Brigham Young University Cougars football

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2008 BYU Cougars football team
BYU Cougars football
Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall

3rd Year, 28-10
Home Field LaVell Edwards Stadium

Capacity: 64,045
Conference Affiliation
Team Records
  • All-Time: 470-367-26
  • Bowl: 9-16-1
National Championship
  • 1984 (Pre-BCS: Beat Michigan, record: 6-5)
Conference Championships (23)
  • 1965, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995*, 1996, 1999*, 2001, 2006, 2007
* Denotes Shared Championship

The Brigham Young University Cougars are a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-A and the Mountain West Conference. Although considered a mid-major program because of conference affiliation, the Cougars have generally fared well in Division I-A. By virtue of a unanimous #1 ranking in the AP and Coaches' poll and being undefeated in 1984, the team was awarded the National Championship, and in 1990 quarterback Ty Detmer won the Heisman Trophy. BYU also holds the NCAA record for most consecutive games without being shutout - 361 games over 28 years. Since 1974 the program has won 23 conference championships and has played in 26 bowl games.

The Cougars finished first in the MWC for the 2007 season, ranked 14th in the BCS, and played UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl on December 22, 2007. BYU won the game with a score of 17 to 16 when a field goal attempt by UCLA on the 14-yard line was tipped by Eathyn Manumaleuna with 3 seconds left in the game.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The Early Years

Football made a brief appearance at Brigham Young Academy in 1896, but was discontinued shortly thereafter. It didn't get its official start until 1922. The first few years were expectedly poor, but in 1928, BYU hired Ott Romney, who gave the school its first winning seasons.

[edit] Pre-WW2 Successes

Although they never beat their bitter rival -- the University of Utah -- until the end of this span, the fledgling program experienced a decade and a half of moderate success from 1928-1942. The team went 65-51-12 in this span, including a second place finish in the Rocky Mountain conference. In 1932, they went 8-1, and outscored opponents 188-50 (average score: 21-6). To date, it is still one of the Cougars' best single-season showings.

The most successful coaches during this period were G. Ottiger "Ott" Romney, and Eddie Kimball. Romney went 42-31-5 with the Cougars, and Kimball's record was 34-32-8. Outside of Crowton, Edwards, and Mendenhall, these are the only other coaches with winning records at the school.

This span ended in 1943, when BYU temporarily discontinued football for World War II.

[edit] Post-WW2 Trauma

When BYU came back after the war, there was a drastic change in performance. From 1946-64, BYU went 61-123-8. Outside the rare winning season, and the hiring Lavell Edwards as an assistant coach, this was arguably the lowest period of Cougar football. The drop could have been attributable to the general change in college football in that span, but whatever the reason, it was a prolonged slump in otherwise a fairly successful and competitive program.

[edit] 1957-1971

Eventually, the program did begin to again show some signs of life. Head coach LeVell Edwards engineered back-to-back winning seasons in 1957 and 1958. For the first time in its history the University was beginning to make a real commitment to football.

The school's efforts began to pay off in 1961 when Eldon Fortie was honored as BYU's first all-American. Four years later, in 1965,in 1964 byu won its first and only championship

Virgil Carter became the first Cougar quarterback to be named all-conference.  That same season, BYU clinched its first-ever conference championship after trouncing New Mexico, 42-8, in the season finale, ending decades of disappointment and frustration.  The coach of that first championship team was Tommy Hudspeth.

In 1962 there was an opening on the BYU coaching staff. They found an individual who not only was successful at running a single-wing offense (which the Cougars used at the time), but also was an outstanding individual. His name was Lavell Edwards, who had been coaching at Granite High School in Salt Lake City when BYU hired him. Edwards would serve as an assistant for 10 years before he was promoted to head coach.

[edit] The Edwards Era

As soon as he was named head coach (in 1972), Lavell Edwards revamped the Cougar offensive attack. While everyone else in college football was using run-heavy offenses such as the veer and wishbone, Edwards and his staff installed a drop-back passing game. Ironically, in its first year, the new offense produced the nations leading rusher, Pete Van Valkenburg. The next year the offense added a drop-back passer named Gary Sheide to its roster. In 1974, Sheide led the Cougars to their first conference championship under Edwards that included a 21-18 victory over Arizona St., ending the Sun Devils domination of the WAC.

Conference championships and bowl-game appearances soon became common occurrences at BYU under Edwards. The Cougars won 10 conference championships in a row from 1976 to 1985. In 1984, the Cougars were coming off their eighth straight conference title and a thrilling Holiday Bowl victory that marked the end of Steve Young's career at BYU. In what was expected to be a rebuilding year, the Cougars started '84 with a victory at highly ranked Pitt. The Cougars would go on to win the rest of their regular-season games. They were the only undefeated team left in the nation when they faced the Michigan Wolverines in the Holiday Bowl. Playing through a severe injury, quarterback Robbie Bosco led BYU to a 24-17 victory over the Wolverines. BYU finished the season 13-0, and was named college football's National Champion.

The national championship opened new doors of opportunity for BYU football. In 1985, the Cougars were invited to play in the Kickoff Classic, where they scored a decisive victory over Cotton Bowl champion Boston College, winning their 25th straight game. The growing success of the program, and increased national exposure brought well deserved recognition to BYU athletes. In 1986, defensive lineman Jason Buck became the first BYU player ever to win the Outland Trophy, awarded to the top interior lineman in all of college football. In 1989, offensive lineman Mo Elowonibi also won the Outland Trophy. Despite BYU's amazing record of quarterbacks brought in by coach Edwards (which earned BYU the nickname "QB-U"), none had ever won the Heisman Trophy. In 1990, Cougar quarterback Ty Detmer passed for more than 5,000 yards, becoming the most prolific passer in NCAA history. In December of that year he deservingly joined the likes of legends such as Roger Staubach and Doak Walker as a recipient of the Heisman Trophy. When his playing days at BYU were over, Detmer was college football's all-time passing leader, a record which would stand for 13 years.

[edit] 1989 to 1996 under Edwards

Between 1989 and 1996, BYU won at least a share of the conference championship each year except 1994. In 1996 BYU produced arguably its best team ever. That team completed the longest season in modern-day college football history. Starting off with a victory over Texas A&M in the Pigskin Classic, the Cougars only loss that regular season was suffered at Washington. In 1996 the WAC expanded to a 16-team conference. Going undefeated in the conference regular season, and winning their division, the Cougars faced nationally ranked Wyoming in the first ever Western Athletic Conference championship game. BYU defeated the Cowboys in overtime and earned a bid to play in the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, Texas, on January 1, 1997. It was the Cougars first ever New Years Day bowl game. Their opponent in the Cotton Bowl was #12-ranked Kansas State of the newly formed Big 12 Conference. Although the Cougars had a high powered offense led by quarterback Steve Sarkisian, the game was a defensive struggle. Sarkisian connected with K.O. Kealaluhi for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give BYU a 19-15 lead. Kansas State, however, was driving with time winding down in the game. With less than one minute left, Cougar defensive back Omarr Morgan tipped a KSU pass to himself for an interception inside the 5-yard line, preserving the Cougar win. BYU finished 14-1 and ranked fifth in the nation. BYU's 14 wins that season was the most ever by a Division 1 college football team in a single season until Ohio State tied that record with a 14-0 record in 2002.

[edit] Lavell's Last Years

BYU returned to the WAC championship game in 1998 but lost to Air Force. In 1999 after leaving the WAC along with seven other teams to form the Mountain West Conference, the Cougars won a share of the inaugural MWC championship. Just prior to the 2000 season, Edwards announced that it would be his last year. The program would be saying goodbye to its legendary coach. That season the Cougars found themselves with a 4-6 record with just two games left and at risk of giving Edwards only his second losing season and his first since 1973. The final two games included the home finale against New Mexico followed by the season finale at Utah. Prior to the New Mexico game, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that Cougar Stadium would be renamed "Lavell Edwards Stadium".[1] The Cougars went on to dominate UNM in Lavell's last game at that stadium. The season finale against the University of Utah was much more intense. The Cougars were trailing late in the 4th quarter and were still deep in their own territory. On a fourth and long, quarterback Brandon Doman found receiver Jonathan Pittman on a hail mary pass. That got them a first down, but they were still close to midfield with time running out. Doman again connected with Pittman on a very deep pass, setting up Doman running it in himself for the game winning touchdown. Edwards was triumphantly carried off the field after the game ended.

Edwards is a legend among college football coaches, winning 257 games over a span of 29 years. Only five other head coaches have won more games. He was twice awarded with Coach of the Year awards (1979 and 1984).[2] Under Edwards' leadership, the Cougars were Western Athletic/Mountain West Conference champions 20 times, had 26 winning seasons, played in 22 bowl games, and held a top-25 ranking for some portion of 22 different seasons, including 9 seasons with top-10 rankings.

[edit] 2001 (Gary Crowton's first year)

The 2001 team returned several key players including quarterback Brandon Doman and running back Luke Staley. This Cougar team ran off 12 straight wins to open the season, and they found themselves ranked seventh nationally in at least one major poll. They became the first MWC team to go undefeated in conference and won the conference championship outright. Luke Staley, however, would break his leg in the 12th game against Mississippi State. Walking on crutches due to his broken leg, Staley accepted the Doak Walker award, given to the nations top running back. He finished the season with 1,596 rushing yards and scored 28 touchdowns. Staley's absence proved critical as the Cougars lost their last two games including their bowl game.

[edit] Crowton's undoing

The 2002 season started with a big home win, but the Cougars struggled in ways that had become almost unheard of in the program. A loss to Utah in the season finale marked the first losing season in 29 years. 2003 also saw BYU start the season with a win, but by the time the season was over the Cougars had suffered their second straight losing season. The Cougars were also shut out in the finale against Utah, ending their nation-leading record of consecutive games without being shut out, which dated back to 1975. In 2004, BYU opened the season with a victory at home over Notre Dame, however, the Cougars ended their season with a final record of 5-6. More disastrous to Crowton's employment were the sexual assault and rape allegations involving several recent recruits; this scandal reaffirmed criticisms that the Head Coach overlooked players with good standards and a commitment to the BYU Honor Code to attract better talent. Gary Crowton's resignation came quickly after leading the Cougars into their third straight losing season and posting an overall record of 26-23 (14-21 in the last three years).

[edit] The Mendenhall Era (2005-)

Bronco Mendenhall, who had been brought into the program in 2003 as defensive coordinator was named the next BYU head football coach. In his first season, Mendenhall led his team to a 6-5 regular season record. Mendenall's defensive secondary suffered badly from the suspensions in 2004 of many players that were recruited by Crowton. The weakness in the secondary proved to be a huge problem for the Cougars in several close games including a 51-50 loss to nationally ranked TCU. Nevertheless, Mendenhall did return BYU to a bowl game in his first season, and the team finished second (5-3) in the Mountain West Conference.

In 2006, the Cougars lost two early non-conference games to opponents from BCS conferences: one on a last minute field goal and one in double overtime. After that, the Cougars went on to run the table in their first seven conference games. In the regular season finale at Utah, BYU had already clinched the conference championship outright but faced its rival in a very hostile stadium. BYU jumped out to a 14-0 lead and was again driving until John Beck fumbled on a third-and-short play and the Cougars were forced to punt after recovering the fumble. Utah would hold BYU's offense scoreless the rest of the first half and went into halftime down just 14-10. In the second half, Utah jumped out to a 24-14 lead, much to the surprise of almost everybody as BYU was highly favored. BYU would finally respond in the fourth quarter, however, with two John Beck touchdown passes. Utah would score again and take a 4-point lead with just over a minute left to play. The Cougars drove down to the Utah 11 yard line with only 3.5 seconds to go in the game. The final play would take about 13 seconds before John Beck, as he was getting hit, found Jonny Harline by himself in the endzone at the opposite side of the field, giving BYU a thrilling 33-31 victory.

The Cougars would then go on to dominate the Oregon Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl, 38-8. The win was the largest margin of victory for BYU in their bowl game history, and it marked BYU's first bowl win since the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day 1997, ten years earlier. The Cougars finished the year 11-2 (8-0 in conference) and ranked 15th in the nation, their first top-20 ranking since early 2002.

The Cougars started the 2007 “rebuilding” season with unproven quarterback Max Hall (who had never taken a snap in NCAA football) and a depleted defense staffed almost entirely by walk-ons. As in 2006, the team opened with two early losses to non-conference opponents. However, to fans delight the squad went on to win nine straight games to finish the season 10-2 with their second consecutive undefeated conference title. The cougars played 6-6 UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl. They would come away with a win because of a last second field goal block. They currently hold the nation's longest winning streak at 10 games.

[edit] Bowl games

BYU has made 26 Bowl appearances, winning 9, losing 16, and tying 1. They have played in the Holiday Bowl (4 wins, 6 losses, 1 tie), the Cotton Bowl (1 win), the Las Vegas Bowl (2 wins, 1 loss), the Copper Bowl (1 win), the Tangerine/Citrus Bowl (2 losses), the Freedom Bowl (1 win, 1 loss), the Liberty Bowl (2 losses), the Aloha Bowl (1 loss), the Fiesta Bowl (1 loss), the Motor City Bowl (1 loss), and the All-American Bowl (1 loss).

Date Bowl W/L Opponent PF PA
December 28, 1974 Fiesta Bowl L Oklahoma State 6 16
December 18, 1976 Tangerine Bowl L Oklahoma State 21 49
December 22, 1978 Holiday Bowl L Navy 16 23
December 21, 1979 Holiday Bowl L Indiana 37 38
December 19, 1980 Holiday Bowl W SMU 46 45
December 18, 1981 Holiday Bowl W Washington State 38 36
December 17, 1982 Holiday Bowl L Ohio State 17 47
December 23, 1983 Holiday Bowl W Missouri 21 17
December 21, 1984 Holiday Bowl W Michigan 24 17
December 28, 1985 Citrus Bowl L Ohio State 7 10
December 30, 1986 Freedom Bowl L UCLA 10 31
December 22, 1987 All-American Bowl L Virginia 16 22
December 29, 1988 Freedom Bowl W Colorado 20 17
December 29, 1989 Holiday Bowl L Penn State 39 50
December 29, 1990 Holiday Bowl L Texas A&M 14 65
December 30, 1991 Holiday Bowl T Iowa 13 13
December 25, 1992 Aloha Bowl L Kansas 20 23
December 30, 1993 Holiday Bowl L Ohio State 21 28
December 29, 1994 Copper Bowl W Oklahoma 31 6
January 1, 1997 Cotton Bowl W Kansas State 19 15
December 31, 1998 Liberty Bowl L Tulane 27 41
December 27, 1999 Motor City Bowl L Marshall 3 21
December 31, 2001 Liberty Bowl L Louisville 10 28
December 22, 2005 Las Vegas Bowl L California 28 35
December 21, 2006 Las Vegas Bowl W Oregon Ducks 38 8
December 22, 2007 Las Vegas Bowl W UCLA 17 16
Total 26 bowl games 9-16-1 559 717

[edit] Rankings - Top 25 finishes

Year Record AP# Coaches# BCS#
1977 9-2 20 16 n/a
1979 11-1 13 12 n/a
1980 12-1 12 11 n/a
1981 11-2 13 11 n/a
1983 11-1 7 7 n/a
1984 13-0 1 1 n/a
1985 11-3 16 17 n/a
1989 10-3 22 18 n/a
1990 10-3 22 17 n/a
1991 8-3-2 23 23 n/a
1994 10-3 18 10 n/a
1996 14-1 5 5 n/a
2001 12-2 25 24 n/a
2006 11-2 16 15 20
2007 11-2 14 14 17

[edit] National Championship

In 1984, BYU's football team was declared NCAA Division I-A national champions. At the end of the season, the team had the number one ranking in the AP, UPI, and other polls, making them the consensus' choice. The undefeated Cougars (12-0-0) beat the Michigan Wolverines (6-5-0) 24-17 in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego on December 21, marking the only time a national champion played in (and won) a bowl game before New Year's Day. It was also the only time since the inception of the AP poll that a team was awarded the national title without beating an opponent ranked in the top 25 at the season's end. This fact added to the controversy of BYU being awarded the national championship as opposed to teams who had defeated ranked opponents. It should be noted that the Cougars opened the season with a 20-14 victory over Pitt, ranked #3 in the nation at the time. Also, Michigan had been ranked as high as #2 at one point during the season. Additionally, BYU has never beaten a conference champion in football.

It should also be noted that Oklahoma and Washington, two of the biggest complainers about BYU's National Championship turned down a chance to play BYU in the 1984 Holiday Bowl due to their desires to play a more nationally recognized opponent. BYU then played and beat the University of Washington 31-3 at the start of the 1985 season. BYU beat Boston College in the season opening Kickoff Classic game after Oklahoma turned down the chance to play BYU in that game.

[edit] Awards

Heisman Trophy Winner In 1990, quarterback Ty Detmer won college football's most prestigious individual award, the Heisman Trophy. Detmer is the only BYU football player ever to win the award. Detmer passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns during the 1990 season, with 28 interceptions. During the same season, he also led BYU to defeat the number-one-ranked Miami Hurricanes 28-21 in Provo. The Heisman Trophy has been awarded every year since 1935.

The Doak Walker Award The Doak Walker Award has honored the nation's best running back since 1990. BYU running back Luke Staley won this award in 2001 while helping the Cougars win their first 12 games in a row before becoming injured. Staley rushed for 1,596 yards and 24 touchdowns in just 11 games. There has been some speculation that this was only awarded to minimize the contention created by BYU supporters that they were being left out of a BCS bowl that year even when currently undefeated. Unfortunately, BYU lost their last regular season game to Hawaii as well as their bowl game after Staley suffered a broken leg during the fourth quarter of the Cougar's victory at Mississippi State.

The Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award has honored the nation's best quarterback since 1981. BYU quarterbacks have won the award four times—more than any other school. Former NFL greats Jim McMahon and Steve Young both won the award while at BYU, and in 1991, Ty Detmer became the first of only three quarterbacks to win the award twice.

The Outland Trophy The Outland Trophy has honored the nation's best interior lineman since 1946. 2 BYU players have won the prestigious award. In 1986, Jason Buck earned the honor and in 1989 Mohammed Elowonibi was given the award. Other notable players who have won the Outland Trophy include Bruce Smith of Virginia Tech in 1984, former NFL draft #1 pick Steve Emtman of Washington in 1991 and Orlando Pace of Ohio St. in 1996.

[edit] School Colors and Football Uniforms

From the 1970s to 1999--a period coinciding with the school's best football seasons--BYU school colors were royal blue and white. The football team generally wore royal blue jerseys and white pants at home, and white jerseys and royal blue pants on the road.

In 1999, the school colors switched to dark blue, white, and tan, and the football helmets switched from white to dark blue (the block 'Y' remained on the sides of the helmet but received a new, more current treatment). The home uniforms consisted of dark blue jerseys (with white "bib") and dark blue pants, and the away uniforms consisted of white jerseys with white pants. These new uniforms were disliked by both the conservative fans in Provo and the NCAA, who required the team to remove the white bib on the front of the blue home jersey in 2000 (NCAA rules say that a team's uniform can have only one dominant color). The home jersey thereafter was modified with blue replacing the white on the bib area. These uniforms lasted until 2004, when a uniform new style incorporating New York Jets-style shoulder stripes was introduced (the helmets remained the same). The new uniforms were worn in a "mix-and-match" strategy--the home blue jerseys were worn with either blue or white pants and the white away jerseys were worn with either blue or white pants. This uniform incarnation lasted for only one season.

Ultimately, the traditional design with the white helmet and former logo was re-introduced for the 2005 season. While the uniforms were also changed to be similar to the 1980s uniforms, the darker blue remained (instead of the former royal blue) though all tan highlights were eliminated. This change was done at the insistence of new head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was attempting to return the team to the traditions of old. Normally, it takes a minimum of 1-2 years to create, design and approve a uniform change. When Nike, the team's uniform supplier, said that they could not possibly make the change in just five months, former head coach and BYU legend LaVell Edwards made a call to Nike and asked them to help the new Cougar coach. Edwards had worked with Nike on several occasions since his retirement, and their good relationship allowed the change to happen.[citation needed]

[edit] Coach

LaVell Edwards - 2003
LaVell Edwards - 1984
LaVell Edwards - 1979

[edit] College Football Hall of Fame Inductees

[edit] Alumni

Main article: List of Brigham Young University alumni#Sports#Football

As of 2008, BYU has produced 146 professional football players, with alumni representing the university in 48 NFL Super Bowls. [4]

[edit] Rivalry Games

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ BYU Football on KSL
  2. ^ http://www.byucougars.com/football/history/honors.html
  3. ^ Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation
  4. ^ BYU Football – In the Pros. BYU Athletics. Retrieved on 2008-05-10.

[edit] External links

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