BYU is celebrating their 100th football season in 2024. The Cougars are one of the most storied football programs in college football, particularly among those located in the western United States.
With that pile of history, let’s dive into the top 100 games of the BYU football program. The “top” games could mean many things — championship games, bowl games, key wins over rivals, record-setting individual performances, overtime thrillers, and much more.
These games are not ranked chronologically.
Let’s take a look at games 90 through 81
90. Wyoming, 2008 (44-0)
To understand why this game is significant, you must look at the previous game on the schedule. I assure you, the shutout against UCLA is much higher on this list. The incredible part is that BYU’s defense pitched back-to-back shutouts. Coming off of the high of that beatdown of UCLA, the Cougars responded with yet another shutout against the Cowboys. That was just the second time in program history that they posted consecutive shutouts. The defense got three interceptions including a pick-six from David Nixon.
89. Oregon State, 2011 (38-28)
BYU was still finding their footing in their first year as an independent. They traveled to Corvallis seeking a key road win over a power conference team. Riley Nelson threw for three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter, and ran for 89 yards. They outscored the Beavers 24-14 in the second half for a road win over a PAC-12 foe.
88. Washington, 2010 (23-17)
The saying goes “if you have two quarterbacks, then you have none.” Bronco Mendenhall didn’t seem to think that way when BYU opened the 2010 season with both Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson taking starting snaps. In fact, against Washington, they both threw for exactly 131 yards. However, Nelson was the one that led the Cougars on both of their touchdown drives. The defense locked down Jake Locker and the Huskies late in the fourth quarter, forcing a game-sealing turnover on downs
87. New Mexico, 1973 (56-21)
Speaking of receiving records, Cody Hoffman set one of his own against another team from the Land of Enchantment. Eventually, he became BYU’s all-time receiving leader. On this specific day, he set the Cougar record for most touchdown catches in a game, with five. Against the Aggies of NMSU, he caught 12 passes for 182 yards and five scores. More surprisingly, he did it with backup QB James Lark under center, who threw for six touchdowns on the day.
85. Kansas State, 1977 (39-0)
Pretty much any time BYU shuts out a “power” conference team, it’s going to be on this list. Gifford Nielsen tossed for 318 yards and two touchdowns, with 114 of those yards going to John VanDerWouden. This drubbing of Kansas State kickstarted a 9-2 season for BYU in their first ever season in program history where they finished the year in the Top 25, at No. 20.
84. George Washington, 1962 (Lost 13-12
This might be the only game on this top 100 list where BYU lost. It’s a game where a legend was made. Eldon Fortie, AKA “The Phantom,” set BYU’s single-game rushing record. He played quarterback in BYU’s single-wing attack. Essentially, he was BYU’s entire offense. Against George Washington, he ran for a BYU record 272 yards. That record stood for 54 years before Jamaal Williams broke it in 2016. Fortie ended up with Heisman votes after becoming BYU’s first football player to be named to a first-team All-American team.
83. Cincinnati, 2023 (35-27)
BYU’s win over the Bearcats last season might seem a little ho-hum on the surface. The Cougars were in control most of this game, with a 21-10 lead early in the third quarter. Jakob Robinson opened the scoring with a pick-six returned 42 yards for a touchdown. However, it was the meaning behind the win. It signified BYU’s first win in Big 12 Conference play. They had finally made it to a power conference.
82. Colorado, 1988 (Freedom Bowl, 20-17)
The Buffs took a 14-7 halftime lead thanks to two rushing scores from running back Eric Bieniemy. After that, BYU all-time great Ty Detmer basically had his coming-out party. He led BYU to three scoring drives totaling 13 points in the second half to get BYU the close 20-17 win over what was then a Big 8 school in Colorado.
81. Washington, 1999 (35-28)
The game got off to an inauspicious start, as BYU muffed a punt that led to Washington recovering in the endzone for a touchdown. BYU QB Kevin Feterik steadied the ship and led BYU to 20 unanswered points, building a 20-7 lead. UW signal caller Marques Tuiasosopo wouldn’t let the Huskies die, with three total scores including two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The final rushing score put UW ahead 28-27 but left time for Feterik and BYU. He led a scoring drive to take a late 35-28 lead, connecting with Chris Hale on a 38-yard pass. UW attempted another comeback drive but the pass fell out of the endzone incomplete as time expired.
