BYU Football: Cougars Reveal Weakness from Deep Within Their History

Last week I lamented BYU missed the opportunity to score when they were in scoring position. This week I will lament that BYU did score in scoring position, but it was the wrong kind of scores. Field goals don’t win games, touchdowns do. Thank you, Texas, for teaching BYU that lesson. 

Perhaps what many learned most by the game with Texas was that the BYU coaches are still infected with the LaVell Edwards theory of scoring. For over 40 years, BYU has had an infection. It was given to them from someone in Salt Lake City the rumor goes.

One day BYU went out and beat an opponent, it was a warm Nov. 24, 1979. Marc Wilson took the field and the first three possessions threw touchdown passes. The end score was 63-14 with San Diego State beaten soundly. The score could have been 126 to 14, but starting in the second half BYU started to run a fever, it is called the “Gee we are embarrassed we are beating you so badly,” fever.  

It develops into a full-blown disease the second year you play at BYU. By the third year it is contagious and you start giving it to other players. By the fourth year you settle in and lose your high school memory of how to win football games unless the other team fumbles on the five yard line and lets you run the ball in for a touchdown.  

The rumor goes that LaVell got a telephone call. It went something like this. “LaVell, at BYU we don’t embarrass other teams and schools like that. They won’t like us and play us anymore. So pull the troops and stop beating up on people.” This was not the first time this call happened.

It wouldn’t be the last time either. I was playing basketball with Paul Ruffner one day when he dunked the ball. He’d been a pro for two years at the time and he quickly looked around embarrassed and I asked him, “What’s the problem?” He said, “We aren’t allowed to do that at BYU.”  

WHAAAAT? I yelled. It was in the old Smith Fieldhouse, we were alone on the floor, and he told me the story. When Greg Kite came in as a freshman he ran up and down the floor dunking the ball, and was told to stop it because “we don’t play basketball that way at BYU, it is insulting to teams and players we play.” 

Here is how it all came about.

It was 1927 BYU was playing a small school called Western State, a small college in Gunnison, Colorado. You can imagine how small in 1927. BYU took the field and ran away with them, the score ended up being 60-7. There was no telephone, no TV, no press and no one to make comment on that game until BYU got home. The seed was about to be planted. “Gentlemen don’t play that way.” Uh oh, the Mormon value of “we want the world to like us” was planted. 

Over the years, BYU beat up on Western State over and over in lopsided victories watering that seed until finally BYU stopped playing Western State. BYU played them 20 times from 1923 to 1951, winning all 20 times. Ten times by shut outs. Only twice out of 20 times did they score more than 7 points. The plant was growing.

Fast forward to Nov. 25,1967 and San Jose State. A school at the time bigger and badder than BYU. BYU won 67-8. Ring, ring, ring, ring, “Hello, Tommy?” Tom Hudspeth, the coach got “the telephone call.” The next time the phone rang was Dec. 1, 1973 when BYU beat UTEP 63-0 and it was LaVell that answered the phone. He got another on Oct.16, 1976 when BYU beat Southern Mississippi 63-19. Then again Oct. 15, 1977, Colorado State 63-17. And finally, San Diego State in 1979. 

Rumor has it the reason Whittingham didn’t accept the job at BYU was that in the interview the seed that had grown into a plant that had a fruit fall into his lap by way of a question of “what do you plan to do when way ahead in a game.” He answered it, “pass, score and beat them.” He got frowns, “we don’t play that way at BYU,” the rumor goes he was told. 

Exit Kyle Whittingham, former BYU all-star player who somehow didn’t get infected by that plant. Enter Bronco Mendenhall who has only had one game in which BYU scored over 60 points, and that was allowed because Air Force was allowed to score 41 points. 

The disease was in place. When ahead, run three times into the line and punt. When behind, don’t score too quickly, too aggressively, or too often. Just win, politely and gentlemanly. Hence, if you have a 6’4” tight end, you don’t throw to him over the middle against a 6’0 linebacker, or 5’10” defensive back, or 5’9” safety. Brandon Doman is well infected by that plant, and that explains BYU’s offense against Texas.

How? Because it was obvious BYU had the ability to do virtually anything they wanted with Texas in the first half. They got a lead, and refused to build on it. It was about “just get ahead to win” not score, score, score and when the gun goes off tally it up and see by how much we won.  

There is going to need to be a GIANT attitude change at BYU if it is going to make it as an independent. No one wants to watch an independent that loses games like Texas, or wins games like Old Miss. BYU fans, and fans around the world, are looking for the kind of game played by Marc Wilson against San Diego State.  

Last night, BYU could have beaten Texas 34-14. But the disease from the past infected the play calling that prevented the bold, fresh, adventurous, pull out all the stops calls that needed to be made. Perhaps that is why Norm Chow didn't get the head coaching job when LaVell retired. 

I revise my predictions for BYU. They won’t do better than 9-3, maybe 8-4. 

Oh well, like all BYU fans say, “We look forward to next year. We’ll get them then.” 

No we won’t, as long as the disease of the past is allowed to germinate and bear fruit.