Top 100 Games in 100 Years of BYU Football: 90-81

BYU will celebrate its 100th football season in 2024. The Cougars are one of the most historic football programs in college football, especially among programs in the West.

With that pile of history, let's dive into the top 100 games of the BYU football program. The top games can mean many things: championship games, bowl games, big wins over rivals, record-breaking individual performances, overtime thrillers and more.

These games are not arranged chronologically.

Let's take a look at matches 90 through 81.

90.Wyoming, 2008 (44-0)

To understand why this game is important, you have to look at the previous game on the schedule. I assure you, the shutout against UCLA is much higher on this list. The incredible thing is that BYU’s defense threw back-to-back shutouts. After the high of that loss to UCLA, the Cougars responded with another shutout against the Cowboys. It was only the second time in program history that they had posted consecutive shutouts. The defense had three interceptions, including a pick-six by David Nixon.

89. Oregon State2011 (38-28)

BYU was still on the road to home turf in its first year as an independent. They traveled to Corvallis looking for a big road win over a power conference team. Riley Nelson threw 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 opponent.

88.Washington, 2010 (23-17)

The saying goes: If you have two quarterbacks, you have none. Bronco Mendenhall didn’t seem to think so when BYU opened the 2010 season with both Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson taking the starting snaps. In fact, against Washington, they both threw for exactly 131 yards. However, Nelson led the Cougars on both touchdown drives. The defense held off Jake Locker and the Huskies late in the fourth quarter, forcing a game-sealing turnover on downs.

87. New Mexico, 1973 (56-21)

Jay Miller really only had one big year at BYU as a receiver. He made that year count, though, because he's forever etched in the BYU record books. When the Cougars defeated the Lobos 56-21 in 1973, Miller set BYU's single-game receiving record with 22 catches for 263 yards. Both records still stand to this day.

86. New Mexico State, 2012 (50-14)

Speaking of receiving records, Cody Hoffman set one of his own against another team from the Land of Enchantment. He eventually became BYU's all-time receiving leader. On this particular day, he set the Cougar record for most touchdown catches in a game, with five. Against the NMSU Aggies, he caught 12 passes for 182 yards and five scores. Even more surprising is that he did it with backup QB James Lark under center, who threw for six touchdowns that day.

85. Kansas State1977 (39-0)

Virtually every time BYU knocks off a power conference team, it makes this list. Gifford Nielsen threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns, 114 of which went to John VanDerWouden. That drubbing of Kansas State capped a 9-2 season for BYU in its first-ever season in program history, finishing the year ranked in the Top 25, at No. 20.

84. George Washington, 1962 (Lost 13-12)

This may be the only game on this top 100 list in which BYU lost. It's a game in which a legend was born. Eldon Fortie, aka The Phantom, set BYU's single-game rushing record. He played quarterback in BYU's single-wing attack. In essence, he was BYU's entire offense. Against George Washington, he rushed for a BYU record 272 yards. That record stood for 54 years before Jamaal Williams broke it in 2016. Fortie finally garnered Heisman votes after becoming the first BYU football player to be named to a first-team All-American.

83. Cincinnati, 2023 (35-27)

BYU’s win over the Bearcats last season might seem a little dull at first glance. The Cougars were in control for most of the game, leading 21-10 early in the third quarter. Jakob Robinson opened the scoring with a pick-six that was returned 42 yards for a touchdown. But there was meaning behind the win. It was BYU’s first win in the Big 12 Conference. They had finally made it into 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. Then BYU's all-time great Ty Detmer essentially had his coming-out party. He led BYU on three scoring drives totaling 13 points in the second half to give BYU a narrow 20-17 victory over what was then a Big 8 school in Colorado.

81.Washington, 1999 (35-28)

The game started poorly, as BYU botched a run that led to Washington scoring a touchdown in the end zone. BYU QB Kevin Feterik steadied the ship, leading BYU to 20 unanswered points to build 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 still 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 incomplete out of the end zone as time expired.