BYU Cougars football

Brigham Young Cougars football
2012 BYU Cougars football team
First season	1922
Athletic director	Tom Holmoe
Head coach	Bronco Mendenhall 7th year, 72–28  (.720)
Home stadium	LaVell Edwards Stadium
Stadium capacity	64,045
Stadium surface	Natural grass
Location	Provo, Utah
Conference	Independent
All-time record	484–369–26 (.565)
Postseason bowl record	13–17–1 (.435)
Claimed national titles	1 (1984)
Conference titles	23
Heisman winners	1
Consensus All-Americans	13
Current uniform
Colors	BYU Blue and White
Fight song	The Cougar Song
Mascot	Cosmo the Cougar
Marching band	The Power of the Wasatch
Website	byufootball.com

The BYU Cougars football team is a college football program representing Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. The Cougars won the national championship in 1984 and have a Heisman Trophy winner in Ty Detmer. Since 1965, BYU has claimed 23 conference championships and played in 31 bowl games. The Cougars became the fourth Football Bowl Subdivision Independent on July 1, 2011.

History

See also: List of BYU Cougars football seasons

The early years

BYU Football made a brief appearance at Brigham Young Academy in 1896, but was discontinued in 1903. It did not get its official start at Brigham Young University until 1922. The team struggled during the first couple of seasons, but in 1928, BYU hired G. Ott Romney, who gave the school its first winning seasons.

Ott Romney and Eddie Kimball ushered in a new era in Cougar football in which the team went 65–51–12 between 1928–1942. In 1932, the Cougars posted a 8–1 record and outscored their opponents 188-50, which remains one of the school's finest seasons on record. Also, it was during this era that they first beat the Utes from the University of Utah. Since 1922, they had gone 0–17–3 against them. In 1942, BYU finally broke through and beat the Utes by a score of 12–7 in Salt Lake City. The university did not field a team from 1943–1945 due to World War II. In 1949, under coach Chick Atkinson, the team suffered its only winless season, going 0–11.

Both Kimball (34–32–8) and Romney (42–31–5) finished their respective terms as head coach with winning records, and they are joined by LaVell Edwards, Gary Crowton and current head coach Bronco Mendenhall as the only coaches to do so. In 1975, Kimball and Romney were inducted into the BYU Athletic Hall of Fame.

Slowly, the program improved and began to again show some signs of life. Head coach Hal Kopp engineered back-to-back winning seasons in 1957 and 1958, led by southpaw quarterback Jared Stephens and the ferocious nose tackle Gavin Anae. For the first time in its history, the University made a real commitment to football. In 1964, Cougars' stadium was built and had a capacity of 30,000. Also, in 1961, BYU experienced national success when Eldon "The Phantom" Fortie was honored as the school's first All-American as a running back. His #40 was retired by BYU to honor his accomplishments. In 1965 Virgil Carter was honored as the first quarterback from BYU to be selected first team All-Conference. The biggest accomplishment of this era was in 1965 when Head coach Tommy Hudspeth led the Cougars to their first conference championship with a record of 6-4. Coach Hudspeth retired in 1972 and finished with a record of 39–42–1. Despite not finishing with a winning record as head coach, he did lead the Cougars to 3 winning seasons between 1965 and 1967 with a great offensive line anchored by all-conference tackles Adam Johnson and Matt Shumway.

The mid-1960s saw the introduction of the "Y" on the Cougars' helmets. The 'Y' had become the symbol of the university after only the 322-foot-high letter 'Y' of 'BYU' was constructed in 1907, overlooking the campus on what is now called Y Mountain.

LaVell Edwards from 1972 to 1983

Soon after he was named head coach (in 1972), LaVell Edwards revamped the Cougar offensive attack. While everyone else in college football was using run-heavy offenses such as the veer and wishbone, Edwards and his staff installed a drop-back passing game. This was considered by many experts to be the early implementations of the West Coast offense. Ironically, in its first year, the new offense produced the nation's leading rusher in Pete Van Valkenburg, who ran for 1,386 yards. In 1973, Gary Sheide took over as quarterback and the Cougars struggled to a 5-6 finish. This would be the only time that Edwards would have a losing season during his run as BYU coach. In 1974, Sheide led the Cougars to their first conference championship under Edwards, including a 21-18 victory over Arizona St., ending the Sun Devils domination of the WAC; however, the following year (1975) the Arizona State Sun Devils would once again claim another WAC Championship. The Sun Devils would not claim the WAC Championship in 1976 (in which BYU was the lone Champ) but ended the following season (1977) sharing the Conference Championship (co-champs) with the Cougars...this was ASU's last year as a member of the WAC, having accepted an invitation to join the then Pac-8 for the 1978 season.

A new era dawned in Provo, in which BYU began excelling in football with consistent winning. BYU finished in a tie for the conference championship in both 1976 and 1977 leading to a string of outright WAC titles that lasted from 1978-1985. However, they lost their first four bowl games. In 1980, they appeared to be on their way to their fifth consecutive bowl loss, trailing SMU 45-25 with four minutes left in the Holiday Bowl. During these final four minutes, the Cougars scored 21 points to upend the Mustangs and record one of the greatest comeback wins in college football history. BYU would win their 1981, 1983 and 1984 bowl games as well. The new era also led to success against rival Utah. Up until 1964, the Cougars were 2-34-4, but from 1965 to 1992, the Cougars were 22-6 against the Utes.

BYU also produced several All-American quarterbacks during this time and earned the nickname "Quarterback U." Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon and Steve Young were all named first team All-Americans. BYU had several quarterbacks that came close to winning the Heisman Trophy, including Steve Young, who finished second in the race in 1983 to Nebraska's Mike Rozier, and Jim McMahon, who finished third in 1981 to Marcus Allen of USC.

1984 National Championship

In 1984, BYU was declared NCAA Division I-A national champions. The undefeated Cougars (12-0-0) opened the season with a 20-14 victory over Pitt, ranked #3 in the nation at the time and finished with a victory over the Michigan Wolverines (6-5-0). BYU defeated Michigan 24-17 in the Holiday Bowl, marking the only time a national champion played in a bowl game before New Year's Day. Coupled with the 11 consecutive wins to close out the 1983 season, BYU concluded the 1984 championship on a 24-game winning streak.

Several college football pundits (Barry Switzer and Bryant Gumbel) argued that BYU had not played a legitimate schedule and thus should not be recognized as national champion. Nonetheless, at the end of the season, BYU received the number-one ranking in both the AP and UPI polls. The team is the most-recent national champion that is not a current member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition.

Winning the national championship opened new windows of opportunity for BYU football. The growing success of the program, and increased national exposure brought recognition to BYU athletes. In 1985, Robbie Bosco finished third in the Heisman balloting. In 1986, defensive lineman Jason Buck became the first BYU player ever to win the Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the top interior lineman in all of college football. In 1989, offensive lineman Mo Elowonibi also won the Outland Trophy.

Edwards from 1985 to 2000

Between 1989 and 1996, BYU won at least a share of the conference championship each year except 1994. Ty Detmer quarterbacked the Cougars from 1988 to 1991, during which Detmer threw for 16,206 yards and 127 touchdowns (including bowl games) while setting 59 NCAA records and tying for three others. During that time period, BYU played difficult schedules consisting of match-ups against traditional college football powers, including Miami, Florida State, Penn State, Iowa, UCLA, Oregon, Texas, and Texas A&M. Detmer's tenure at quarterback also saw the Cougars achieve their first victory over a top-ranked team when they defeated the #1 Miami Hurricanes early in the 1990 season. The 1990 season culminated with Detmer also providing BYU its first and only Heisman Trophy winner.

In 1996 BYU produced arguably its best team ever. With Steve Sarkisian as the Quarterback, the team completed the longest season in modern-day college football history by playing in 15 games in one season. Starting off with a victory over Texas A&M in the Pigskin Classic, the Cougars only loss that regular season was at Washington. (Sarkisian is now the Head football coach of Washington)

In 1996 the WAC expanded to a 16-team conference by adding Rice, TCU, SMU, Tulsa, San Jose State and UNLV. After winning their division by going undefeated in conference play, the #7 ranked Cougars faced #20 Wyoming in the first ever WAC Championship Game in Las Vegas. BYU defeated the Cowboys in overtime and earned a bid to play in the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, Texas, on January 1, 1997. It was the BYU Cougars first ever New Year's Day bowl game and their opponent was #14-ranked Kansas State of the newly formed Big 12 Conference. Although the Cougars had a high powered offense led by quarterback Steve Sarkisian, the game was a defensive struggle. Sarkisian connected with K.O. Kealaluhi for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to give BYU a 19-15 lead. Kansas State, however, was driving with time winding down in the game. With less than one minute left, BYU defensive back Omarr Morgan tipped a Wildcat pass to himself for an interception inside the 5-yard line, preserving the BYU win. BYU finished the season 14-1 and ranked #5 in both polls at the end of the season. BYU's 14 wins that season was the most ever by a Division I college football team in a single season until Ohio State tied that record with a 14-0 record in 2002. BYU returned to the WAC Championship Game in 1998 but lost to Air Force 20-13.

In 1999 after leaving the WAC along with seven other teams to form the Mountain West Conference, the Cougars won a share of the inaugural MWC championship. Just prior to the 2000 season, Edwards announced that it would be his final year as the program's head coach. That season, the Cougars struggled and found themselves with a 4-6 record with just two games left. Prior to Edwards' final home game, against New Mexico, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced that Cougars Stadium would be renamed "LaVell Edwards Stadium." Before the game started, President Hinckley addressed the BYU players in the locker room and admonished them, "Don't muff it." The Cougars went on to dominate the Lobos 37-13. The season finale against the Utes was much more intense as the Cougars were trailing late in the 4th quarter, still deep in their own territory. On a fourth and thirteen, quarterback Brandon Doman found Jonathan Pittman on a Hail Mary pass. On the next play, Doman completed another pass to Pittman to put them in scoring position. Doman completed the comeback by running for the clinching score, winning the game 34-27, and Coach Edwards was triumphantly carried off the field.

Gary Crowton era (2001–2004)

Gary Crowton, serving at the time as offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears was hired to replace LaVell Edwards after the LaVells retirement. The 2001 Cougars returned several key players including quarterback Doman and running back Luke Staley. BYU ran off 12 straight wins to open the season and were ranked seventh nationally in at least one major poll, becoming the first MWC team to go undefeated in conference and won the conference championship outright. Staley, however, broke his leg in their 12th game against Mississippi State. Walking on crutches due to his broken leg, he accepted the Doak Walker award, given to the nation's top running back, after compiling 1,596 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. Staley's absence proved critical as the Cougars lost their last two games including their bowl game.

The 2002 season started with a big home win, but the Cougars struggled throughout the season and a loss to Utah in the season finale marked the first losing season in 29 years. The following year also saw BYU start the season with a win, but by the time the season was over the Cougars had suffered their second straight losing season. The Cougars were also shut out in the finale against Utah, ending their nation-leading record of consecutive games without being shut out, which dated back to 1975. In 2004, BYU opened the season with a victory at home over Notre Dame, however, the Cougars ended their season with a final record of 5-6. After leading the Cougars to their third straight losing season and posting an overall record of 26-23, and after multiple issues with BYU's honor code, Crowton resigned.

Early Bronco Mendenhall era (2005–2010)

Bronco Mendenhall, who had been brought into the program in 2003 as defensive coordinator, was named the next BYU head football coach. In his first seven years as a head coach, Mendenhall has earned 7th best winning percentage of all active coaches (.733). In his first season, Mendenhall led his team to a 6-5 regular season record when a weak defensive secondary cost the Cougars several close games including a 51-50 loss to nationally ranked TCU. Nevertheless, Mendenhall returned BYU to a bowl game in his first season and the team finished second (5-3) in the Mountain West Conference.

In 2006, the Cougars lost two early non-conference games to opponents from BCS conferences: one to Arizona on a last minute field goal and another to Boston College in double overtime. After that, the Cougars went on to run the table in their first seven conference games and set up a regular season finale at rival Utah. BYU jumped out to a 14-0 lead and was again driving until John Beck fumbled on a third-and-short play and the Cougars were forced to punt after recovering the fumble. In the second half, Utah jumped out to a 24-14 lead, but BYU responded in the fourth quarter with a pair of Beck touchdown passes. Utah scored again to take a 4-point lead with just over a minute left to play. The Cougars final play would take 13 seconds before Beck, as he was being hit, falling through the air, with his momentum carrying him the other direction, found Jonny Harline all by himself clear across the field. Harline caught the ball on his knees in the endzone at the opposite side of the field, giving BYU a 33-31 victory. The Cougars would then go on to dominate the Pac-10 Oregon Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl, 38-8. The win was the largest margin of victory for BYU in their bowl game history, and it marked BYU's first bowl win since the Cotton Bowl Classic on New Year's Day 1997, ten years earlier. The Cougars finished the year 11-2 (8-0 in conference), and ranked 15th in the nation, their first top-20 ranking since 2002.

The Cougars started the 2007 “rebuilding” season with unproven redshirt sophomore quarterback Max Hall—a transfer from Arizona State. As in 2006, the team opened with two early losses to non-conference opponents. However, to fans delight the squad went on to run the table the rest of the way, winning nine straight games to finish the season 10-2 with their second consecutive undefeated conference title. In what was once again a hard-fought game against Utah, who were riding their own nine-game winning streak, BYU seized the win with about a minute left on the game clock after Hall completed a 49 yard pass to Austin Collie from the BYU 12 on 4th & 18, which was followed by a Harvey Unga touchdown. The Cougars played UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl and preserved the win on a last-second field goal block by freshman defensive lineman Eathyn Manumaleuma.

In 2008, Mendenhall's team went 10-3 which marked the 3rd consecutive 10 win season for the Cougars. Notable games in the 2008 season included the historic 59-0 shutout of UCLA (UCLA's worst loss since 1929), and a 28-27 victory over the Washington Huskies in Seattle, thanks to BYU's defense blocking a last-second extra point attempt. With those two victories, BYU's 2008 season began with an undefeated record against non-conference opponents, including all BCS opponents. BYU suffered a lopsided defeat to Top-15 TCU, and again against Top-10 Utah, finishing with a 6-2 conference record. BYU lost the Las Vegas Bowl to Arizona, 31-21.

The 2009 season for BYU began against 3rd ranked Oklahoma at the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The field was supposed to be neutral, but nearby Oklahoma supplied the vast majority of the 75,000+ fans in attendance. The scoring opened with Ryan Broyles catching a touchdown pass from 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford from eight yards out shortly after BYU had dropped a punt return. In the second quarter, quarterback Max Hall answered with a touchdown pass to Andrew George to tie the game at 7. Near the end of the first half Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game by Colby Clawson and Oklahoma had to settle for a 35 yard field goal and went up 10-7. In the 4th Quarter, Oklahoma drove down to the 1 foot line, but BYU's defense held strong, and Oklahoma settled for another Jimmy Stevens field goal, this time from 22 yards out. Then, Max Hall led the Cougars on a 16-play, 78-yard drive, culminating in a 7 yard touchdown pass to McKay Jacobson, to take the lead 14-13 with 3:03 remaining in the game. The Sooners had one more drive, but came up short on a 54 yard field goal attempt.

The Cougars would go on to finish 11-2 overall and 7-1 in MWC play, losing only to conference champion TCU in October in a game preceded by the first-ever visit to Provo by ESPN College GameDay. In the last game of the regular season, BYU defeated Utah at Edwards Stadium, winning in overtime on a pass from Hall to George across the middle of the field. George just missed two potential Ute tacklers in catching the ball, enabling him to go untouched into the end zone. The Cougars rounded out the year with yet another appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl where BYU defeated Oregon State, 44-20.

In 2010, BYU began anew after losing quarterback Max Hall, leading rusher Harvey Unga, and leading receiver Dennis Pitta, all of whom signed with different NFL teams. After fall camp, junior Riley Nelson and true freshman Jake Heaps were both given the job at quarterback for the Cougars in the hopes of a two-quarterback system, with Nelson deemed more experienced and with better leadership and Heaps more skilled and the future of the program. After BYU defeated Washington in the first game of the season, the plan seemed to be the right one, but the Cougars would go on to lose four-straight games. Following the team's fourth loss at Utah State, defensive coordinator Jaime Hill was fired. Mendenhall took over defensive coordinator duties while assigning defensive graduate assistant Kelly Poppinga as interim outside linebackers coach and moving Nick Howell, in his first year after long-time assistant Barry Lamb was forced to retire due to health issues right before the season, to coach the secondary.

With Nelson out with a shoulder injury suffered in the third game of the season at Florida State, Heaps started the last 10 games of the season. The second true freshman to ever start at quarterback for BYU, Heaps finally helped lead BYU to its second win of the season at home against San Diego State. After falling the following week at No. 4 TCU, the Cougars went on to reel off four consecutive wins, including a victory at Colorado State that saw senior wide receiver Luke Ashworth tie a BYU record with four receiving touchdowns in one game, all in the first half.

Despite holding Utah scoreless through three quarters, BYU lost to the Utes after a last-second field goal attempt by the Cougars was blocked. Finishing the regular season 6-6, BYU was invited to play in the New Mexico Bowl against former WAC foe UTEP. BYU had no problem with the Miners, cruising to a 52-24 victory as Heaps was named Offensive MVP and senior safety and team captain Andrew Rich named the Defensive MVP.

Following the season significant coaching changes took place, the Cougar coaching staff changed after offensive coordinator Robert Anae was replaced by QB coach Brandon Doman and wide receivers coach Patrick Hickman was dismissed for former BYU and CFL great Ben Cahoon only months after leading his team to a CFL Championship. Mendenhall also named interim outside linebackers coach Kelly Poppinga to a permanent position on the staff, switched assistant head coach Lance Reynolds from running backs coach to tight ends coach and adding special teams duties to secondary coach Nick Howell. In addition, Joe DuPaix was hired from Navy to coach the running backs and take over as recruiting coordinator while just a short time before. During this Offseason Mendenhall also declined a 12 year contract extension for an extension that will last through the 2013 season.

Bronco Mendenhall & Independence

Frustrated with the lack of TV coverage and poor football competition in the Mountain West Conference, on September 1, 2010 BYU announced it would begin competition as a football independent starting in the 2011 season. BYU also enjoyed the first of an 8 year contract with ESPN in which 11 games were broadcast on one of the ESPN networks. This new contract also gave BYU the ability to utilize its on-campus state of the art broadcasting facilities and nationally syndicated station. The cougars were reportedly invited to the Big East for all sports, but declined. The 2011-2012 season provided new challenges for BYU. After going through the first four games, the cougars were 2-2, due to poor performance from sophomore quarterback, Jake Heaps. Those losses included a 17-16 nailbiter at Texas, and an embarrassing 54-10 loss at Utah. It wasn't until the annual game at Utah State, that a lineup change was made. Riley Nelson, the backup junior behind Jake Heaps, stepped in with just over two minutes left to play. Riley sparked a come from behind win. BYU finished 10-3 with a bowl win versus Tulsa by calling a code red meaning a fake spike.

The 2012-2013 season was highly anticipated with Riley Nelson returning as a senior qarterback, up and coming star linebacker Kyle Van Noy, and Ziggy Ansah, a surprise defensive starter. While the offense struggled with 3 different quarterbacks starting games over the course of the season, a spectacular defensive unit led BYU to an 8-5 record, including a 23-6 victory over former MWC rival San Diego State University in the Poinsettia Bowl. The 2012 season featured the best schedule BYU had ever played. Games against Virginia, Texas, Houston, Utah, Wisconsin, and Notre Dame. A newly renovated coaching staff, containing returning offensive coordinator Robert Anae, and Garett Tujugae looked set to take on the challenge. The new BYU offense featured 20 seconds in between plays, and was much more up-tempo.

Current coaching staff

Name	Position
Bronco Mendenhall	Head Coach
Robert Anae	Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach
Nick Howell	Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Coach
Paul Tidwell	Inside Linebackers Coach
Guy Holliday	Receivers Coach
Steve Kaufusi	Defensive Line Coach
Kelly Poppinga	Outside Linebackers Coach/Special Teams Coordinator
Mark Atuaia	Running Backs Coach
Garett Tujague	Offensive Line Coach
Jason Beck	Quarterbacks Coach

Record book

Conference History

Year	Conference
1922-1937	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
1938-1961	Mountain States Athletic Conference
1962-1998	Western Athletic Conference
1999-2010	Mountain West Conference
2011–present	Division I FBS Independent

Coaches

Name	Seasons	Record	PCT
Alvin Twitchell	1922-24	5-13-1	.289
C. J. Hart	1925-27	6-12-2	.350
G. Ott Romney	1928-36	42-31-5	.571
Floyd Millet	1942	2-5-0	.286
Eddie Kimball	1937-41, 46-48	34-32-8	.514
Chick Atkinson	1949-55	18-49-3	.279
Hal Kopp	1956-58	13-14-3	.483
Tally Stevens	1959-60	6-15-0	.286
Hal Mitchell	1961-63	8-22-0	.267
Tommy Hudspeth	1964-71	39-42-1	.482
LaVell Edwards	1972–2000	257-101-3	.716
Gary Crowton	2001-04	26-23-0	.531
Bronco Mendenhall	2005–present	56-21-0	.727

Conference championships

Conference	Year	Coach
Western Athletic Conference	1965	Tommy Hudspeth
	1974	Lavell Edwards
	1976	Lavell Edwards
	1977	Lavell Edwards
	1978	Lavell Edwards
	1979	Lavell Edwards
	1980	Lavell Edwards
	1981	Lavell Edwards
	1982	Lavell Edwards
	1983	Lavell Edwards
	1984	Lavell Edwards
	1985	Lavell Edwards
	1989	Lavell Edwards
	1990	Lavell Edwards
	1991	Lavell Edwards
	1992	Lavell Edwards
	1993	Lavell Edwards
	1995	Lavell Edwards
	1996	Lavell Edwards
Mountain West Conference	1999	Lavell Edwards
	2001	Gary Crowton
	2006	Bronco Mendenhall
	2007	Bronco Mendenhall

Bowl games

BYU has made 31 Bowl appearances, winning 13, losing 17, and tying 1. They have played in the Holiday Bowl (4 wins, 6 losses, 1 tie), the Cotton Bowl Classic (1 win), the Las Vegas Bowl (3 wins, 2 losses), the Copper Bowl (1 win), the Tangerine/Citrus Bowl (2 losses), the Freedom Bowl (1 win, 1 loss), the Liberty Bowl (2 losses), the Aloha Bowl (1 loss), the Fiesta Bowl (1 loss), the Motor City Bowl (1 loss), the All-American Bowl (1 loss), the New Mexico Bowl (1 win), the Armed Forces Bowl (1 win) and the Poinsettia Bowl (1 win).

Date	Bowl	W/L	Score
December 28, 1974	Fiesta Bowl	L	BYU	6	Oklahoma State	16
December 18, 1976	Tangerine Bowl	L	#17 BYU	21	#14 Oklahoma State	49
December 22, 1978	Holiday Bowl	L	BYU	16	Navy	23
December 21, 1979	Holiday Bowl	L	#9 BYU	37	Indiana	38
December 19, 1980	Holiday Bowl	W	#14 BYU	46	#19 SMU	45
December 18, 1981	Holiday Bowl	W	#12 BYU	38	#18 Washington State	36
December 17, 1982	Holiday Bowl	L	BYU	17	#16 Ohio State	47
December 23, 1983	Holiday Bowl	W	#9 BYU	21	Missouri	17
December 21, 1984	Holiday Bowl	W	#1 BYU	24	Michigan	17
December 28, 1985	Citrus Bowl	L	#9 BYU	7	#17 Ohio State	10
December 30, 1986	Freedom Bowl	L	BYU	10	#15 UCLA	31
December 22, 1987	All-American Bowl	L	BYU	16	Virginia	22
December 29, 1988	Freedom Bowl	W	BYU	20	#20 Colorado	17
December 29, 1989	Holiday Bowl	L	#16 BYU	39	#18 Penn State	50
December 29, 1990	Holiday Bowl	L	#9 BYU	14	#19 Texas A&M	65
December 30, 1991	Holiday Bowl	T	BYU	13	#7 Iowa	13
December 25, 1992	Aloha Bowl	L	#23 BYU	20	Kansas	23
December 30, 1993	Holiday Bowl	L	BYU	21	#10 Ohio State	28
December 29, 1994	Copper Bowl	W	#19 BYU	31	Oklahoma	6
January 1, 1997	Cotton Bowl Classic	W	#5 BYU	19	#14 Kansas State	15
December 31, 1998	Liberty Bowl	L	BYU	27	#10 Tulane	41
December 27, 1999	Motor City Bowl	L	#25 BYU	3	#11 Marshall	21
December 31, 2001	Liberty Bowl	L	#17 BYU	10	#22 Louisville	28
December 22, 2005	Las Vegas Bowl	L	BYU	28	California	35
December 21, 2006	Las Vegas Bowl	W	#19 BYU	38	Oregon	8
December 22, 2007	Las Vegas Bowl	W	#17 BYU	17	UCLA	16
December 21, 2008	Las Vegas Bowl	L	#16 BYU	21	Arizona	31
December 22, 2009	Las Vegas Bowl	W	#14 BYU	44	#16 Oregon State	20
December 18, 2010	New Mexico Bowl	W	BYU	52	UTEP	24
December 30, 2011	Armed Forces Bowl	W	BYU	24	Tulsa	21
December 20, 2012	Poinsettia Bowl	W	BYU	23	San Diego State	6
Total	31 bowl games	13-17-1		723		819

• Rankings given are the highest (of any of the major polls AP/Coaches/BCS) available at the time of the bowl game.

Rankings - Top 25 finishes

Season	Overall Record	AP Ranking	Coaches Ranking	BCS Ranking*
1977	9-2	20	16	did not exist
1979	11-1	13	12	did not exist
1980	12-1	12	11	did not exist
1981	11-2	13	11	did not exist
1983	11-1	7	7	did not exist
1984	13-0	1	1	did not exist
1985	11-3	16	17	did not exist
1989	10-3	22	18	did not exist
1990	10-3	22	17	did not exist
1991	8-3-2	23	23	did not exist
1994	10-3	18	10	did not exist
1996	14-1	5	5	did not exist
2001	12-2	25	24	unranked
2006	11-2	16	15	20
2007	11-2	14	14	17
2008	10-3	25	21	16
2009	11-2	12	12	14
2011	10-3	unranked	25	unranked

• BCS rankings are final as of the end of the regular season, and thus do not consider performance in any bowl game as the AP and Coaches polls do.

Awards

National Championship

After finishing the 1984 season 13-0, BYU was ranked number one by the Associated Press, United Press International (coaches' poll), Sports Illustrated, CNN-USA Today, and the Football Writers of America.

Heisman Trophy

In 1990, quarterback Ty Detmer won college football's most prestigious individual award, the Heisman Trophy. Detmer is the only BYU football player ever to win the award. Detmer passed for 5,188 yards and 41 touchdowns during the 1990 season, with 28 interceptions. During the same season, he also led BYU to defeat the number-one-ranked Miami Hurricanes 28-21 in Provo. The Heisman Trophy has been awarded every year since 1935. Other BYU quarterbacks finishing in the top ten in Heisman voting include Gary Sheide (8th in 1974), Gifford Nielsen (6th in 1976), Marc Wilson (3rd in 1979), Jim McMahon (5th in 1980, 3rd in 1981), Steve Young (2nd in 1983), Robbie Bosco (3rd in 1984 and 1985), and Ty Detmer (9th in 1989, Winner in 1990, 3rd in 1991).

The Doak Walker Award

The Doak Walker Award has honored the nation's best running back since 1990. BYU running back Luke Staley won this award in 2001 while helping the Cougars win their first 12 games in a row before becoming injured. Staley rushed for 1,596 yards and 24 touchdowns in just 11 games.

The Davey O'Brien Award

The Davey O'Brien Award has honored the nation's best quarterback since 1981. BYU quarterbacks have won the award four times—more than any other school. Former NFL greats Jim McMahon and Steve Young both won the award while at BYU, and in 1991, Ty Detmer became the first of only three quarterbacks to win the award twice.

The Outland Trophy

The Outland Trophy has honored the nation's best interior lineman since 1946. Two BYU linemen have won the prestigious award. In 1986, Jason Buck earned the honor while Mohammed Elowonibi received the honor in 1989.

Sammy Baugh Trophy

The Sammy Baugh Trophy is awarded to the nation's best passer. Steve Sarkisian was awarded this trophy for the 1996 season during which he had a 173.6 passer rating, the highest in the nation. Other BYU quarterbacks to win the award were Gary Sheide (1974), Marc Wilson (1979), Jim McMahon (1981), Steve Young (1983), Robbie Bosco (1984), and Ty Detmer (1991).

Coaching awards

• Amos Alonzo Stagg Award

LaVell Edwards - 2003

• AFCA (Kodak) Coach of the Year Award

LaVell Edwards - 1984

• Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award

LaVell Edwards - 1979

College Football Hall of Fame Players

Player	Position	Years	Induction
Gifford Nielsen	QB	1973 - 1977	1994
Marc Wilson	QB	1976 - 1979	1996
Jim McMahon	QB	1977 - 1981	1999
Steve Young	QB	1980 - 1983	2001
Gordon Hudson	TE	1980 - 1983	2009
Ty Detmer	QB	1988 - 1991	2011

College Football Hall of Fame Coaches

Coach	Years	Induction
LaVell Edwards	1972 - 2000	2004

Pro Football Hall of Fame Players

Player	Position	Years	Induction
Steve Young	QB	1985 - 1999	2005

Uniforms

From the 1970s to 1999—a period coinciding with the some of the school's best and most prominent football seasons—BYU school colors were royal blue and white. The football team generally wore royal blue jerseys and white pants at home, and white jerseys and royal blue pants on the road.

In 1999, Coach Edwards' penultimate year, the school colors switched to dark blue, white, and tan, and the football helmets switched from white to dark blue. The block 'Y' remained on the sides of the helmet but received a new, more current treatment. The home uniforms consisted of dark blue jerseys with white "bib" and dark blue pants, and the away uniforms consisted of white jerseys with white pants. These new uniforms were disliked by both the conservative fans in Provo and the NCAA, who required the team to remove the white bib on the front of the blue home jersey in 2000 (NCAA rules require that a team's jersey have a single dominant color). The home jersey thereafter was modified with blue replacing the white on the bib area.

These uniforms lasted until 2004, when a uniform new style incorporating New York Jets-style shoulder stripes was introduced (the helmets remained the same). The new uniforms were worn in a "mix-and-match" strategy—e.g., the home blue jerseys were worn with either blue or white pants and the white away jerseys were worn with either blue or white pants. This uniform incarnation lasted for only one season.

Ultimately, the traditional design with the white helmet and former logo was re-introduced for the 2005 season. While the uniforms were also changed to be similar to the 1980s uniforms, the darker blue remained instead of the former royal blue, but all tan highlights were eliminated. This change was done at the insistence of new head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who wanted to return the team to the successful traditions of the 1980s. Normally, it takes a minimum of 1–2 years to create, design and approve a uniform change. When Nike, the team's uniform supplier, said that they could not possibly make the change in just five months, former head coach and BYU legend LaVell Edwards made a call to Nike and asked them to help the new Cougar coach. Edwards had worked with Nike on several occasions since his retirement, and with the legendary coach's weight behind the request, BYU was able to take the field in 2005 in new, traditional uniforms. One slight change in the uniform came in the 2007 season, when a small traditional 'Y' logo was added to the bottom of the collar. In 2009 BYU used a "throwback" jersey paying tribute to the 25 year anniversary of the 1984 National Championship. they were the same design as the current jerseys but royal blue instead of navy blue. They were introduced against Rival University of Utah and again in the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon St. BYU also introduced new "black-out" jerseys in the 2012 season, debuting at home, also against Oregon St.

Alumni

Main article: List of Brigham Young University alumni#Sports#Football

As of 2008, BYU has produced 146 professional football players—including alumni playing in 48 NFL Super Bowls.

Rivalries

• BYU vs Utah Utah–BYU rivalry The 'Holy War'- Utah Utes
• BYU vs Utah State The Old Wagon Wheel - Utah State Aggies
• BYU vs Hawaii - the two programs are scheduled to play each other through 2023
• BYU vs Boise State - scheduled to play each other through 2023
• BYU vs San Diego State - old WAC and Mountain West rivals

Team	Games Played	BYU Win	BYU Loss	Ties	Win %	First Meeting	Last Meeting	Next scheduled Meeting
Utah	88	31	53	4	.375	1922	L 21-24 (2012)	@BYU 9/28/13
Utah State	82	45	34	3	.567	1922	W 6-3 (2012)	@Utah State 10/4/13
SDSU	36	28	7	1	.792	1947	W 23-6 (2012)	none
Hawaii	29	21	8	0	.724	1930	W 47-0 (2012)	@Hawaii 12/7/13
Boise State	3	0	3	0	.000	2003	L 6-7 (2012)	@BYU 9/21/13

Future schedules

BYU has series scheduled with Texas, Notre Dame, Oregon State, Arizona, UCF, Southern Miss, and Boise State in upcoming years. BYU also scheduled neutral site games with TCU and West Virginia University. BYU added games with members from the WAC conference including San Jose State, Utah State and Hawaii.

2014

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 6	at Texas	Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX
September 20	Virginia	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
September 27	Houston	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
October 18	Nevada	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
October 25	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID
November 8	Southern Miss	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
November 15	UNLV	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
TBD	Utah State	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
TBD	at UCF	Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL
TBD	at Middle Tennessee State	Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium • Murfreesboro, TN
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2015

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 5	at Nebraska	Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, NE
September 12	Boise State	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
September 26	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI
October 2	Utah State	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
October 17	at Southern Miss	M. M. Roberts Stadium • Hattiesburg, MS
October 24	Cincinnati	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
November 14	at UNLV	Sam Boyd Stadium • Las Vegas, NV
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2016

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 24	vs. West Virginia	FedExField • Landover, MD
October 15	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID
November 12	at Cincinnati	Nippert Stadium • Cincinnati, OH
TBD	at Utah	Rice-Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, UT
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2017

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 7	Boise State	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
TBD	Wisconsin	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
TBD	at East Carolina	Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium • Greenville, NC
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2018

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 20	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID
TBD	East Carolina	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
TBD	at Wisconsin	Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2019

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 21	Nevada	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
October 12	Boise State	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
TBD	at Washington State	Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2020

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 17	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2021

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 9	Boise State	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2022

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 8	at Boise State	Bronco Stadium • Boise, ID
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

2023

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
October 14	Boise State	LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT
*Non-conference game. Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game.

Additional Information

BYU and Notre Dame announced an additional four games to be played between 2014–2020 in both Provo and South Bend. A home-and-home series with Louisiana Tech scheduled for 2011–2012 will be delayed to a future date. BYU and Hawaii agreed to an undefined series of games from 2014–2020 that could see the teams playing each season.

External links

• Official website