Centennial Cougars: The 100 Greatest BYU Cougar Football Games

            In 1987, the BYU Cougars beat the Texas Longhorns 22-17 in Austin in the very first matchup between the national powerhouses. In 1988, t he Cougars (0-1) hosted the rematch against the #19 Longhorns (0-0) for  a nationally televised game on ESPN.           The Cougars got off to a fast start. On their very first play from scrimmage, junior QB Sean Covey took the snap and dropped back, faking a handoff. He then turned and located WR Bryce Doman all alone, racing past midfield. Covey’s missile was on target, and Doman grabbed it at the Texas 37 and cruised into the end zone for an 80-yard TD reception. On their next possession, the Cougars drove 42 yards, setting up a 31-yard FG by Earl Kauffman. Meanwhile, the Cougar D successfully herded the Longhorns, forcing punts on each of their first three possessions. On the fourth, however, the Horns drove 45 yards, capping the drive with a 41-yard FG late in the ...

            As an Independent, BYU has consistently attempted to play as many games as possible against the nation’s top conferences. The proximity to the PAC-12, made that conference one of the more natural fits into BYU’s schedule, so it was only a little surprising that the Cougars were able to schedule five games against the PAC-12 in the 2021 season. What was more surprising to college football pundits was how much success the Cougars were having against the top conference in the West. After starting the season with back-to-back wins over former WAC conference rivals Arizona and #21 Utah, the #23 Cougars (2-0) prepared to host another familiar foe from their early WAC days - #19 Arizona State (2-0).           On the opening kickoff, ASU ran it out of the end zone, but BYU’s Talmage Gunther forced a fumble on special teams that Hayden Livingston recovered at the ASU 12. Three plays later, RB Tyler Allgeier took the h...

            After losing to #2 Florida State in the annual Pigskin Classic, the BYU Cougars (0-1) travelled to Charlottesville for the first time to take on the Virginia Cavaliers (0-0) of the ACC. In their two previous meetings, the Cavaliers had come out on top.           The Cavaliers received the ball first, and proceeded to march 80 yards down the field for the first score - a 28-yard TD rush by Arlen Harris. The Cougars couldn’t get much traction on either of their first two drives, and punted the ball away. After one quarter, Virginia led 7-0. On the Cavaliers’ third possession, they started at their own 5, and drove all the way to the Cougar 4. From there, Antwoine Womack crashed into the end zone, bowling over the referee, for a 4-yard TD. On third-and-19, after a botched handoff attempt led to a big loss, Cougar QB Bret Engemann was intercepted, turning the ball over to Virginia at the BYU 36. Five plays later,...

            The BYU Cougars (1-5) got off to a bad start in Coach Edwards’ second year at the helm; in what would ultimately be the only losing season during LaVell’s Hall of Fame career. Luckily, the Cougars started to turn things around when they hosted the New Mexico Lobos (2-5). The turn-about had a lot to do with the Gary Sheide-Jay Miller connection that was beginning to gel as the Cougars began transforming from a running offense to a passing attack. In those days, most offenses were based on the run; but Coach Edwards recognized that BYU’s best years were during the Virgil Carter-Phil Odle years, when BYU relied heavily on the pass. He realized that if BYU was going to be successful, they’d have to do something different from the others teams; so he hired Dewey Warren, a former All-American QB at Tennessee, with the nickname “The Swamp Rat,” to be his quarterback coach, and gave him free reign to draw up a playbook full of passing plays. Of cou...

            After losing starting QB Gifford Nielsen in game 4 of the season, the #14 BYU Cougars (6-1) were once again soaring behind the golden arm of sophomore QB Marc Wilson. Wilson had astounded the nation when he passed for a team record 7 TDs in his first start as quarterback. With their eyes set on winning another WAC title, the Cougars prepared for their showdown with their northern rivals - the Utah Utes (2-5). Although the Utes were already out of the title race, they would like nothing better than to keep the Cougars from winning it too. The Cougars opened the contest with a 74-yard drive, highlighted by a 32-yard catch by Todd Christensen. that culminated with a 23-yard FG by Dev Duke. After a Ute punt, the Cougars embarked on a 55-yard scoring drive, including a 34-yard reception by Christensen. Wilson’s 11-yard TD pass to Christensen gave BYU an early 10 point lead. Another Ute punt led to another Cougar score. On second down, Marc Wilso...

          Both starting quarterback Riley Nelson and WR Cody Hoffman played through injuries in BYU’s 20-14 loss to San Jose State the previous week. Although Riley wasn’t available to play the season finale, Cody was ready to go when the Cougars (6-5) prepared to face the New Mexico State Aggies (1-10).            The Aggies got the ball first but went three-and-out. In his first start at quarterback, James Lark led the Cougars 52 yards on their first possession, but the FGA went wide. Both teams punted on their next possessions as the defenses established early dominance in the match. However, as the first quarter drew to a close, the Aggies were driving.             In the second quarter, the Aggies drew first blood with an 8-yard TD reception to Perris Scoggins by Andrew Manley. The Cougars responded with a 73-yard scoring drive of their own. Lark took the snap from the shotgu...

            As the BYU Cougars prepared for the  1965 season , there was little to indicate that it would be a revolutionary season that would put BYU on the college football map. After all, the Cougars had played mediocre in 1964, going 3-6-1 (0-4 in the WAC), despite breaking in their new digs. The new football stadium that could seat 26,812, but 33,610 fans packed into the stadium on Opening Day (10/2/64). Unfortunately, the Cougars would only host four games at home in 1965, and only one of those four was against a WAC opponent - Utah (a team they’d never beaten in Provo). Furthermore, the team lacked experience, with few returning seniors. On the plus side, they had junior QB Virgil Carter, who impressed fans and opponents alike by finishing 13th in the nation in total offense as a sophomore. Also, junior FB John Ogden had finished the 1964 season with three straight games rushing for over 100+ yards, including a record 4 TDs against Western ...