PROVO — When quarterback Tanner Mangum went to the locker room with an apparent hamstring injury late in the third quarter, BYU's hopes of a win and potentially even bowl eligibility again flashed before its eyes.

A feeling the Cougars have become all too familiar with — the starting quarterback leaving the field hobbled — seemed like it may doom them against East Carolina Saturday night.

"What we look like with Tanner, and we saw what we look like without him — the dynamic changes pretty drastically," BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall said.

In the first-ever matchup between the two teams, the Pirates marched up and down the field with Mangum sidelined, scoring 17 unanswered points to tie the game 38-38.

With four minutes left to play, Mangum returned to loud cheers from the BYU fans at LaVell Edwards Stadium.

"When it came down to the last drive, I couldn't stay on the sideline any longer. I knew I needed to get in," he said. "I was hurting a little bit, but not enough to keep me out."

With their starting quarterback back under center, the Cougars still needed to at least get in field-goal range.

Mangum's first throw after he went back in was in traffic but was caught by Devon Blackmon, who ended with nine catches for 142 yards. A couple of strong runs from Algie Brown got BYU close to midfield, and Nick Kurtz drew a pass interference penalty on Mangum's next pass to move the Cougars into East Carolina territory.

After an incompletion and a false start, Blackmon recorded a 5-yard catch, and BYU faced a third-and-10. Mangum found an open Terenn Houk near the left sideline.

From there, Mendenhall and his staff appeared content to wind the clock down with runs to attempt a last-second, go-ahead field goal. Instead, Francis Bernard ran for 5 yards and Brown picked up 14 on his next two carries, including his game-winning touchdown from 9 yards out.

"To be able to go that last drive and to see our linemen up front really take control of that drive, and to see Algie running hard and Francis, and to see our receivers making big plays — to see them come through in the clutch was huge," Mangum said. "I didn't even have to do much; they did all the work."

The humble Mangum, as Mendenhall described him, was quick to deflect accolades onto his teammates, but it was clear the Cougars needed him most at the end.

"What a remarkable performance by Tanner Mangum," Mendenhall said. "I didn't expect to see him come back, certainly glad that he did, and he just kind of keeps doing things that are pretty amazing."

The freshman quarterback wasn't without his share of mistakes: holding on to the ball too long, causing sacks and missing several open receivers. But when the game's on the line, he almost always seems to have the right response.

"I don't think about what the score is or how late it is in the game, I just do my best to execute each play," Mangum said. "Like I said before, it's a tribute to our team more than anything, not just me. The fact that our team can stay together in clutch moments like that and execute when it really matters — being at your best when your best is needed, that's what we need."

BYU experienced plenty of adversity against East Carolina. Mendenhall said two defensive backs — likely Jordan Preator and Michael Shelton considering they did not play — were suspended prior to the game.

Micah Hannemann started but had to leave the game with and injury, and the Cougars struggled to slow left-handed quarterback Blake Kemp after he entered with two minutes left in the second quarter.

Kemp threw for 370 yards and two touchdowns as the Pirates installed a more up-tempo approach in his two-plus quarters of play.

"It didn't surprise us at all," Mendenhall said of the added speed with which East Carolina operated after Kemp came on. "It was just really the frustration of the number of balls they were catching. Our coverage was fairly tight sometimes, and then there were assignment mistakes at other times. But sometimes that happens when you have different guys working together, and that's kind of what happened over the course of this game."

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Brown's TD lets BYU hold off East Carolina late, 45-38

Algernon Brown scored on a 9-yard run with 19 seconds left to play and Brigham Young survived a big fourth-quarter comeback to hold off East Carolina, 45-38 on Saturday night.

BYU has been decimated by injuries. The offensive line lost one of its most consistent performers in Ului Lapuaho Saturday, but despite his absence, the winning score game from a battle-tested running game.

"Ultimately, the run game on the last drive sealed the game, so that was a real positive," Mendenhall said.

The Cougars came out with the crucial win after the injuries and suspensions, fourth-down conversions on their own side of the 50 and somehow withstanding an offensive onslaught by the visitors that ended in a game-tying field goal.

It was a test of BYU's resilience, and on homecoming night, the hosts passed. Kyle Spencer is a freelance journalist residing in Orem. You can find him on Twitter @kyledspencer or reach him by email at kspence04@gmail.com.

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