BYU will celebrate its 100th season of football in 2024. The Cougars are one of the most storied football programs in college football, certainly among programs in the west.
With that pile of history, let’s delve into the top 100 games for the BYU football program. “Major” games can mean many things: championship games, bowl games, key victories over rivals, record-setting individual performances, exciting overtime games and much more.
These games are not classified chronologically.
Let’s take a look at games 100 through 91.
100. Syracuse, 2002 (42-21)
This is certainly an unorthodox starting point. Right in the middle of the embattled Gary Crowton years, the Cougars opened up against Big East foe Syracuse. The Orange were coming off a 10-3 season and a top-15 finish the previous season. The issue was still in doubt until early in the fourth quarter. Cougars quarterback Bret Engemann threw three touchdowns for 386 yards and also ran for a score. Running back Marcus Whalen added 152 rushing. The Cougars outscored the Orange 21-7 in the second half.
99. Tulane, 2001 (70-35)
The Cougars have only scored more than 70 points a handful of times in program history. 2001 saw one of the most prolific rushing attacks in school history in the legs of Luke Staley. The Cougars totaled a whopping seven rushing touchdowns as a team: three from Staley, three from Brian McDonald and one from quarterback Brandon Doman. The Cougars trampled the Green Wave for 734 total yards.
98. Utah, 1942 (12-7)
Yes, you read that score right. BYU had not beaten Utah since it became BYU, formerly known as Brigham Young Academy in 1922. They finally snapped the two-decade losing streak in 1942 by defeating Utah 12 to 7, before the school took a hiatus from football prior to World War II. This would be BYU’s only win against the Utes until 1958 and its first victory in the Holy War as officially Brigham Young University.
97. Georgia Tech2003 (24-13)
We return to the Crowton era. BYU opened the 2003 season against the Yellow Jackets of the ACC. Quarterback Matt Berry threw it all over the yard for BYU to the tune of 31 completions and three touchdowns. Daniel Coats caught two of those scores, including the two touchdowns that gave BYU the lead in this game. The Cougars shut out the Jackets 17-0 in the second half.
96. Hawaii, 2012 (47-0)
This was the day BYU fans met a boy named Taysom Hill. While he had made a few brief appearances prior to this game, this was the moment when people began to know Hill as the dominant athlete he became. In his first career start at center, he ran for 141 yards and a touchdown while throwing for two more scores. Jamaal Williams came into action with 155 rushing yards. The defense pitched its first shutout since 2009.
95. Boise State, 2013 (37-20)
The Broncos had been a thorn in BYU’s side for a decade. Prior to this matchup, BYU was 0-3 against Boise State. The Broncos seemed ripe for the pick in a somewhat down season. BYU took advantage, thanks to one of Taysom Hill’s best days of his BYU career. He threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns with no turnovers. He also ran for a score, in classic Hill style.
94. New Mexico, 1988 (65-0)
Although the opponent wasn’t exactly notable, BYU pulled off one of its most complete and dominant victories in program history against the Lobos. A junior Ty Detmer threw for 333 yards and five touchdowns. The defense tallied five sacks and two interceptions, holding New Mexico to a total of 131 yards in the shutout.
93. Georgia Tech, 2012 (41-17)
The Yellow Jackets make their second appearance in the short life of this list. Any time BYU beats a power conference program on the road by 24 points, it’s worth a look. Jamaal Williams ran for three touchdowns. They held Paul Johnson’s offense at bay, allowing just 157 yards.
92. Colorado State, 1977 (63-17)
Whenever you see a beatdown from a boring opponent here, know that it’s probably because a Cougar player went completely crazy on the stat sheet. This time it was quarterback Marc Wilson. He needed just 15 completions for 332 yards and seven touchdowns. Yes, almost half of his completions went for touchdowns. He added a rushing score for a total of eight touchdowns against the Rams, which is tied for the most touchdowns responsible in a single game by a Cougar.
91. Wyoming, 2016 (Poinsettia Bowl, 24-21)
It certainly wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing game. The Cougars and Cowboys faced off on a soggy field amid humid conditions in San Diego at the old Jack Murphy Stadium. BYU led 10-0 at halftime with minimal offense on both sides. Josh Allen was Wyoming’s quarterback, but he had little help. Tanner Mangum threw for less than 100 yards for BYU. His saving grace was Jamaal Williams, who ran for 210 yards and a touchdown. Wyoming got the ball back with just under two minutes left. Kai Nacua finished the comeback attempt, intercepting Josh Allen to seal the victory.
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