Centennial Cougars: The 100 Greatest BYU Cougar Football Games

                 One week after having Cougar Stadium renamed  LaVell Edwards Stadium in his honor, Coach Edwards took the helm for the last time as his BYU Cougars (5-6) faced their most ardent rivals, the Utah Utes (4-6), for the 76th  meeting in a rivalry that had spanned the decades since 1922. Over the previous 75 meetings (one every year save the three seasons canceled  by WWII), the Cougars’ record was a paltry 26-45-4; however, since Edwards took over as head coach in 1972, the Cougars had dominated the rivalry, with a record of 21-7. Five of those losses, however had taken place during the 1990s, the decade in which the annual grudge match had evolved into a true rivalry - with each team as likely to win as the other. With neither team bowl eligible, this year’s contest was their bowl game. The Cougars’ motivation was augmented by an intense desire to send their legendary coach off into the sunset with a win. After all, Coach Edwards had only suffered one losing season (5-6 in

          In the  2007  Las Vegas Bowl, the #1 9  BYU Cougars ( 10-2 ) earned a rematch with the UCLA  Bruins (6-6) , who had beaten them 27-17 earlier in the year. At the time, UCLA had been ranked #13, and jumped to #11 with the win, but the Bruins went 4-6 down the stretch and were barely bowl eligible when the Las Vegas Bowl came calling. The Cougars, on the other hand, started the season 1-2, but won 9 straight games to win the MWC and earn a third straight invitation to Vegas. On the second play of the game, the Bruins knocked the ball out of QB Max Hall’s hands and recovered the fumble at the BYU 43-yard line. Although UCLA made it to the Cougar 3-yard line, the Cougar D tackled Chris Markey in the backfield for a 2-yard loss on third down. UCLA settled for a 22-yard field goal  to put the first points on the board. Near the end of the quarter, Hall completed a 31-yard pass to WR Austin Collie to move the ball into the Blue Zone. With just over a minute left in the first quarter

                 Since the creation of the Mountain West Conference in 1999, either the Cougars or the Utes had won the conference championship in five of the conference’s first eight seasons. Since their annual rivalry game was always scheduled for late November, the conference championship was often on the line. In 2007, th e # 23  ranked  BYU  Cougars (8-2; 6-0 MWC) were vying for back-to-back conference championships - something that hadn’t happened since ‘95-’96 when they played for the WAC. The Utah Utes (8-3; 5-2 MWC), could tie for the championship with a win and a Cougar loss to SDSU. Even more to the point, the Cougars had broken the Utes’ string of four straight victories in the rivalry the previous season in a game that wasn’t decided until after the clock had expired. Both teams were riding seven game winning streaks, and their respective fans felt that their team had what it took to win. The first half was a defensive battle. The Cougars’ first two possessions ended in pu

                 In the first WAC Championship game, the #6 ranked Cougars  (12-1)  took on the #20 ranked Wyoming Cowboys (10-1) in a battle of WAC division winners  in Las Vegas .  On the line for the Cougars, was an invitation to a lucrative New Years Day bowl game (the first in school history), with a chance to crash one of the newly created Bowl Alliance bowl games by securing one of the two at-large slots. A BYU win would also tie the NCAA record for most wins in a season (13), with a shot to win an unprecedented 14 games. The Cowboys, which boasted the #1 passing offense in the country, were also hoping to earn an invite to a lucrative bowl, as well as dash the hopes of their longtime rivals.                Both teams started sluggishly, punting after 3-and-out possessions. On Wyoming’s second possession, they began on their own 23-yard line. On first down, their senior QB Josh Wallwork, who led the nation in pass completions, passing yards and total yards, found his receiver

               The BYU Cougars finished their first regular season as an Independent with a record of 9-3. That record earned them a bid to the Armed Forces Bowl to play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (8-4). Although the Cougars were 6-1 against Tulsa all-time, their lone loss came in their most recent match-up  - a 55-47 loss in 2007. Led by junior QB Riley Nelson (who took over for an ineffective  Jake Heaps in the fifth game of the season), the Cougars were trying to post double-digit wins for the fifth time in Bronco Mendenhall’s seventh season at the helm - a feat accomplished by only two other active FBS head coaches. It would also be a nice capstone to a very impressive season - an essential element for an Independent trying to schedule big name opponents. Tulsa received the kickoff, and started their opening drive at their own 24-yard line. Ten plays later, they faced third-and-six at the Cougar 8-yard line. With plenty of protection, QB G.J. Kinne stood in the pocket waiting for s

               In the last regular season game for both teams, the #18 BYU Cougars (9-2) faced the #22 Utah Utes (9-2). Although the #7 Utes had defeated the #14 Cougars soundly in their previous match-up (48-24), ten of their previous twelve match-ups had been decided by seven points or less, making it one of the most exciting rivalries in the nation. Although, TCU had wrapped up the MWC championship earlier that afternoon, both teams hoped to line up lucrative bowl games and a Top 20 finish. In honor of the 1984 national championship team, the Cougars wore 25th  anniversary  throwback uniforms for the first time in team history . The Utes began their first drive of the game at their own 45 after forcing a Cougar punt. They quickly advanced to the Cougar 20 with a couple of big plays and a BYU penalty. On the next play, they Cougars caught the runner in the backfield for a 14 yard loss. Unable to convert another first down, the Utes had to settle for a 39-yard FG by Joe Phillips. Afte