Honorable mentions

As I get ready to launch my first official blog post of the Top 100 BYU Football games, I wanted to give a little ink to ten great games that didn't make the final cut, but deserve an honorable mention:

11/8/52 - NCAA record 4 TDs in one quarter - San Jose - 44, BYU - 27

Dick Felt set an NCAA record with 4 TDs (T4th) in a single quarter. After having missed most of the first three quarters of play, Felt came in at the end of the third quarter for a kickoff return. He was left in to play the fourth quarter and scored four rushing TDs - an NCAA record that has been tied, but still stands today.

 09/29/62 – Fortie runs for a school record 272 yards: George Washington – 13, BYU - 12

Eldon “The Phantom” Fortie runs for a school record 272 yards against George Washington on his way to setting 21 school records (including most rushing yards in a season and a career, most passing yards in a career, and most TDs) and becoming BYU’s first All-American.

 11/26/77 - Second straight WAC Title: #18 BYU - 68, UTEP - 19

In their final game of the 1977 season, the Cougars (8-2) whipped doormat UTEP (1-9) to finish the season tied with Arizona State (6-1 records in the WAC) for the WAC title. However, because the conference champion was committed to go to the Fiesta Bowl, which would be played on a Sunday, BYU turned down the invitation to represent the league in the bowl game. Instead, they headed off to Japan to play a couple of Japanese All-Star teams.

9/20/80 – First win over a Big 10 opponent: BYU – 28, Wisconsin- 3

After years of obscurity playing in the Western Athletic Conference, and before that the even less prestigious Rocky Mountain Conference, the Cougars (1-1) prove their mettle by earning their first victory over a team from the heralded Big Ten Conference. The fact that they beat the Badgers (0-1) in Wisconsin made the victory even more impressive.

11/19/83 – Steve Young Throws 6 TDs: #9 BYU – 55, Utah 7

The #9 BYU Cougars (9-1) hosted their rivals, the Utah Utes (5-5) having already secured their eigth consecutive WAC title, but hoping to go undefeated in conference play and move up in the national rankings. The Cougar Defense absolutely mauled the Utes, forcing 7 turnover - 2 fumbles and 5 interceptions. In addition to throwing 6 touchdowns (T4th), Steve Young completed 22 of 25 passes for a record .880 completion%. The Cougars earned another appearance in the Holiday Bowl, where they beat Missouri 21-17 to finish with a 11-1 record and a No. 7 ranking in the final AP Poll.

11/25/95 – Share of WAC & Sarkesian Record: BYU - 45, Fresno St. - 28

BYU defeats Fresno State 45-28 to earn a share of the WAC title (6-2). Steve Sarkesian sets an NCAA record by completing 31 of 34 passes for a 91.2 completion %. Unfortunately, BYU's (7-4) streak of 17 consecutive bowl games was snapped (fifth longest in NCAA history).

 8/25/01 – Coach Gary Crowton Wins Coaching Debut in BCA Classic: BYU – 70, Tulane – 35

In the first game of the post-Edwards era, Gary Crowton unleashed an offensive machine in his coaching debut. Crowton came to the Cougars after a two-year stint as the offensive coordinator. Before that, he was the head coach at Louisiana Tech for 3 seasons, where he led the Bulldogs to a 21-13 (.618) record. The BYU Cougars opened the season against the Tulane Green Wave in the Black Coaches Association Classic - a preseason game. The BCA sponsored the Classic in its ongoing effort "to foster the growth and development of ethnic minorities at all levels of sports both nationally and internationally." In their only previous meeting, the 1998 Liberty Bowl, the Green Wave completed a perfect season (12-0) by beating the Cougars 41-27. BYU’s newly refurbished offensive attack cut through the Green Wave like a hot knife through butter. Luke Staley began his All-American campaign by scoring his first 3 TDs (T9th) of the season in the first quarter! QB Brandon Doman took the Cougars to the air with 3 TD passes and a rushing TD. Finally, RB Brian McDonald added another dimension to the running attack with 3 TDs (T9th) of his own.

 9/13/08 – BYU trounces UCLA: #18 BYU – 59, UCLA – 0

The Cougars split two games with the Bruins the previous year, but this year they totally annihilated the Bruins by a score of 59-0 - UCLA’s worst defeat in 73 years. BYU scored 5 TDs in the second quarter alone, entering the locker room with a 42-point halftime lead. Max Hall tied a Cougar record with 7 TD passes (T1), and racking up 271 yards passing before handing the game over to his backup. Austin Collie, Dennis Pitta, and Harvey Unga each caught 2 TD passes each, while Michael Reed caught one, and Wayne Latu rushed for one.

9/6/14 – BYU/Texas Deja vu: BYU – 41, Texas - 7

Taysom Hill gained national recognition in 2013 after running roughshod over the Texas Longhorns in Provo. Doing it in Provo is one thing, but could he do it in Texas? In the first half, BYU had plenty of chances, but only managed to put six points up on the board. In the third quarter, the Cougars exploded for four TDs, against one by the Longhorns. They added one final TD in the fourth to cruise to a 41-7 victory. Hill ran for 99 yards and 3 TDs (T9th), while gaining 181 yards through the air. Mission accomplished. *Taysom Hill hurdles a defender for a 30-yard TD run (#17).

11/27/21 - BYU goes 5-0 against PAC-12 in comeback win: BYU - 35, USC - 31

The #12 Cougars finish the regular season with a 10-2 record, including a 5-0 record over PAC-12 teams: Arizona, Utah, Arizona St., Washington St. and USC.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Cougar Centennial preview

#98 - 11/1/80 – Most points in a game: #17 BYU – 83, UTEP - 7

#100 12/28/74 – BYU's first Bowl game: Oklahoma St. - 16, #17 BYU – 6