Two Sides To Every Story

It has been said there's two sides of every story much like a coin toss. With a tradition rich history as the Cougs football story has there are numerous games to pick and choose from the good and the bad ones. Having such a tradition and so many to choose from made the selections rather difficult. Listed below were 5 from each category (ones incredibly memorable and ones that hurt the most) chosen.



GOOD (84 Holiday Bowl-BYU24 Michigan17) This particular matchup lived up to all the drama and excitement. Robbie Bosco was forced to the sideline with an injured knee and ankle. However, late in the game Bosco came back playing despite the injury and tossed a 13 yd pass to Kelly Smith with 1:23 remaining making it 24-17. Two plays later Marv Allen up intercepting a pass securing the perfect season #1 ranking and nationship championship.
BAD (03 Season-Utah3 BYU0) Definately left a bitter taste in the mouth of true blue fans and was truly hard to swallow. Not only was the Cougs scoring streak on the line but it had to be snapped by the school up North.

GOOD (80 Holiday Bowl-BYU46 SMU45) A tale of two tales. The first clearly owned by the Mustangs and the pony express (Craig James & Eric Dickerson) that lasted nearly all four quarters. Most fans either turned off the tv sets or left the stadium. What resulted in the final four minutes can only be described as the Miracle Bowl. It may have been the most exciting bowl game ever with the Cougs scoring 21 in the final 2:33 ending with a Jim McMahon hail mary pass of 41 yards caught by Clay Brown as time expired.
BAD (90 Holiday Bowl-Texas A/M65 BYU14) Led by QB Bucky Richardson and All American RB Darren Lewis Texas A/M were out to show they belonged among the elite. The Cougs came in not fully physically ready. Both DBs Tony Crutchfield and Norm Dixon weren't able to suit up including Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer playing with a shoulder seperation. Aggie players had it out for Detmer with the game even out of hand when William Thomas applied a crunching sack on Detmer's shoulder. This became ugly and personal but was somewhat rectified when in 96 the Cougs had another shot at A/M and won 41 to 37.

GOOD (94 Season-BYU21 Notre Dame14) Despite playing at the house that Rockne built the Cougs were not awestruck in South Bend. John Walsh threw for over 200 yards and Jamal Willis went for over 150 all purpose yards. That day the Cougs played like champions.
BAD (88 Season-Utah57 BYU18) Anytime you get absolutely mauled (probably the worst of the Holy War series) by a school especially your rival team up North its hard not to have a bitter taste. If there was a consolation the Cougars did win the Freedom Bowl two weeks later in Anaheim over Colorado.

GOOD (96 Cotton Bowl-BYU19 Kansas St15) In keeping the nations longest winning streak alive the Cougs had to come from behind. It was BYUs first ever New Year's day appearance. KSU drove nearly the length of the field before the Cougs defense stood strong with an Omarr Morgan interception securing the victory.
BAD (05 Season-TCU51 BYU50 in OT) How can an offense score 50 points and still NOT win the ballgame? Absolutely amazing. Controversial call or not the BYUs defense should have never put themselves in such a situation to decide a game.

GOOD(90 Season-BYU28 Miami21) With two heavyweights trading jabs the Cougs were able to outlast the defending national champs who went into this matchup ranked #1. Despite 6 turnovers in the contest Ty Detmer likely vaulted his name to the Heisman forefront (at the time) with the victory including a future induction into the College Football Hall Of Fame as one of the NCAAs most prolific passers ever.
BAD (91 Season-SD State52 BYU52) The game that never ended in Jack Murphy Stadium. Over 1,462 total yards of offense resulted. Freshman Darnay Scott had 8 REC for 243 yards while Marshall Faulk ran for 119. Ty Detmer was never better facing a 45-17 third quarter deficit in a game as the Cougs played without the services of 2 of its top 3 CBs. With the help of Jamal Willis and Detmer instincts the BYU were able to bounce back strong to tie the game.

Simply Bronco

Most see him as Coach Mendenhall. Some see him as simply as Bronco. He is an amazing individual regardless of what name or title. Can you even begin to imagine the pressure on your shoulders if you were "Coach" with the Cougars rich tradition? Or the example that must be constantly set? It is an absolutely awesome and mind boggling responsibility. It all began back in Alpine Utah forty something years ago on the 12st of February when the world had its first ever glimpse of Marc Bronco Clay Mendenhall. Even in childhood Bronco demanded executing at a higher level. Bronco has never been satisfied with less than excellence in absolutely everything he does on or off the field. After graduating from Alpine HS Bronco enrolled at Snow College and quickly became a two year starter at CB for the Badgers. As a sophomore captain at Snow JC he helped guide the Badgers to an undefeated 11-0 record and Nationship Championship. Success seems to follow Bronco wherever he went. Moving onto Oregon State he was also a two year starter for the Beavers. At OSU Mendenhall received a bachelors degree in education and a masters with the emphasis in exercise physiology. Upon graduation he became a grad DL assistant for the Beavers. In 1991-92 Bronco returned to Snow as a defensive coordinator over the secondary. After a few stints in coaching with N Arizona, Oregon St, Louisiana Tech he moved to New Mexico under Rocky Long. While at UNM Bronco coached eventual NFL pick and future Hall Of Famer Brian Urlacher. In 2003 he was hired by then Coach Gary Crowton as the defensive coordinator. However, after Crowton resigned Mendenhall was handed the Cougar reigns on 13 Dec 2004 and became the Cougars 14th head football coach. Tradition, spirit, example, character and honor are clearly a part of the culture found within BYU and Bronco himself. Some see it as a reason for weakness but Bronco embraces it as a pillar for success. Coach Mendenhall has said "The team that works the hardest, plays the best and practices with the most focus each day will be the winner every one of those games". He is honest and upfront with his players, fellow coaches and expects accountability, effort and discipline. In his first season Coach Mendenhall took a program to a 6-5 record and a bowl game. Bronco has quickly placed the Cougs clearly back on the map. With an 11-2 record in the 2006 season and an outright MWC Conference championship (undefeated 8-0 in conference) Bronco lead the program to a dominating (38 to 8) victory over Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl. Wonder if Coach Belotti still feels the same bout the Cougs not belonging in the Pac10? Last year the Cougs under Bronco posted a similar 11-2 record while beating more Pac10 opponents Arizona and UCLA (thank you Eathyn "Fingers" Manumaleuna). Since having the coaching reigns handed to him Bronco has gone 28-10 overall yet 21-3 in conference as compared to 14-21 during the 3 previous seasons. Coach Mendenhall has definately re-established the program on solid ground. With the foundation set look for the Cougs and Bronco to expect only bigger and better things to come in "The Quest". He has also been quoted "It was important for us just to get back in the bowl business but now I think we want more. I still see this as the beginning of the road and not the end of anything in our development". With the right pieces in place for the program look for magic to happen under the leadership of who many call simply Bronco.

Rise & Shout Or Down n Out?

It has been reported that the weight of the Cougs 2008 BCS chances lean heavily on the Y secondary. That could be debatable since it is yet only one aspect of the game. However, on paper all signs point to support that statement for the lack of experience. In the 2006 season there was concern with the height of Justin Robinson mixed in with an unheard of walkon named Ben Criddle. That was Jaime Hill's first year over the secondary. What was produced as a result was a national ranking of 16th in pass efficiency. Last season was marked with secondary injuries and walkons yet still ranked 18th nationally in that same statistical category. This years mix includes...

*CB Jr-Brandon Howard 5.9/164
Fr-G Pittman 5.10/183
*CB Jr-Scott Johnson 5.11/185
So-Brandon Bradley 6.1/201
*SS Sr-Kellen Fowler 5.11/187
So-Andrew Rich 6.3/210
*FS Sr-David Tafuna 6.1/216
Fr-Jordan Pendleton 6.2/218

Despite the lack of experience there is overall more potential talent, speed (Howard 4.42-40, Pittman 4.45-40 and Fowler 4.47-40) and depth. Kellen Fowler stepped in performing rather admirably for Quinn Gooch last year and is quite the vocal leader in the defensive backfield. Andrew Rich will be Fowler's backup and was a JUCO All American who turned down several D1 offers to walkon at the Y. Scott Johnson knows the position and timing better than anyone else right now in the secondary. Good chance for Johnson to turn some heads come fall. Backup Jordan Pendleton just may fit into the mix as well who was a 3yr starter in HS and won state his senior year. Brandon Bradley is one of the most athletic but is recovering from a serious knee injury prior to fall 2006 camp. Bradley and G Pittman will likely see some solid playing time as the season progresses. On paper there is an obvious lack of experience but it will be interesting to see how the secondary responds. Will they rise and shout or will it be down and out? Only time will tell.

13 Articles Of Cougar Faith

Each program has unique characteristics that create their identity. As true blue fans there are 13 tongue in cheek aspects that will help identify the Cougar nation to those who might be unfamiliar with life in Happy Valley. They are as follows...

1-We believe in Lavell Edwards, Bronco Mendenhall and the 1984 Nationship Championship.
2-We believe that all yewts should be punished by tasers when prematurely storming the field.
3-We believe that through the church affiliation it is "The Lord's University" and that magic happens by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.
4-We believe and understand the stages of being a yewt; namely first denial of yewtdom, second humiliation knowing Harline is STILL open, third depression in losing on 4th and 18, and fourth finally acceptance that it is NOT going to change.
5-We believe that all men will be rewarded with magic happening thru hard work, discipline and living right on and off the field.
6-We believe in the same organization that existed before Bronco namely quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends and an awesome defense.
7-We believe in stretching the field and racking up points through short passes over the middle, down n out routes, striking often and not turning the ball over.
8-We believe in grilling often when tailgating as far as the recipes have been transcribed correctly; we also believe in funeral potatoes, red punch and green jello.
9-We believe all that Bronco has done, will do and that the best is still yet to come.
10-We believe strongly in the band of brothers and that by the same power which brought about the BCS will dissolve it by way of yet another National Championship.
11-We claim the priviledge in wearing blue and being free to do as we please and allow all others the same exceptions in performing at a higher level in living right by abiding in an honor code.
12-We believe in being subject to referees especially when having penalties thrown by the officials signaling yet another Cougar first down!
13-We believe in being undefeated, beating the school up north, and getting the best recruits in or out of state by following the admonition of Bronco. If there is absolutely anything worth doing that is of good report then it is worth executing at a higher level. We seek after those things.

Cougars All Decade

With the MWC heading to release their all decade team there is no reason why there can't be a Cougar version from 1997 thru 2007 since this season has yet to play itself out. There have been some absolutely amazing talent to flow through the program over the years. Each brought different talents and contributed in their own unique way. This list is by no means a knock on anyone if they were left out. As follows...

OFFENSE
QB John Beck 6.2/190 Mesa AZ
RB Curtis Brown 6.0/190 Palmdale CA
FB Manase Tonga 6.0/235 San Mateo CA
OL John Tait 6.6/290 Tempe AZ
OL Ray Feinga 6.5/322 WVC (Hunter HS)
OL Jason Scukanec 6.2/282 Vancouver WA
OL Dallas Reynolds 6.5/310 Provo UT (Timpview HS)
OL Ben Archibald 6.4/310 Gearhart OR
TE Jonny Harline 6.4/226 Orem UT (Orem HS)
WR Austin Collie 6.2/212 El Dorado Hills CA
WR Margin Hooks 6.0/190 Waco TX

DEFENSE
DL Manaia Brown 6.4/310 WVC UT (Granger HS)
DL Jan Jorgensen 6.3/260 Helper UT (Carbon HS)
DL Brett Keisel 6.5/269 Greybull WY
LB Rob Morris 6.2/250 Nampa ID
LB Brad Martin 6.1/240 Clovis CA
LB Bryan Kehl 6.2/225 SLC UT (Brighton HS)
LB Cameron Jensen 6.2/235 Bountiful UT (Bountiful HS)
SS Omarr Morgan 5.10/170 Los Angeles CA
SS Brian Gray 6.2/210 Hawthorne CA
SS Aaron Francisco 6.2/215 Laie HI (Kahuku HS)
SS Jernaro Gilford 6.2/185 Hawthorne CA

SPECIAL TEAMS
K/P Matt Payne 6.4/234 Ogden UT (Weber HS)
KR/PR Mike Rigell 5.8/160 Tacoma WA

Sometimes Called Janimal

Meet Jan Jorgensen. Sometimes he's called "The Janimal". At 6.3/260 he's definately an absolute beast to block against. Back in the HS days Jan was listed at 6.3/235 as a two time 3A First Team All State DE (Helper UT) but was recruited as a linebacker. As a senior at Carbon HS Jorgensen won the 3A state wrestling championship. Although, early in his HS career Jan actually signed with the team up north. However, after McBride got fired he waivered and went with Kentucky. After his mission Jan decided this was the place. Football runs in the family. His older brother also played for the school up north as a TE while his father Jeff played as an Aggie. As a freshman Jan was named Freshman All American by the Sporting News. He started at DE in all 13 contests and was a significant contributer to a "D" that only gave up 14.7pts/game ranking 10th nationally. That same defense also ranked 4th nationally in turnover margin. In 2008 look for "The Janimal" to be constantly double teamed after dominating as a sophomore with 14 sacks.

Linebacker Preview

Rocky Biegel, Bob Davis, Brad Martin, Brady Poppinga, Rob Morris, Shay Muirbrook, Alema Fitisemanu, Kurt Gouveia, Leon White and Bryan Kehl headline a rich Cougar linebacking tradition. Year in and year out the names may change but the position continues to roll forward. With Kehl taking his services to the next level David Nixon (6.3/223 SR) slides over to the inside. Nixon had 66 tackles in 2007 and is a candidate for All MWC Honors. There was one major setback during spring when starter Terrance Hooks was lost for the year with a severe knee injury. Vic So'oto switched positions and now will take care of business in Nixon's old position at OLB. The remaining two slots will be manned by Shawn Doman (cousins with QB coach Brandon Doman) and Matt Bauman. Bauman (6.1/225 JR) was also ranked #1 in his graduating class with a 4.0 GPA. Brandon Ogletree (former first team all state TX linebacker in high school)returns from his mission but will likely redshirt in 2008. Some of the depth will be provided by Grant Nelson and Matt Ah You. Nelson is a sophomore from Hopewell PA. JC transfer Coleby Clawson (3 star recruit from Snow College) will likely help fill in the LB depth.