Third Time's the Charm: BYU Seeks Third Consecutive Shutout Win

1937 was a year that saw the legendary Babe Ruth retire from baseball and hand the reins of a Yankee dynasty to a young and rugged Joe DiMaggio, who led the Yankees to a 4-1 World Series victory over crosstown rivals the Giants.

The Washington Redskins celebrated their first year in Washington with a 1937 NFL title, and a 22-year old Don Budge was named the AP Male Athlete of the Year for his excellence in tennis.

For football fans in Provo, Utah, 1937 was the last time that the Cougars recorded three consecutive shutout victories in a row.

In fact, the Cougars of 1937 finished the season with four consecutive shutout wins (Western St. 21-0, Wyoming 19-0, Utah St. 54-0, and Montana 19-0) to cap off a season that saw them record shutouts in all six of their wins that season.

The Cougars of 2008 have broken into the nation's Top 10 rankings for the first time since 2001 this week and will seek their third consecutive shutout of the season as they travel to Logan, Utah to take on the Utah State Aggies.

Scoring a lot of points has never been a unique attribute of the high-powered BYU offense, but what has been a pleasant surprise for fans of the Cougars is the play of the defense.

BYU's defense, which has led the Cougars to their last two victories with convincing shutouts (UCLA 59-0 and Wyoming 44-0), has proved to be one of the school's best defenses in history this season. The Cougar D is one of only three defenses (Texas, USC) in the country that has allowed fewer than 45 combined points to their opponents thus far. 

BYU takes its nation-leading 14-game winning streak into Logan for the matchup with the Aggies. The Cougars are looking to continue to make a statement for their team, as well as for the "mid-level" Mountain West Conference (a conference that happens to boast a nearly perfect 5-1 record against Pac-10 teams this season).

Guy Lombardo recorded his hit song "Boo Hoo" in 1937, and while 71 years have passed, echoes of "Boo Hoo" are often heard in the locker rooms of BYU's most recent football victims.

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