Centennial Cougars: The 100 Greatest BYU Cougar Football Games

               When the #6 BYU Cougars (3-0) flew out to the Islands to face the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii (0-2), it looked as if it would be a mismatch - at least on paper. BYU was sporting the longest winning streak in the nation (14 games), while Hawaii was riding a four game losing streak. However, Hawaii also had one of the biggest home field advantages in the nation. Not only were visiting players distracted by sunny beaches, they also had to deal with jet lag - in this case a time zone four hours later than Provo.                The Warriors took the kickoff, and immediately started eating up yardage. After they reached the Cougar 8, the Cougar Kurt Gouveia brought down Marco Johnson behind the line of scrimmage, knocking the ball loose. He then pounced on a loose ball, recording the Cougar D’s first big play of the game. Defense dominated the rest of the first quarter. Near the end of th...

                 During their 16 years in the WAC, the Arizona State Sun Devils posted a 71-18 record (for a .797 winning%). They were the cream of the conference, and everyone knew it.  The Cougars, on the other hand had one conference title (1965) to their credit. However, 1974 marked the year in which the axis of power began shifting from Phoenix to Provo. T he BYU Cougars (4-3-1; 3-0-1) started off the season by losing their first 3 contests; but all three were non-conference games. By the time they hosted the #18 Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2; 3-1), the Cougars were embroiled in a three-way battle for the Conference title with the two schools from Arizona. This contest would go a long way in determining the winner.                The Sun Devils stopped the Cougars on their initial possession, then parleyed good field position into a TD when QB Ray Alexander connected with Morris Ow...

                 When the BYU Cougars (0-1) traveled south to play the #14 Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0), most experts were predicting another Sun Devil victory. After all, Arizona State held a 20-5 advantage in the all-time series against their former conference rivals. Even during the Edwards era, the Cougars had little success (2-7) against the perennial WAC champions of yesteryear. In fact, the Cougars had lost 9 straight games to PAC-10 teams. On a night when the Sun Devils would honor QB legend Danny White, the spectre of the past seemed to cast a large shadow over the Cougars’ chances.                On their opening drive, the Cougs advanced to the ASU 24, where they attempted to kick a field goal. They missed. The Sun Devils marched the other way into Cougar territory, but their 44-yard FG attempt was successful. Back came the Cougars, marching to the ASU 32, where their FGA missed...

  47. 9/15/90 – Most 4th  quarter points in a comeback :   #5 BYU – 50, Washington St. - 36                One week after taking down #1 Miami, the #5 BYU Cougars (2-0) faced the Washington State Cougars (1-1) of the PAC-10. These crimson Cougars from the Pacific northwest had invaded Provo the previous year, and had left victorious; handing BYU one of its three losses on the season. Now they were back, hoping for a bit of deja vu. In their only other meeting, the Blue Cougars had defeated their crimson cousins in the 1981 Holiday Bowl. With their #5 ranking, the boys in blue were hoping to land a more prestigious bowl this time around.                Washington State started off the scoring, marching into BYU territory and booting a 44-yard FG. Heisman candidate Ty Detmer responded by leading BYU on an 80-yard scoring drive, including a 28-yard pass to Chris Smith. Detmer capped...

               After a tough road loss in Virginia, the BYU Cougars  (0-1)  hosted the #15 ranked Texas Longhorns (1-0) in Provo. It had been more than 3 years since the Cougars had beaten a ranked team , but the Cougars had a game plan to corral the Longhorns. Although Texas had been victorious in their previous meeting (2011), BYU held a 2-1 advantage all-time over the Big 12 program.                After the opening kickoff, Sophomore QB Taysom Hill got the team rolling right from the start, directing a 60-yard drive that culminated with a 34-yard FG by Justin Sorensen. From there, the Cougar D took over, forcing the Longhorns into 3 consecutive 3-and-outs to start the game. Unfortunately, the Longhorn defense almost as effective, forcing 3 straight Cougar punts. Late in the first quarter wound down, the Longhorns stampeded, scoring on a 57-yard TD pass from David Ash to Mike Davis. ...

               When the #3 BYU Cougars ( 10-0 ) traveled up I-15 to face their rivals , the Utah Utes (6-4-1) , a lot more was at stake than the Beehive boot  (awarded to the best football team in the state) . Not only were the Cougars trying to clinch their ninth consecutive WAC championship, they had their eyes set on the national title. The Cougars came into the game ranked #3 in the nation, but the top two teams (Nebraska & South Carolina) both fell that day, giving the Cougars a shot at history . Utah s truck first, intercepting a Bosco pass in Cougar territory, then scoring on a 1-yard rush by Molonai Hola. Unfazed, Bosco directed a 90-yard drive that relied on short passes and a couple of powerful rushes by Hema Heimuli. Deep in Utah territory, Bosco dropped back and led WR Adam Haysbert with a 10-yard pass to the right side of the end zone for a game-tying touchdown. In the second quarter, Bosco tossed up two more interceptio...

                 The BYU Cougars (6-3-1) hosted the Utah Utes (1 -8 )  to close out their regular season schedule with a chance to clinch the WAC championship. The most unique part of that statement to modern BYU fans might be the fact that they were part of a football athletic conference. Or maybe the fact that Utah had a 1-8 record. Or maybe even that schools as prestigious as BYU and Utah played for the WAC. But to Y fans of that era, the most unique aspect was that their team actually had a shot at the title. After all, the program had only won one league championship in their first 49 seasons, and had never been ranked among the nation’s top 20 teams. However, after having knocked off two ranked teams that seasons, Cougar fans were confident that this year would bring Provo its second conference championship. That feeling was boosted on the very first play of the game. John Bethem received the opening kickoff in the end zone, a...