28. 11/27/65 – First WAC Championship: BYU Cougars – 42, New Mexico Lobos – 8

            The BYU Cougars (5-4) had never won a a conference championship in their first 40 seasons. Heading into their final game of the year, against the New Mexico Lobos (3-6), the Cougars needed a win to wrap up the WAC championship. Led by junior QB Virgil Carter and sophomore WR Phil Odle, the QB-WR tandem that led the conference in practically every passing/receiving category possible, the Cougars were lighting up the skies over the gridiron like never before. Tragically, prior to the game, news arrived that eight Cougar boosters, and five crew members, were killed in an airplane crash en route to the game. The wife of one of the victims, former Cougar star Marion Probert, sent a message to the team, which was read by Coach Tommy Hudspeth, encouraging them to play their best to win the championship that her husband had so much desired. The Cougars responded with arguably their best game of the year.

50th Anniversary Celebration
Courtesy of BYU Photo

            The first quarter ended in a defensive stalemate, with neither team scoring. However, as the clock struck zero, the Cougars were prepped to score. A seven yard pass from Carter to receiver Dennis Palmer four seconds into the second quarter gave BYU a 7-0 lead. That was followed up with another Cougar TD, this time a 2-yard rush by Steve Ogden, giving the Cougars a 14-0 lead at intermission.

            In the third quarter, Steve Ogden struck again, this time catching a 22-yard pass from Carter for the Cougars’ third touchdown on the day. Next up was Steve’s twin brother John Ogden, who took the handoff and broke free for a 35-yard TD run that gave the Cougars a huge 28-0 lead.

            At the beginning of the fourth quarter, New Mexico finally put some points on the board on a 1-yard rush by Carl Jackson. Stan Quintana converted the two-point conversion to make it 28-8 … temporarily. Phil Odle finally got into the end zone, catching a 14-yard pass for the score. In the final minute of the game, backup QB Stewart Simpson got into the act, connecting with Odle on a 10-yard pass for the Cougars’ sixth TD of the day. The final score was BYU - 42, NM - 8.

Phil Odle
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Virgil Carter
Courtesy of BYU Photo

With the win, the Cougars won their first conference championship in football in school history with a record of 4-1 in conference play, edging out ASU (3-1) for the title. During the historic season, QB Virgil Carter set 22 school and conference records, including 1,789 passing yards and 20 TD passes, to earn WAC Player of the Year honors. For his part, WR Phil Odle caught a school record 11 TD catches on the season.  Head coach Tommy Hudspeth was also honored as WAC and Rocky Mountain Region Coach of the Year.

Link to article on 50th anniversary of the game: https://byucougars.com/story/football/113059/50th-reunion-1965-championship-and-point-mountain-plane-crash


 

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