Centennial Cougars: The 100 Greatest BYU Cougar Football Games

               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 l...

  The #22 BYU Cougars ( 9-3 ) capped off their '94 season by taking on the Oklahoma Sooners  (6-5) in the Copper Bowl . The two teams had never faced each other, but Oklahoma’s former coach, Barry Switzer, had been one of BYU’s biggest critics when they won their national championship in 1984. That may have played a factor in what would become one of BYU’s most dominating bowl performances. The Cougar  D  dominated from the start, forcing a punt on Oklahoma’s first possession. When BYU took over, QB John Walsh faked a couple of handoffs while RB Jamal Willis took off downfield. Walsh turned and threw a sidearm pass, which the wide-open Willis caught and carried to the Sooner 35 for a 43-yard reception. They continued advancing in short chunks to the 7-yard line. From there, Walsh hit Bryce Doman with a short pass in the end zone for the first score of the game. As the second quarter opened, the Cougars were marching again on a series of short passes. A 22-yard pass t...

  In their season opener, the BYU Cougars hosted the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  The Cougars were looking to rebound from their worst season (4-8) since 1970. Notre Dame, meanwhile, was also hoping to restore its spot among College Football’s elite schools after a disappointing season of their own (5-7). In four previous meetings, the Fighting Irish held a 3-1 advantage, having only lost to the Cougars in 1994. The Cougars jumped out to an early lead on a 75-yard drive that was highlighted by a 50-yard completion on a rocket launched by John Beck to Todd Watkins on second-and-15. On first-and-goal, Naufahu Tahi took the handoff and scampered into the end zone for a 5-yard TD rush. On their third possession, the Cougars started at their own 45. They advanced 29 yards to set up a 44-yard FG by Matt Payne, giving BYU a 10-0 lead. After forcing three straight punts in the first quarter, the Cougar D gang-tackled the Notre Dame running back, forcing a fumble that was recovered a...

                 After decades of belonging to the same conference as their erstwhile rivals, the Utah Utes, the BYU Cougars decided to affiliate with the WCC for all sports, save football, when the Utes skipped town to join the newly minted PAC-12.   Since the WCC didn’t have any football teams, the Cougars decided to become Independent in the biggest arena of all. Independence permitted  the novelty of more potential matchups with teams from major conferences, including the   powerful SEC .   In their first ever matchup against   the Ole Miss Rebels, the Cougars hoped to improve on their paltry 1-3 record against the nation’s premier conference.                Defense ruled the first half. The Cougars lost 3 yards on their initial possession, and were forced to punt. After a miserable 11-yard punt, the Rebels started their first possession at the Cougar 28. Fortuna...

                 When the BYU Cougars (1-1) headed south to play the Arizona Wildcats (1-1), both teams knew it would be a key game in determining who would win the WAC. After all, in the previous 3 seasons, the Wildcats had finished as conference co-champion once, and runner up twice. For their part, the Cougars had won their first conference championship in 1974, and were poised to win their second.                Senior RB Jeff Blanc pounded the Wildcat line for 41 yards in 6 consecutive running plays to carry the Cougars into field goal range on their first drive. Dave Taylor booted a 36-yarder for the game’s first points. When Arizona took over, the Cougar D forced a fumble deep in Wildcat territory and Steve Dewey pounced on it for a turnover. Although three more Blanc rushes only produced 6 yards, the Cougars doubled their score when Taylor popped a 38-yard FG through the uprights. Ar...

                 When head coach Bronco Mendenhall left for Virginia, Kalani Sitaki was hired as the new head coach. Under Coach Mendenhall, the Cougars had never had a losing record, and had played in 11 straight bowl games. Coach Sitaki and his staff were determined to keep both streaks alive. Their first test would be the Arizona Wildcats in the Cactus Football Classic, held at a “neutral site” in Glendale, AZ. The Cougars and Wildcats were common foes back when both teams played for the WAC, and Arizona held a 12-9-1 advantage in the all-time series. Even in recent history, Arizona held a 2-1 advantage. The Cougars were out to prove to their former conference rivals that they were now the top Cat in the west. Coach Kalani Sitake Courtesy of BYU Photo                Both defenses were excellent in the first quarter, as every drive ended with a punt. BYU began its first drive of the second q...

               Although the Cougars had won seven consecutive WAC titles, BYU was perennially  overlooked in preseason polls. And once they broke into the polls, the Cougars were consistently leapfrogged by teams with more losses. Part of the reason was that the WAC was viewed as a lesser conference than several of the elite conferences - including the PAC-10, which had poached two of the WAC’s top teams (Arizona and Arizona State) in 1978. Therefore, when the Cougars (2-1) had a chance to play  the UCLA Bruins  (1-2), one of the premier teams in the PAC-10,   t hey jumped at the opportunity to prove themselves against a big name opponent. Although the Bruins were not off to a great start to the 1983 season, they had a good team. They started the season ranked #20, and both of their losses had been to ranked opponents. Also, they had long history of gridiron excellence - 19 straight years ranked among the nation’s Top 20. ...