The following is my list of the 5 most exciting football games in BYU history. This is just my personal opinion and I apologize in advance if I left out some games that you feel are more deserving or should be included. This is based on my memory of BYU football and which games meant the most to me as a fan or had the greatest impact on the program as a whole. Most of these games went down to the wire or required some last-second heroics or a miracle last play which made for a memorable finish, which also led to them being imprinted in my brain and still bring me fond memories all these years later.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s my top 5:

5. November 16, 1991, BYU 52 San Diego State 52: I know many might not agree with the inclusion of this game on any “best of” list seeing as how it ended in a tie, but despite the less than satisfying result on the scoreboard, this was not only one of the most exciting BYU games I’ve ever witnessed, it was also one of the most exciting football games I’ve ever seen, period. The Cougars overcame a 28 point deficit; at one point they were down 45-17 to Marshall Faulk and the Aztecs. It looked like it was over and our hopes of winning a WAC championship were completely dashed. I remember how devastated I felt. Then Ty Detmer went legend and mounted a furious comeback. He ended up passing for 599 yards and 6 touchdowns. The game ended in a 52-52 tie though it actually felt more like a win, considering that it clinched the WAC for us and it was the Aztecs who choked and looked deflated and acted like they had just lost the game. In many ways, this performance by Detmer was just as legendary and impressive as his outing against Miami a year earlier. My mom recorded this game for me on VHS and I remember watching it over and over again. I couldn’t get enough of it. Still one of my all time favorites.

4. November 25, 2006, BYU 33 Utah 31: There’s already been a ton written and said about this particular game, both by the media and here on CB, so I won’t add too much more. I’ll just say that out of all the Holy War games, this one was the most entertaining and thrilling and by far, my personal favorite. Our victories in 2007 and 2009 were memorable and exciting too, but this game was in a league of its own. The drama for this game was off the charts. It literally came down to the last play; the answered prayer where John Beck heaved the ball across his body to the other side of the field to a waiting Jonny Harline all alone in the end zone for the game winning score. It was the most dramatic ending in a rivalry game that I can remember. And this one was especially sweet, since we hadn’t beaten the dreaded Utes in five long years. It also cemented John Beck as one of BYU’s all time great QBs, and I remember how happy I felt for him because he was finally able to get the monkey off his back by showing what he was capable of and finally putting together a great season and proving that he could beat Utah. It was a very satisfying conclusion to his career, (along with the bowl win against Oregon.)

3. December 21, 1984, BYU 24, Michigan 17: I would be remiss if I didn’t include the game that secured us our one and only National Championship. I imagine the whole nation was watching. I have to admit that I haven’t actually watched this game all the way through. I’ve only seen the highlights. I included this game anyway because of what exactly was at stake. This game had more riding on it than any other game in BYU history. It had a dramatic ending as Robbie Bosco found Kelly Smith in the corner of the end zone for the game winning touchdown with just about a minute or so left. Also, Bosco gave his own legendary performance by proving how tough he was as he played most of the game on a broken leg. I was only 2 at the time so I obviously don’t remember, but this must have been the game of a lifetime to witness. I hope I can see a BYU game like this again with similar implications sometime before I die.

2. September 8, 1990, BYU 28, Miami 21-The atmosphere and hype surrounding this game was absolutely electric. This was another game that I didn’t watch live though I was able to watch the rebroadcast later on KBYU. This game was only available live on ESPN and in 1990, 25 years ago, cable tv was still a luxury for most people. I’m sure most BYU fans were listening to this game on KSL radio. My memories of this game at the time were that my aunt and uncle were able to get tickets. I remember them coming to my grandparent’s house after the game, (where my family was living at the time) and they were just shrieking with joy. They were behaving like they had just won the lottery. It was like Christmas morning. We were absolutely giddy about upsetting the no. 1 team in the country. We couldn’t stop talking about it. It was a topic of conversation for literally weeks afterward. What makes this game so memorable as well as historically significant is that at this point in time, BYU was considered to be a legitimate college football powerhouse by the national media. This victory over the Canes earned us massive respect and love from the media and also cemented Ty Detmer’s own status as one of the greatest QBs Quarterback U had ever seen. It also virtually overnight, made him the early frontrunner for the Heisman trophy, which we all know he went on to win. I don’t think we’ll ever see another scenario where the no. 1 team. in the nation agrees to play BYU in Provo. I’m sure this will never happen again, which is another reason this one was so special. The 1990 season was a lot of fun. It was a good year. What prevents it from being considered a great year is that it had such a crappy ending with the blowout losses to Hawaii and Texas A&M. But for a while in September 1990 because of this game, BYU fans felt like they were on top of the world.

1. December 19, 1980, BYU 46, SMU 45: This has gotta be my no.1 most thrilling, exciting BYU game that I’ve ever seen. (No, I wasn’t alive in 1980, but I have seen the rebroadcasts on BYUtv.) This is also one of the greatest come from behind wins I’ve ever witnessed. This game had it all: drama, high scoring, a thrilling edge of your seat finish, and a brash, cocky leader in Jim McMahon who virtually single handedly willed the team to victory through his inspirational leadership. If any BYU game should be made into a Hollywood movie, it should be this one. This was also historically important because it was BYU’s first bowl win after four straight losses in previous years. We’ve all heard the story a million times. BYU improbably overcame a 20 point deficit in the space of 4 minutes capped by a last second “Hail Mary” touchdown pass to tight end Clay Brown who was sandwiched between two SMU defenders. There were so many things that had to go right in order for us to win this game and all of them happened. The stars truly were aligned. There was the onside kick, the 4th down conversions, the blocked punt and the aforementioned 45 yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Mac to win the game. This was one for the ages, and I don’t think we’ll ever see one like it again.


That’s my top 5. There’s a lot of games I left out which would make a good honorable mention list. But I’m tired and need to go to bed soon, so I’ll leave this here for you to either agree or disagree with.