Originally published November 13, 2015.
I thought it might be fun to take a look down memory lane at some of the greatest victories of the Bronco Mendenhall era. The decision-making process was difficult, and the order is certainly up to debate, but this is one idea. Enjoy the ride through some fantastic wins!
10: @ Texas, 6 September 2014, 41-7 Win—Texas at home, cheered on by 93,000 rabid Longhorn fans, is no cupcake…right? The Cougars struggled to a 6-0 halftime lead, then ripped the Longhorns apart in the third quarter, scoring four touchdowns—three via Taysom Hill’s running. Rumor has it that Texas fans still check their closets for him at night. This game included the famous “Leap of Faith” play, in which Hill hurdled a Texas defender and ran into the end zone for a 30-yard TD. If either team's season had gone better, this game would definitely be higher on this list. Highlights here.
9: @ Nebraska, 5 September 2015, 33-28 Win—This game certainly featured the most dramatic finish of any on this list. Nebraska boasted a 29-year winning streak in home openers, and they didn’t plan on it ending against the Cougars. Taysom Hill, the Scourge of Texas, was well on his way to disappointing Husker fans and had led the Cougars to an early lead—but then, he suffered a Lisfranc sprain in the second quarter. He tried to return to the game, but was clearly in agony. Eventually, true freshman Tanner Mangum was forced to take the reins. With three seconds to go, the Cougars sat on the Nebraska 42-yard line, trailing 28-27. Mangum rolled right and let the ball fly for the end zone, and Mitch Mathews made a beautiful grab. Touchdown. Game over. Highlights here.
8: vs. #20 Boise State, 12 September 2015, 35-24 Win—The Cougars, flying high after their miraculous win over Nebraska, came in ready to avenge the 55-30 beatdown they had suffered the previous year on the Smurf turf. BYU dominated the turnover margin, but had to come from behind yet again. With around forty seconds to play, on 4th and 7, Tanner Mangum launched a miraculous 39-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Juergens. Moments later, Kai Nacua’s 50-yard pick-six sealed the win. Whew! Highlights here.
7: Las Vegas Bowl vs. #21 Oregon, 21 December 2006, 38-8 Win—Overconfident, trash-talking Oregon proved no match for BYU in this spectacular statement game for the John Beck-led Cougars, who utterly dismantled the disrespectful Ducks. In just his second season as the head man at BYU, Bronco Mendenhall demonstrated that the BYU football program had shaken off the mediocrity of the Gary Crowton era and now had to be thought of as a serious Mountain West powerhouse. Highlights here.
6: vs. #22 Utah, 28 November 2009, 26-23 (OT) Win—This was the first BYU game in whose score I was really interested as a kid. I remember watching the game with my family, which is split down the middle between BYU and Utah fans. BYU and Utah were both ranked and having phenomenal seasons. The Cougars got out to a considerable lead, then watched it dissolve as Max Hall struggled uncharacteristically. A Utah comeback pushed the game to overtime, where, following a Utah field goal, Max Hall tossed a 25-yard TD pass to tight end Andrew George. This game is the most recent BYU win over Utah, and was an instant classic. Highlights here.
5: vs. #15 Texas, 7 September 2013, 40-21 Win—The Cougars entered this game as heavy underdogs, having lost to a horrible Virginia team to open the season a week prior. The Longhorns were ranked and rolling, and nobody could have possibly foreseen what came next. BYU’s ground attack made the Texas defense look like a high school team, rolling up a school record 550 rushing yards—259 of them from QB Taysom Hill, who also rushed for three touchdowns. The beatdown was so complete that the Longhorns fired their defensive coordinator in the aftermath of the game. This game might rank higher but for one factor: both BYU and Texas ended up having mediocre seasons. If either team had gone, say, 10-3 or better, this game would look even more impressive. Highlights here.
4: Las Vegas Bowl vs. #16 Oregon State, 22 December 2009, 44-20 Win—The poor Beavers. In one of their most spectacular performances against a ranked team in school history, the Cougars trounced Oregon State to cap off an 11-2 season and garner a #12 final national ranking. BYU was actually surprisingly low on offensive yards in this game, but the outcome was still never in doubt. This might be the most underrated win on this list—blowing out a ranked team in a bowl game is an impressive feat, and this game capped off Bronco Mendenhall's finest season as the Cougars' head coach. Highlights here.
3: @ Utah, 26 November 2006, 33-31 Win—BYU had suffered four consecutive losses to hated Utah going into this game. The score seesawed back and forth until Utah took a late 31-27 lead. The last play of the game, the immortal “Beck-to-Harline” touchdown pass with no time on the clock, is generally accepted as the best-ever finish in the series…at least by BYU fans. Scrambling across the field, John Beck threw all the way to the opposite side of the end zone, where Jonny Harline caught the ball on his knees. This game meant relatively little in the context of the season—BYU had already clinched the MWC title—but it earns its ranking as a memorable rivalry performance capped off by one of the greatest plays in BYU football history. Highlights here.
2: @ #17 TCU, 28 September 2006, 31-17 Win—This showdown between the then-unranked Cougars and the heavily favored Horned Frogs proved to be a clash of the Mountain West's two best teams in 2006. John Beck passed for 321 yards and three TD’s with no interceptions as the Cougars blasted a stunned TCU defense. It was a classic upset, and gave BYU the momentum to race home to a conference title and a #16 national ranking at season’s end. Notably, this was TCU’s first loss in conference play since joining the MWC at the start of the 2005 season. Highlights here.
1: vs. #3 Oklahoma (in Dallas Cowboys Stadium), 5 September 2009, 14-13 Win—Oklahoma was a Big 12 powerhouse, ranked in the top 5. BYU was ranked #20 but cast as significant underdogs. The game was being played at the grandest stage in the country, Cowboys Stadium. The BYU defense played lights-out, even knocking Heisman-winning QB Sam Bradford out of the game. The Cougar offense, meanwhile, struggled through most of the game but came up with big plays when it counted. For example, on their final drive of the game, the Cougars faced a 4th and 5 just outside the red zone. Taking a quick snap, Max Hall confidently fired a strike to Austin Collie for a first down. Moments later, he tossed the game-winning touchdown to a wide-open McKay Jacobson. The Oklahoma defense held BYU to just 28 whole rushing yards, but Max Hall threw for 329 yards as the Cougars got their sole win over a top five team in the Bronco Mendenhall era. Highlights here.