Centennial Cougars: The 100 Greatest BYU Cougar Football Games

                 The BYU Cougars (4-2) traveled to Texas to play the undefeated Houston Cougars (5-0) for the first match-up  in program history. Both universities used cougars as their mascots, but which Cougar would rise to the occasion? Blue or Red? The BYU Defense got things started on the right foot with an interception by Spencer Hadley that delivered the ball to the BYU Offense at the Houston 41. After getting to the 15 on a couple of first down receptions by WR Cody Hoffman, QB Taysom Hill faked a handoff, then threw a lateral pass to RB Jamaal Williams who barreled his way into the end zone with a 15-yard TD run. BYU’s second drive started at their own 9. The drive stalled at the Houston 23, but that was close enough for Justin Sorensen to put the Blue Cougars up by ten with a 41-yard FG. Unfortunately, the cushion disappeared on the kickoff, which Demarcus Ayers ran back 95 yards for a touchdown. Undaunted, BYU went back t...

                 The BYU Cougars  (3-3) hosted the Mississippi State Bulldogs (2-3) for their annual Homecoming Game. The two programs had split the all-time series with one win apiece. Although neither team was off to a great start to the season, both knew that their opponent wasn’t going to be a pushover. The Bulldogs played in the tough SEC, playing quality opponents almost every week. And although the Cougars had 3 losses, they’d lost those games by a grand total of 7 points. MSU collected 50 yards on their initial drive, but their 42-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left. After a BYU punt, the Bulldogs’ second possession was more successful. On third-and-5, QB Nick Fitzgerald faked a handoff, then tucked the ball and ran hard to the left. As the Cougar D pounced, Fitzgerald pulled up and lobbed an off-balance pass to Keith Mixon, who raced 44 yards up sideline to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. The Cougars then embarked on a l...

                 The BYU Cougars (3-2) hosted the East Carolina Pirates (3-2) for their annual Homecoming game in the middle of what was ranked as the toughest schedule of any NCAA football team for the 2015 season. The game featured the first ever meeting between the two schools, and the first time in program history that BYU had played a team from either of the Carolinas.                On their initial drive, the Cougars fumbled the ball in Pirate territory. Starting at their own 31-yard line, the Pirates fought their way to the Cougar 34. On fourth-and-three, James Summers took the snap, got set, then bolted for the end zone, scoring the first TD of the game. The Cougars couldn’t get much traction on their next possession and were forced to punt. Unfortunately, the Pirates blocked the punt, and Yiannis Bowden landed on the loose ball after it squirted into the end zone, putting E. Caroli...

                 The first ever meeting between the BYU Cougars (1-3) and the Toledo Rockets (3-0) turned into a firework show. After a close win over Arizona, the Cougars had lost three straight games by a grand total of 7 points. Although they hoped to blow out the Rockets, BYU just needed a “W” to get back on track if they wanted any chance at a decent bowl game.                The Cougars pulled out the stops on the very first play, scoring a 75-yard TD on a pass from Taysom Hill that Jona Trinnaman caught in stride at the Toledo 30, and sprinted untouched into the end zone for the early lead. The Rockets responded, going 75 yards in a less efficient 7 plays, scoring on an 8-yard jaunt by Terry Swanson. Midway through the first quarter, the Cougars embarked on a 72-yard march that relied heavily on senior RB Jamaal Williams, which he punctuated with a 1-yard TD rush. When Dayan Lake inte...

                 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 foo...

               During the early years of the BYU/Utah rivalry, the Utes dominated. When LaVell Edwards took over, the rivaly suddenly swung the other way, with the Cougars going 16-2. However, with the hiring of Ron McBride as the new head coach of the Utes in 1990, the rivalry was getting ready to ratchet up several notches, and become a true rivalry in every sense of the word. Still, when the #5 BYU Cougars (8-1) invaded SLC to take on the Utah Utes (4-6), with a chance to clinch the WAC title, only the die-hard Ute fans gave their team much of a chance. Ty Detmer's Heisman Trophy BYU's Legacy Hall                BYU QB Ty Detmer, the leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, guided the Cougars in a blitzkrieg assault on the Cougars’ opening drive, dashing 78 yards in 4 plays, including a 46-yard pass to Chris Smith. Stacey Corley opened the scoring with a 5-yard TD rush. Utah responded by...

                 In a match-up between the two schools that finished 1984 ranked #1 and #2 in the polls, the defending champ ion (#16) BYU Cougars (1-1)  were on a mission to prove their naysayers wrong. The Washington  Huskies (0-1) , who had been some of the most  vocal critic s  of the Cougars “soft” schedule, claimed that they should have been #1.  Both teams started the 1985 season in the Top 20, but both had suffered an early season loss to other ranked teams. Fans of both teams were hopeful that their team could rebound and prove that their team was indeed better.                On BYU’s first possession, they leveraged good field position into a short 57-yard TD drive. Vai Sikahema took the ball and swept right, breaking a tackle before racing up the right sideline for a 29-yard TD rush. Then the turnovers started. A Huskies fumble, a Cougar interception and ...