51. 10/18/29 - BYU’s First Win over Utah St. Sparks first Winning Season in Program History: BYU - 7, Utah St. - 6

            Prior to the 1929 season, the BYU Cougar football program had never had a winning season, although they finished with a .500 record in both 1925 & 1928. Nor had they ever beaten their two in-state rivals - the University of Utah or the Utah Agricultural College (Utah State). The Aggies whipped the Cougars 41-3 in the Cougars’ very first football game back in 1922. In 1929, the Cougars (1-2) looked as if they were on their way to yet another losing season when they faced the Aggies (1-0) on a neutral field in Ogden, UT. The boys from Logan had dominated the all-time series against the upstarts from Provo (6-0-1), but the wind had begun to shift - at least in the short term.

            The Aggies struck first, and took a 6-0 lead. Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Cougars made their move. Starting at their own 30-yard line, the Cougars marched 66 yards to the Aggie 4-yard line. From there, Halfback Paul Thorn plowed over the goal line to tie the score at 6-6. In an age when extra points were a lot more rare than they are today, End Mark “Lilyfoot” Reeves, who caught several passes on the winning drive, booted the extra point to give the Cougars the 7-6 win.

            The win evened the Cougars’ record at 2-2, and the inspired Cougars would go on to win three of their final four games to finish the season with a winning record (5-3) for the first time in program history. Furthermore, having proven that they could beat their older brothers, the Cougars would beat the Aggies in each of the next three seasons, including a 39-14 blowout in 1930.

BYU football uniforms from the 1920's
Courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune


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