a 6-foot-4-inch junior finished 13 of 25 passing for 140 yards.

"I love defensive games, especially when we don't allow their offense to score a touchdown and you find a way to win," Mendenhall said.

BYU won its first game as an independent after leaving the Mountain West Conference following last season. Heaps completed 24 of 38 passes for 225 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Cougars outgained the Rebels 318-208.

"I don't know last year if we could have come through adversity like that," Heaps said. "I'm really pleased with how we finished things today."

Ole Miss led 3-0 at halftime and stretched it to 10-0 with 8:34 left in the third on a 96-yard interception return by Charles Sawyer.

Rebels coach Houston Nutt had said that he hoped the game would be played in stifling heat and humidity since BYU comes from a more arid climate. But with Tropical Storm Lee looming, the weather was relatively pleasant, with highs in the 80s and overcast skies.