[4][5][6][7][8] It was the first bowl appearance in 51 years for Washington State,[9] who used a two-quarterback system: junior Clete Casper was the passer and sophomore Ricky Turner the runner.
BYU's quarterback was consensus All-American and future Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon, the fifth overall pick of the 1982 NFL draft.
He was backed up by sophomore Steve Young, a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and also a Super Bowl champion.
WSU fullback Mike Martin scored from a yard out and Turner added a 2-point conversion to close the gap to two points (38–36) with five minutes remaining.
BYU moved up one spot to thirteenth in the final AP poll, and Washington State slipped out of the top twenty;[12] their next bowl appearance was seven years later.