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Former BYU players celebrate with defensive back Michael Shelton (center) after their team won the Cougar alumni game at the BYU West campus in Provo on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Former BYU defensive back Michael Shelton (right) defends former receiver Devon Blackmon on the final play of the Cougar alumni game at the BYU West campus in Provo on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Former BYU players celebrate after their team won the Cougar alumni game at the BYU West campus in Provo on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Former BYU wide receiver Neil Pau'u catches a pass during the Cougar alumni game at the BYU West campus in Provo on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Former BYU wide receiver Cody Hoffman celebrates catching a touchdown pass during the Cougar alumni game at the BYU West campus in Provo on Friday, March 22, 2024.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Time eventually means that all BYU football players have to hang up the pads — but that doesn’t mean they lose the desire to win.

Anyone watching Friday night’s Cougar football alumni game at the BYU West campus field (formerly Provo High School) could clear see that, particularly when all the alumni lined up for the dramatic final play.

The Royal team had the 18-13 lead but the Navy team — which won the first two alumni games on dramatic last-second plays in 2022 and 2023 — had the ball three yards from the goal line with five seconds left to go.

“It’s a really, really fun thing to experience when it all comes down to the final play,” said former BYU defensive back Michael Shelton, who was playing for the Royal team. “It’s a competition so you still get the jitters. It still feels all the same. You still feel all of the emotions of it.”

Navy quarterback Jake Heaps dropped back and scanned the field, finally tossing the ball toward the back of the end zone where wide receiver Devon Blackmon was crossing the field.

Shelton, who was in coverage, said he saw Blackmon looking for the ball and thought about going for it, but instead just tried to make it a tough catch.

Blackmon got one hand on the ball but couldn’t haul it in, sparking a celebration for the Royal team.

“We want to be put in those moments,” said defensive back Austin Lee, who was also defending for the Royal team on the play. “It’s funny how it ends up that way. It’s a blast. You love everything. You always thrived in college being put in those moments when it’s at the end. We all were at the end saying, ‘this is what we live for’ in a joking way. But those are just moments you want in your life.”

While the drama of the final play was likely the biggest adrenaline rush, there were plenty of other fun moments in the game.

The biggest surprise was seeing former BYU star and NFL Hall-of-Fame quarterback Steve Young take some snaps, including throwing a touchdown pass to wide receiver Aleva Hifo.

“He threw a nice little floater,” Hifo said. “It had a lot of touch and led me in stride. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the GOAT (greatest of all time). That was good. He signed my ball right after and then signed my jersey, which will be going in my son’s room.”

Lee said participating in the event is something he enjoys because of all the memories it brings back.

“In the moment, I think it’s easy to take for granted,” Lee said. “As time goes on, you forget about all the memories you cherish. It’s not necessarily all the fun plays you had in the stadium. It’s the relationships that you were able to build and the camaraderie that you had. It’s doing things that created a bond, so it was a blast to relive some of those memories and cherish those.”

Shelton agreed, saying being out there with other former Cougars is something special but there is still plenty of competitive fire.

“It’s just fun to actually be able to compete against guys that came through the same program you know, wore the same uniform put on the same pads as you,” Shelton said. “It brings back a lot of memories, but it’s hard not to compete when you’re out there. You definitely get the best out of everybody, even though they’re old or not quite as old yet. Everybody’s still really given it 100% out there every time.”

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