Centennial Cougars: The 100 Greatest BYU Cougar Football Games

               The BYU Cougars (1-1) hosted the #24 ranked USC Trojans (2-0) in Provo in the third-ever match-up between the two college football powerhouses. USC had won the two previous match-ups, and the experts were predicting another Trojan victory. USC immediately went to work, quickly marching upfield to the Cougar 8 with a series of short passes and an occasional rush. Kedon Slovis then connected with his favorite target, Michael Pittman, in the front of the end zone with a bullet that gave USC the early lead. After punting on their first possession, the Cougars got the ball back in prime real estate when Payton Wilgar dove  in front of the receiver  to intercept a pass at the USC 28. Ty’Son Williams swept right on a fake reversal to escort the ball all the way to the Trojan 2 1/2. Williams pounded into the Trojan line on consecutive plays only to come up just short. On the next play, Dayan Ghanwoloku got a running start and...

               In 2019, the BYU Cougars (0-1) once again boasted one of the toughest schedules in the nation. In Week 2, the Cougars faced an SEC powerhouse, the Tennessee Volunteers (0-1), in Knoxville for the first ever meeting meeting between the two schools. After BYU was forced to punt, the Volunteers ground out an 80-yard, 15-play TD drive that chewed up more than seven minutes of clock time. After instant replay overturned an incomplete pass call, placing the ball at the BYU 5, Tennessee went for it on fourth-and-three, and the Volunteers responded with a 5-yard TD pass from Jarrett Guarantano to Jauan Jennings, who initially bobbled it, but then secured it to give the Vols a first quarter lead. BYU responded by marching 61 yards, almost half of which came in one play. The double reversal started with a handoff to Lopini Katoa, who handed off to Aleva Hifo, coming the opposite way, who tossed it back to QB Zach Wilson. Wilson then fire...

               The BYU Cougars (2-2) hosted the Utah State Aggies (1-2) for their 81st  meeting, with a QB controversy brewing. Although sophomore QB Jake Heaps set several BYU freshman QB records in 2010, he failed to live up to the high expectations that had been placed on his young shoulders. Now, four games into the 2011 campaign, the Cougars continued to produce lackluster results. Meanwhile, junior QB Riley Nelson (who transferred to BYU from Utah State following his LDS mission) was waiting for his chance to prove himself. Although the Aggies beat the Cougars in their most recent contest (31-16), the Cougars hadn’t lost at home to the Aggies since 1978 - a string of 15 straight victories.                Utah State sprinted out of the gate, scoring on the first play from scrimmage on an 80-yard rush by Robert Turbin up the right sideline. On the Cougars’ ensuing possession, Heaps led t...

               It had been 9 years and counting since the last time the BYU Cougars had defeated an AP-ranked Top 10 opponent. This Cougar team (1-1) had earned some respect after defeating a solid Arizona team, but had lost at home to Cal the following week. The #6 Wisconsin Badgers (2-0) had a 41-game winning streak over non-conference opponents at home; so when the Cougars invaded Camp Randall, no one expected them to leave with a victory except for the Cougars themselves. Their only previous win over the Badgers had been in 1980, while losing to Wisconsin in 2013 & 2017. Wisconsin struck first, driving 61 yards on 8 plays, culminating with a 2-yard power rush up the middle by Taiwan Deal. BYU struck back on their next possession. On second-and-seven, Squally Canada busted out for a huge 44-yard gain that moved the ball from the Cougar 28 to the Wisconsin 28. A few plays later, on second-and-goal, he motored into the line and powered h...

               The #17 BYU Cougars (7-1) travelled to Fort Collins to face the Colorado State Rams (4-4) expecting a win over their conference rivals. After all, the Cougars held a 35-27-3 series lead over the Rams and had won their last four contests. Due to a great start, the Cougars had risen as high as #8 in the AP poll, but a loss to ranked TCU pushed them back down. The Cougs were hoping to rebound in hopes of securing a big bowl game. The Cougars’ first possession ended in disaster. The Rams’ Mychal Sisson recovered a fumble at the BYU 20 and ran it in for a TD. Luckily, their second possession was much better. * Facing third-and-16 at their own 42-yard line, Cougars’ QB Max Hall took the snap and scanned the field. WR Austin Collie  was racing down the right sideline, trying to hold off the Rams’ defender who was sticking to him like glue. As the pocket began to collapse, Hall let loose a missile that reached Collie at about the ...

               The BYU Cougars (5-4) had never won a a conference championship in their first 40 seasons. Heading into their final game of the year, against the New Mexico Lobos (3-6), the Cougars needed a win to wrap up the WAC championship. Led by junior QB Virgil Carter and sophomore WR Phil Odle, the QB-WR tandem that led the conference in practically every passing/receiving category possible, the Cougars were lighting up the skies over the gridiron like never before. Tragically, prior to the game, news arrived that eight Cougar boosters, and five crew members, were killed in an airplane crash en route to the game. The wife of one of the victims, former Cougar star Marion Probert, sent a message to the team, which was read by Coach Tommy Hudspeth, encouraging them to play their best to win the championship that her husband had so much desired. The Cougars responded with arguably their best game of the year. 50th Anniversary Celebration Co...

               The #10 ranked BYU Cougars (10-0) finished out their regular season schedule against the San Diego State Aztecs (8-2). The Cougars were led by senior All-American QB Marc Wilson, who led the nation in pass attempts, completions, passing yards and passing TDs. The Aztecs, on the other hand featured the WAC’s top rusher, Tony Allen, and top receiver, Stephen Stapler. Although the Cougars had already secured the WAC title, they were playing for something even more rare - an undefeated season! BYU got off to a good start. Tailback Homer Jones took the handoff from Wilson, and burst through a huge hole opened up by the offensive line, rampaging all the way to the Aztec 25-yard line before being brought down. From the 25, Wilson drifted back and threw a pinpoint pass to WR Dan Plater, which he caught right as he was entering the end zone for the first score of the game. After BYU’s LB Glen Redd intercepted a pass in Aztec territory, ...