BYU
From NCAA College Football Information & Resource
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Brigham Young University's football program, the BYU Cougars, is one of the more decorated teams not only in the Moutain West, but in the entire NCAA in the last four decades. The BYU Cougars football squad is an NCAA Division I-A team, competing under the Mountain West Conference since 1999. Although Brigham Young's students played football as early as 1896, the football varsity did not officially began play until 1922. The Cougars football started on the wrong foot as it won only 5 wins in 18 games in its first three seasons. In its first 47 seasons, the Cougars only averaged 3 victories a year. The Cougars football did show some signs of life when Coach Hal Kopp took over as the head football coach in 1956. The team also registered its first back-to-back winning seasons in 1957 and '58. BYU was also starting to pay attention to its football program during this era and it didn't take long for the school's efforts to pay off as by 1965, three years after entering the Western Athletic Conference, the Cougars claimed its first (of many to come conference championships). In 1972, after serving ten years as an assistant coach, (soon to be legend) Lavell Edwards succeeded after Tommy Hudspeth as the head football coach. Coach Edwards planted his system just as he took over and reaped off the fruits two years later with the team's 2nd WAC championship. The Cougars from then on established its dominance as it won ten straight conference titles from 1976 and 1985, and except for the 1977 season, have appeared in every postseason bowl game from 1976 through 1994. In between those years, 1984 in particular, the Cougars would complete the season unblemished (13-0). The feat would earn BYU its first taste of national championship. Coach Edwards' game strategy that centralizes in drop-back passing would distinguish BYU as a top quarterback factory, producing names such as NFL star Steve Young, thus earning the nickname "QB-U." Ironically, it was only in the 90's when a quarterback from BYU was heavily recognized. Ty Detmer, the most prolific passer during his era, won for himself the Heisman award in 1990.
Coach Edwards would continue to lead the team to prominence even when the squad left the WAC and joined the Mountain West Conference in 1999. He would punctuate his stellar coaching career with his team's first championship in the MWC that would eventually be his last at BYU. When Coach Gary Crowton took over in 2001, he continued the winning tradition of his predecessor and gave BYU its second title in his debut year. In three seasons, Coach Crowton won 26 out of 49 games for BYU before being replaced in 2005 by Coach Bronco Mendenhall. Coach Mendenhall has so far led the Cougars to back-to-back Bowl games with split results and a 2006 MWC championship.
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Ranking
| Year | Record | AP Rank | Coach Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 9-2-0 | 20 | 16 |
| 1979 | 11-1-0 | 13 | 12 |
| 1980 | 12-1-0 | 12 | 11 |
| 1981 | 11-2-0 | 13 | 11 |
| 1983 | 11-1-0 | 7 | 7 |
| 1984 | 13-0-0 | 1 | 1 |
| 1985 | 11-3-0 | 16 | 17 |
| 1989 | 10-3-0 | 22 | 18 |
| 1990 | 10-3-0 | 22 | 17 |
| 1991 | 8-3-2 | 23 | 23 |
| 1994 | 10-3-0 | 18 | 10 |
| 1996 | 14-1-0 | 5 | 5 |
| 2001 | 12-2-0 | 25 | 24 |
| 2006 | 11-2-0 | 16 | 15 |
| 2007 | 11-2-0 | 14 | 14 |
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Scouting Report
| Category | MWC Rank | Nat'l Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Scoring Offense | 1 | 47 |
| Scoring Defense | 2 | 9 |
| Total Offense | 1 | 25 |
| Total Defense | 1 | 10 |
| Turnover Margin | 7 | 93 |
| Pass Efficiency Defense | 3 | 18 |
| Kickoff Returns | 1 | 17 |
| Net Punting | 8 | 57 |
| Passing Offense | 1 | 14 |
| Passing Defense | 6 | 32 |
| Passing Efficiency | 2 | 28 |
| Punt Returns | 9 | 102 |
| Rushing Offense | 5 | 67 |
| Rushing Defense | 1 | 9 |
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Championships
National Championships
- 1984 - CFBDW Recognized National Champions
Conference Championships
- 1965 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1974 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1976 - Western Athletic Conference Co-Champions
- 1977 - Western Athletic Conference Co-Champions
- 1978 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1979 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1980 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1981 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1982 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1983 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1984 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1985 - Western Athletic Conference Co-Champions
- 1989 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1990 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1991 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1992 - Western Athletic Conference Co-Champions
- 1993 - Western Athletic Conference Co-Champions
- 1995 - Western Athletic Conference Co-Champions
- 1996 - Western Athletic Conference Champions
- 1999 - Mountain West Conference Co-Champions
- 2001 - Mountain West Conference Champions
- 2006 - Mountain West Conference Champions
- 2007 - Mountain West Conference Champions
Division Championships
- 1996 - WAC - Mountain Division Champions
- 1998 - WAC - Pacific Division Champions
Other National Championship Selections
- 1996 Harry Frye
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BYU Bowl History
| Date | Bowl Game | Result | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 22, 2007 | Las Vegas Bowl | W | UCLA | 17-16 |
| Dec 21, 2006 | Las Vegas Bowl | W | Oregon | 38-8 |
| Dec 22, 2005 | Las Vegas Bowl | L | California | 28-35 |
| Dec 31, 2001 | Liberty Bowl | L | Louisville | 10-28 |
| Dec 27, 1999 | Motor City Bowl | L | Marshall | 3-21 |
| Dec 31, 1998 | Liberty Bowl | L | Tulane | 27-41 |
| Jan 01, 1996 | Cotton Bowl | W | Kansas State | 19-15 |
| Dec 29, 1994 | Copper Bowl | W | Oklahoma | 31-6 |
| Dec 30, 1993 | Holiday Bowl | L | Ohio State | 21-28 |
| Dec 25, 1992 | Aloha Bowl | L | Kansas | 20-23 |
| Dec 30, 1991 | Holiday Bowl | T | Iowa | 13-13 |
| Dec 29, 1990 | Holiday Bowl | L | Texas A&M | 14-65 |
| Dec 29, 1989 | Holiday Bowl | L | Penn State | 39-50 |
| Dec 29, 1988 | Freedom Bowl | W | Colorado | 20-17 |
| Dec 22, 1987 | All-American Bowl | L | Virginia | 16-22 |
| Dec 30, 1986 | Freedom Bowl | L | UCLA | 10-31 |
| Dec 28, 1985 | Citrus Bowl | L | Ohio State | 7-10 |
| Dec 21, 1984 | Holiday Bowl | W | Michigan | 24-17 |
| Dec 23, 1983 | Holiday Bowl | W | Missouri | 21-17 |
| Dec 17, 1982 | Holiday Bowl | L | Ohio State | 17-47 |
| Dec 18, 1981 | Holiday Bowl | W | Washington State | 38-36 |
| Dec 19, 1980 | Holiday Bowl | W | SMU | 46-45 |
| Dec 21, 1979 | Holiday Bowl | L | Indiana | 37-38 |
| Dec 22, 1978 | Holiday Bowl | L | Navy | 16-23 |
| Dec 18, 1976 | Tangerine Bowl | L | Oklahoma State | 21-49 |
| Dec 28, 1974 | Fiesta Bowl | L | Oklahoma State | 6-16 |
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Highlights
| Holiday Bowl, 1980. 1980 was a pretty good year for the BYU Cougars as they finished the season with a 12-1 record and was ranked 12th and 11th by AP and the Coaches Poll, respectively. One of the games that stood out for the Cougars is the Holiday Bowl victory in which quarterback Jim McMahon led the Cougars into a superb comecback performance to beat SMU 46-45. |
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Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08.30.08 | Northern Iowa | Provo, Ut. | |
| 09.06.08 | Washington | Seattle, Wa. | |
| 09.13.08 | UCLA | Provo, Ut. | |
| 09.20.08 | Wyoming | Provo, Ut. | |
| 10.03.08 | Utah State | Logan, Ut. | |
| 10.11.08 | New Mexico | Provo, Ut. | |
| 10.16.08 | TCU | Fort Worth, Tx. | |
| 10.25.08 | UNLV | Provo, Ut. | |
| 11.01.08 | Colorado State | Fort Collins, Co. | |
| 11.08.08 | San Diego State | Provo, Ut. | |
| 11.15.08 | Air Force | Colorado Springs, Co. | |
| 11.22.08 | Utah | Salt Lake City, Ut. |
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Roster
| No. | Name | Ht. | Wt. | Pos. | Cl. | Hometown | Prev. School |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Matt Ah You | 5-11 | 221 | LB | Jr. | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Lone Peak HS |
| 72 | Nick Alletto | 6-6 | 280 | OL | So. | Parker, CO | Ponderosa HS |
| 29 | Luke Ashworth | 6-2 | 194 | WR | So. | Provo, UT | Timpview HS |
| 89 | Cortny Barton | 5-8 | 186 | WR | Jr. | Hawthorne, CA | LA Harbor JC |
| 35 | Matt Bauman | 6-1 | 226 | LB | Jr. | Salt Lake City, UT | Skyline HS |
| 58 | Jeff Bell | 6-0 | 224 | LB | Jr. | Williamsburg, VA | Bruton HS |
| 23 | Kelly Bills | 6-0 | 228 | LB | Jr. | Provo, UT | Southern Utah |
| 5 | Brandon Bradley | 6-0 | 201 | DB | So. | Tallahassee, FL | Lincoln HS |
| 74 | Travis Bright | 6-5 | 329 | OL | Sr. | Queen Creek, AZ | Highland HS |
| 12 | Brannon Brooks | 5-8 | 175 | DB | Fr. | Elk Grove, CA | Elk Grove HS |
| 55 | Jordan Chronister | 6-2 | 231 | DL | So. | Fruit Heights, UT | Eastern Arizona CC |
| 41 | Coleby Clawson | 6-3 | 220 | LB | Jr. | Wales, UT | Snow JC |
| 9 | Austin Collie | 6-2 | 206 | WR | Jr. | El Dorado Hills, CA | Oak Ridge HS |
| 10 | Stephen Covey | 5-11 | 177 | QB | Fr. | Provo, UT | Timpview HS |
| 92 | Brett Denney | 6-4 | 252 | DL | Jr. | Thornton, CO | Legacy HS |
| 10 | J.J. Di Luigi | 5-9 | 196 | RB | Fr. | Canyon Country, CA | Canyon HS |
| 42 | Shawn Doman | 6-2 | 224 | LB | Jr. | Woodburn, OR | Canby HS |
| 99 | Ian Dulan | 6-1 | 252 | DL | Jr. | Hilo, HI | Kamehameha-Hawaii HS |
| 76 | Ray Feinga | 6-5 | 331 | OL | Sr. | West Valley City, UT | Hunter HS |
| 98 | Steven Fendry | 6-5 | 255 | DL | Fr. | Castle Rock, CO | University of Colorado |
| 90 | Steven Fisher | 6-4 | 230 | DL | So. | Orem, UT | Timpanogos HS |
| 93 | Mosese Foketi | 6-0 | 276 | DL | Sr. | Oakland, CA | Laney CC |
| 21 | Ryan Folsom | 5-10 | 200 | RB | So. | Medford, OR | North Medford HS |
| 16 | Kellen Fowler | 5-11 | 187 | DB | Sr. | Kaysville, UT | Davis HS |
| 24 | Jameson Frazier | 6-2 | 201 | DB | Fr. | Draper, UT | Alta HS |
| 61 | Mark Freeman | 6-0 | 295 | OL | So. | Orem, UT | Orem HS |
| 80 | Kaneakua Friel | 6-5 | 240 | TE | Fr. | Kaneohe, HI | Kamehameha HS |
| 6 | Brenden Gaskins | 6-4 | 215 | QB | Jr. | Farmington, NM | Glendale CC |
| 88 | Andrew George | 6-5 | 246 | TE | Jr. | Englewood, CO | Cherry Creek HS |
| 48 | Dustin Graham | 6-0 | 220 | LB | So. | Glendale, AZ | Mountain Ridge HS |
| 83 | Saia Hafoka | 5-10 | 187 | WR | Sr. | Kahuku, HI | Kahuku HS |
| 84 | Spencer Hafoka | 6-0 | 196 | WR | Fr. | Kahuku, HI | Kahuku HS |
| 15 | Max Hall | 6-1 | 201 | QB | Jr. | Mesa, AZ | Arizona State |
| 50 | Connor Hamilton | 6-2 | 220 | LB | Fr. | Issaquah, WA | Issaquah HS |
| 97 | Tevita Hola | 6-1 | 310 | DL | Jr. | West Valley City, UT | Snow JC |
| 34 | Tyler Holt | 5-9 | 178 | K/P | Fr. | Granite Bay, CA | Granite Bay HS |
| 47 | Terrance Hooks | 6-1 | 233 | LB | Jr. | Tempe, AZ | Marcos de Niza HS |
| 4 | Brandon Howard | 5-9 | 164 | DB | Jr. | Riverside, CA | La Sierra HS |
| 77 | Chris Hunt | 6-3 | 313 | OL | Fr. | Hattiesburg, MS | Hattiesburg HS |
| 13 | Nate Hutchinson | 6-3 | 200 | WR | Jr. | St. George, UT | Pine View HS |
| 85 | Landon Jaussi | 6-5 | 215 | WR | So. | Wylie, TX | Southern Virgina |
| 21 | Scott Johnson | 5-11 | 185 | DB | Jr. | Provo, UT | Timpview HS |
| 84 | Jan Jorgensen | 6-3 | 256 | DL | Jr. | Helper, UT | Carbon HS |
| 95 | Rockey Kalamafoni | 6-2 | 276 | DL | Fr. | Portland, OR | Liahona HS (Tonga) |
| 28 | Bryan Kariya | 6-0 | 192 | RB | Fr. | Kaysville, UT | Davis HS |
| 22 | Tyler Kozlowski | 5-9 | 185 | WR | So. | Wildwood, IL | Warren Township HS |
| 33 | Wayne Latu | 5-11 | 214 | RB | Jr. | Provo, UT | Timpview HS |
| 78 | Levi Mack | 6-5 | 318 | OL | Jr. | Thatcher, AZ | Eastern Arizona JC |
| 2 | Bryce Mahuika | 5-9 | 186 | WR | Sr. | Vancouver, WA | Evergreen HS |
| 5 | Parker Mangum | 6-4 | 213 | WR | So. | Boise, ID | St. Mary's |
| 27 | Matt Marshall | 5-10 | 192 | WR | Fr. | Salt Lake City, UT | Skyline HS |
| 96 | Jonathan McCullough | 6-5 | 222 | TE | So. | Hillsboro, OR | Glencoe HS |
| 4 | Kurt McEuen | 6-2 | 213 | QB | So. | Heber City, UT | Wasatch HS |
| 25 | Steven McFarland | 6-2 | 230 | FB | So. | Lakeview, OR | Lakeview HS |
| 56 | Chris Muehlmann | 6-0 | 207 | DS | So. | American Fork, UT | Snow College |
| 12 | Jason Munns | 6-5 | 244 | QB | Fr. | Kennewick, WA | Southridge HS |
| 25 | Gary Nagy | 6-1 | 190 | DB | Fr. | Laie, HI | Kahuku HS |
| 82 | Ryan Neeley | 6-0 | 181 | WR | Jr. | Draper, UT | Snow JC |
| 39 | Grant Nelson | 6-3 | 226 | LB | So. | Hopewell, PA | Hopewell HS |
| 43 | David Nixon | 6-3 | 223 | LB | Sr. | College Station, TX | A&M Consolidated |
| 68 | David Oswald | 6-8 | 330 | OL | Sr. | Sandy, UT | Brighton HS |
| 59 | John Pace | 6-2 | 208 | DS | So. | Yorba Linda, CA | Esperanza HS |
| 17 | Mitch Palsson | 6-2 | 192 | WR | Fr. | Danvill, CA | San Ramon Valley HS |
| 38 | Mitch Payne | 6-2 | 207 | K | So. | North Ogden, UT | Weber HS |
| 27 | Jordan Pendleton | 6-2 | 218 | DB | Fr. | South Jordan, UT | Bingham HS |
| 16 | BJ Peterson | 6-3 | 201 | WR | So. | Salt Lake City, UT | Brighton HS |
| 32 | Dennis Pitta | 6-5 | 250 | TE | Jr. | Moorpark, CA | Moorpark HS |
| 17 | G Pittman | 5-10 | 183 | DB | Fr. | Rancho Cucamonga, CA | Rancho Cucamonga |
| 31 | Byron Putnam | 5-11 | 178 | DB | Fr. | Draper, UT | University of Utah |
| 57 | Matt Putnam | 6-6 | 247 | LB | Fr. | Brigham City, UT | Box Elder HS |
| 66 | Garrett Reden | 6-3 | 286 | OL | So. | Valley Center, CA | Valley Center HS |
| 3 | Michael Reed | 6-1 | 202 | WR | Sr. | Baytown, TX | Robert E. Lee HS |
| 20 | Mitchell Reid | 5-11 | 194 | DB | Fr. | Sandy, UT | Skyline HS |
| 65 | Dallas Reynolds | 6-5 | 332 | OL | Sr. | Provo, UT | Timpview HS |
| 70 | Matt Reynolds | 6-6 | 315 | OL | Fr. | Provo, UT | Timpview HS |
| 36 | Andrew Rich | 6-3 | 210 | DB | So. | Ogden, UT | Snow JC |
| 94 | Brock Richardson | 6-2 | 267 | DL | Sr. | Idaho Falls, ID | Bonneville HS |
| 18 | Skyler Ridley | 5-11 | 168 | WR | Fr. | Murrieta, CA | Murrieta Valley HS |
| 26 | CJ Santiago | 6-2 | 212 | P | Sr. | Honolulu, HI | Orange Coast CC |
| 24 | Brian Smith | 6-2 | 175 | P/K | So. | Orem, UT | Mountain View HS |
| 53 | Tom Sorensen | 6-5 | 306 | OL | Jr. | Salt Lake City, UT | Vanderbilt |
| 37 | Vic So'oto | 6-3 | 249 | LB | Jr. | Carlsbad, CA | Carlsbad HS |
| 73 | Jason Speredon | 6-5 | 286 | OL | So. | West Valley City, UT | Granger HS |
| 23 | David Tafuna | 6-1 | 216 | DB | Sr. | Mesa, AZ | Mesa HS |
| 30 | Isaac Taylor | 5-11 | 210 | RB | Sr. | Camino, CA | Modesto JC |
| 75 | Stetson Tenney | 6-5 | 285 | OL | Fr. | Show Low, AZ | Show Low HS |
| 22 | Steven Thomas | 5-11 | 172 | DB | Fr. | Chino Hills, CA | Chino Hills HS |
| 52 | Russell Tialavea | 6-3 | 320 | DL | Jr. | Oceanside, CA | Oceanside HS |
| 46 | Masi Tuitama | 6-2 | 210 | LB | Fr. | Oxnard, CA | Pacifica HS |
| 96 | David Tuitupou | 6-5 | 250 | DL | Fr. | Orem, UT | Mountain View HS |
| 45 | Harvey Unga | 6-0 | 243 | RB | So. | Provo, UT | Timpview HS |
| 33 | Tana Uyema | 5-9 | 178 | DB | Sr. | Honolulu, HI | BYU-Hawaii |
| 79 | Manaaki Vaitai | 6-3 | 300 | OL | Fr. | Euless, TX | Trinity HS |
| 1 | Fui Vakapuna | 6-1 | 245 | RB | Sr. | Glendale, UT | East HS |
| 44 | Dan Van Sweden | 6-2 | 221 | LB | Jr. | West Point, UT | Northridge HS |
| 49 | Jadon Wagner | 6-4 | 230 | LB | Fr. | Lethbridge, Alberta | LCI |
| 7 | Chris Warner | 6-1 | 208 | DB | Jr. | Reno, NV | McQueen HS |
| 30 | Jake Webber | 5-10 | 170 | DB | Fr. | Salt Lake City, UT | Highland HS |
| 20 | Reed White | 5-10 | 198 | WR | Sr. | Gilbert, AZ | Arizona State |
| 64 | R.J. Willing | 6-5 | 312 | OL | Jr. | Kahuku, HI | Kamehameha HS |
| 71 | Rick Wolfley | 6-3 | 343 | DL | So. | Afton, WY | Star Valley HS |
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Coaches/Team Officials
- Bronco Mendenhall, Head Coach
- Lance Reynolds, Assistant Football Coach
- Robert Anae, Offensive Coordinator/Inside Receivers
- Brandon Doman, Assistant Football Coach
- Mark Weber, Offensive Line
- Patrick Higgins, Assistant Football Coach
- Steve Kaufusi, Assistant Football Coach
- Barry Lamb, Assistant Football Coach
- Jaime Hill, Defensive Coordinator
- Duane Busby, Director of Football Operations
- Patrick Hickman, Football H.S. Relations Coordinator
- Paul Tidwell, Assistant Football Coach
- Jay Omer, Strength & Conditioning Coach
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Notable Alumni in NFL
Brigham Young Cougars in NFL
- John Beck - Miami Dolphins, QB
- Daniel Coats - Cincinnati Bengals, TE
- John Denney - Miami Dolphins, LS
- Ryan Denney - Buffalo Bills, DE
- Aaron Francisco - Arizona Cardinals, DB
- Jonny Harline - New York Giants, TE
- Chris Hoke - Pittsburgh Steelers, NT
- Scott Jackson - Houston Texans, C
- Bryan Kehl - New York Giants, LB
- Brett Keisel - Pittsburgh Steelers, DE
- Reno Mahe - Philadelphia Eagles, RB
- Rob Morris - Indianapolis Colts, LB
- Shaun Nua - Buffalo Bills, DE
- Brady Poppinga - Green Bay Packers, OLB
- Kelly Poppinga - Miami Dolphins, LB
- Markell Staffieri - Philadelphia Eagles, LB
- Naufahu Tahi - Minnesota Vikings, FB
- John Tait - Chicago Bears, T
- Todd Watkins - Oakland Raiders, WR
- Scott Young - Philadelphia Eagles, G
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References
- Brigham Young Alumni Tracker
- Brigham Young Cougars Football Wikipedia
- Brigham Young Cougars Historical Data
- ESPN NCAA Football Rankings
- NCAA.org's 2006 Mountain West Conference Team Report
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External Links
| Mountain West Conference Football Teams |
|---|
| Air Force • Brigham Young • Colorado State • New Mexico • San Diego State • TCU • UNLV • Utah • Wyoming |
