Centennial Cougars: The 100 Greatest BYU Cougar Football Games

               The #23 BYU Cougars (6-2) hosted the Oregon Ducks (5-3) in Provo.The Cougars were 1-2 against the Ducks all-time, but were victorious in the one match-up  during the Edwards’ Era.                On their first possession, the Cougars made it to the Duck 23 before turning the ball over on an interception at the 10-yard line. The Ducks got on the scoreboard first, capping a 12-play, 90-yard drive with a 3-yard TD jaunt by Derek Loville. The Cougars responded with a 71-yard drive, thanks in part to a resolute catch for 18 yards by RB/WR Matt Bellini on second-and-14. That was followed by a 12-yard sideline catch by TE Chris Smith and a 15-yard personal foul against Oregon that placed the ball in the Blue Zone. Fred Whittingham carried the rock the last 19 yards, breaking a tackle at the 10, to even the score at 7-7.                The Ducks started the second quarter with a second-and-goal at the Cougar 4. On three straight plays, the Ducks handed off to RB Latin Berry,

                 In the first-ever MAACO Las Vegas Bowl match-up   featur ing two top-20 teams, the #15 BYU Cougars (10-2) faced the #16 Oregon St. Beavers (8-4). Ironically, the last time the two teams faced each other (1986), BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall played for the Beavers, who won 10-7 in a defensive battle. For the Cougars, this would be their fifth consecutive appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl, where they’d gone 2-2. On the other side of the field, the Beavers were making their second appearance in Las Vegas, beating New Mexico in their only previous visit. Both teams finished second in their respective conferences and needed a bowl game win in order to make the season truly memorable. Neither offense came out clicking, combining for three straight three-and-outs to start the game. A short punt gave the Beavers the ball in Cougar territory. The Beavers capped a short 37-yard drive with a 1-yard TD rush courtesy of Sean Canfield. The Cougars responded, mounting the longest d

                 T he #16 BYU Cougars ( 1-0 ) traveled to Seattle to play the Washington Huskies (0-1) ,  hoping to earn their first win on the Huskies’ home turf . Overall, Washington held a 4-2 advantage over BYU in a series that dated back to 1985. In their opening possession, the Cougars drove to the Washington 38. On third-and-14, QB Max Hall rolled right and spotted WR Austin Collie heading for the end zone. Max zipped a 38-yard TD pass to Collie for the first score of the game. Midway through the first quarter, Washington marched 66 yards, scoring when QB Jake Locker tucked the ball and scrambled 14 yards to the front-left corner of the end zone, knotting the score at 7-7 after one quarter of play. Early in the second quarter, Washington started the scoring. After methodically moving up the field for 31 yards in six plays, Washington busted out the big play on a 48-yard TD reception from Locker to Jermaine Kearse. The Cougars responded, initiating a 14-play drive that covered 71

                 The #14 Penn St . Nittany Lions (6-2)  came into Cougar Stadium on Halloween night  to play the BYU Cougars (4-4) for their first ever trip to Provo. The Nittany Lions had won both previous matchups against higher ranked Cougar squads. The game was the third and final matchup between two iconic coaches: Joe Paterno, who ranked first among NCAA coaches with 246 career victories, and LaVell Edwards, who was ranked fifth with 187 career victories. As the teams took the field, they were  greeted by 66,016 howling fans  who continued to howl throughout the game . The Nittany Lions scored first with a 39-yard field goal  by V.J. Muscillo . BYU responded immediately. Starting at their own 31-yard line, third-string QB Ryan Hancock led the Cougars down the field, including a spectacular 26-yard catch by Eric Drage that took them to the 20-yard line. A Penn State penalty advanced the ball to the 10. Two 5-yard rushes from Kalin Hall (father of Jalen Hall) pushed the ball over t

               In their final regular season game, the BYU Cougars ( 8-3 ) travell ed north to face the ir rivals - the  Utah Utes (7-3) with more on the line than just pride. With a win , the Cougars would clinch  the WAC Pacific Division with a 7-1 record.  A loss might be costly enough to leave them without a bowl game invitation. Although the Cougars had dominated the rivalry during the LaVell Edwards’ era, the Utes had won 4 of their 5 previous contests - ratcheting up the intensity of the rivalry.                Utah received the ball to start the game, and returned it all the way to the Cougar 45. Nevertheless, they were forced to punt with a three-and-out. On the Cougars’ initial drive, they advanced 57 yards to the Ute 23, including a spectacular catch by Ben Horton, who caught the ball while lying on the ground after it bounced off him 3 times; all while the defender who’d been covering him was already celebrating. The Cougars eventually scored on a 41-yard FG by Owen Pochm

              Just as every journey begins with a single step, every epic journey requires the hero and his company to surpass a series of trials. When LaVell Edwards became the head coach of the BYU Cougars  in 1972 , he surpassed his first hurdles by winning his first game as head coach, and finishing his first season with a winning record (7-4) . In his second season, the team took a step back, finishing with a record of 5-6. When the Cougars started out the 1974 season with 3 losses, Cougar fans must have been thinking, “Well, here we go again . ”  T hankfully, t he  Cougars   (2-3-1) righted the ship before heading south to take on the #15 Arizona  Wildcats (5-1) .  LaVell’s next hurdle was to lead the Cougars to a victory over a ranked opponent. The Wildcats  got the ball first, and drove 33 yards to midfield. From there   they scored the first touchdown  of the game when QB Bruce Hill connected with Scott Piper for a 50 TD reception. BYU QB Gary Sheide then got to work, leading

               In their remodeled 2020 season (after Co-Vid wiped out almost all of their original matchups), the BYU Cougars’ (7-0) marquee game was against the #21 Boise State Broncos (2-0), in Boise. Boise State held a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series, and BYU had never won on the Broncos’ distinctive blue turf; but the Cougars were confident that this was the year. Although one team or the other was usually ranked in previous matchups, this was the first time in series’ history that both teams were ranked. After a Broncos’ punt pinned the Cougars back at their own 5, RB Tyler Allgeier took the handoff on second-and-short, side-stepped out of the grasp of a Bronco defender, found a seam up the middle and took off running for an 86-yard TD rush. Boise countered with a 39-yard FG to cap a 53-yard drive. After advancing 52 yards on their second drive, BYU started off the second quarter on the right foot with a 47-yard FG by Jake Oldroyd. Meanwhile, the Cougar D dominated their matc