62. 10/8/05 – Mendenhall defeats former employer for first Division I win: BYU – 27, New Mexico – 24

             When Bronco Mendenhall took over as head coach for the BYU Cougars, the Cougar faithful hoped he could turn around the team's fortunes, which had fallen on hard times following their fabulous 2001 season. Unfortunately, the Cougars (1-3) stumbled out of the gate, losing three of their first four games, and Cougar fans were already losing patience. Coach Mendenhall and his Cougars desperately needed a W before the season became irredeemable. Next up was the New Mexico Lobos (3-2), Coach Mendenhall’s former employer. The Lobos were a familiar opponent, having played in the same conference as BYU since 1951, when both teams played for the now defunct Skyline Conference. Overall, the Cougars held a 39-14-1 series lead over the Lobos, but the Lobos had prevailed 21-14 in their most recent encounter.

            The Cougars got off on the right foot, marching 80 yards on their initial drive, and netting six points on QB John Beck’s 11-yard pass to TE Daniel Coats. Unfortunately, the extra point attempt was blocked. New Mexico then responded with an 80-yard drive of their own, taking a 1-point lead after Travis Brown’s 16-yard TD rush.

            In the second quarter, BYU took the lead back when Beck connected with Joe Semanoff on a 5-yard TD pass. However, the Lobos responded immediately with a 76-yard drive, capped by a 2-yard TD rush by Kole McKamey. Unfortunately, they followed it up with another long TD drive, with Don Trell Moore doing the honors with a 1-yard rush with just 18 ticks remaining before halftime. At intermission, the Cougars slunk off to the locker room down 21-13.

            In the third quarter, both teams had long drives cut short by turnovers. The Cougars’ 70-yard drive ended with an interception at the Lobo 2. Then New Mexico drove 91 yards to the Cougar 7. After failing to get into the end zone on a couple of incompletions, the Lobos added to their lead with a 24-yard FG.

Up 24-13 after 3 quarters, the Lobos were poised to score again  early in the fourth when the Cougar D stripped the ball at the Cougar 12, and recovered it at the 5, changing the fortunes of both teams with one fell swoop. Beck orchestrated a 93-yard drive that included 3 completions to TE Jonny Harline for 45 yards. A roughing the passer call set up a first-and-goal at the 9. Curtis Brown then charged up the middle, and into the end zone to pull within five when the 2-point play failed. On their next drive, with time running down, the Cougars rushed up the field, including a 29-yard completion to Todd Watkins. With 1:40 remaining, John Beck hit Matt Allen along the right-hand sideline. Allen faked one defender out of his socks, then raced for the end zone as another defender charged in to head him off. As the defender grabbed him, Allen stretched out, breaking the plane of the goal line for a 23-yard TD. Curtis Brown burst into the end zone for the 2-point conversion, putting the Cougars up by three, 27-24. The Lobos tried to respond, but turned the ball over on downs, allowing BYU to run out the clock.

Bronco Mendenhall
Courtesy of BYU Photo

The win was Coach Mendenhall’s first victory over a Division I opponent. It was also critical in turning the Cougars’ fortunes around. After three straight losing seasons, the Cougars went on to finish the regular season with a 6-5 record, allowing them to play in their first bowl game in four years. Although the bowl game loss dropped them to 6-6, the Cougars thrived under Coach Mendenhall - going to 11 straight bowl games and never finishing with a losing record. 

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