PROVO -- Standing outside the locker room located inside the bowels of the Pontiac Silverdome last Monday, sophomore linebacker Justin Ena pretty much summed up the current state of the BYU football program.
"These are hard times right now," he said, following the Cougars' 21-3 loss to Marshall in the Motor City Bowl.No BYU team fell so far, and so fast, in the same season as the 1999 version.
And to think that it all began with so much promise. A day before fall camp opened in mid-August, the school unveiled new colors and logos amid plenty of pomp and circumstance. Meanwhile, the Cougars were excited about the chance to compete in the new Mountain West Conference and they vowed a return to the forward pass. Not to mention they boasted a Butkus Award candidate in Rob Morris and had perhaps its best home schedule ever.
A dramatic victory over Washington in the season-opener on ESPN fed the wildly positive feeling around Provo. Even a home defeat to Virginia a couple of weeks later didn't dampen the spirits much, as the Cougars launched a six-game winning streak and rose to No. 12 in the polls.
But somewhere along the line, BYU apparently lost its focus. Some players admitted they were thinking more about landing a spot in the Bowl Championship Series rather than thinking about the upcoming opponent.
Following a triumph over San Diego State, which lifted the Cougars to an 8-1 mark, all BYU had to do was win one of its final two regular season games to claim the MWC title outright. Yet in consecutive weeks, the Cougars fell to Wyoming on the road and to rival Utah at home.
Then, of course, came the embarrassing, three-point performance against the Thundering Herd. It was only the third time in 24 years that BYU had failed to score a touchdown in a game.
Worse, it marked the first time since 1971 that BYU had ended a season with three straight losses -- the first time in the LaVell Edwards era. For three straight seasons, the Cougars have finished poorly.
"We have to be more mentally tough," Ena said. "This is three years in a row this has happened. It's not a good tradition."
The 1999 finish was not what Morris returned to BYU for after passing up a chance at the NFL draft a year ago. This wasn't what quarterback Kevin Feterik worked so hard for. "I feel terrible for Kevin, to go out this way," said Cougar receiver Margin Hooks.
Now the coaching staff and returning players have several long weeks to contemplate its collapse before opening spring drills in March. The Cougars have some serious off-season issues to address going into the 2000 campaign. They will be breaking in a new quarterback, likely to be either sophomore-to-be Bret Engemann or redshirt freshman Matt Berry. Defensively, they must replace Morris and cornerbacks Brian Gray and Heshimu Robertson.
And then there's the 2000 schedule, which features games against six 1999 bowl teams -- and five of those (Florida State, Virginia, Syracuse, Colorado State and Utah) on the road. Yikes.
In the meantime, here's an overview of the 99 campaign:
MOST MEMORABLE OFFENSIVE PLAY OF THE YEAR: Of the career-best 501 yards Feterik threw for against Washington, the most important were the last -- a 38-yard touchdown strike to freshman receiver Chris Hale, son of athletic director Val Hale, with 1:16 remaining. The score completed the Cougars' 35-28 comeback. It was Chris Hale's first collegiate catch and Val Hale's first game as BYU's AD.
MOST MEMORABLE DEFENSIVE PLAY OF THE YEAR: With the Cougars clinging to a 13-7 halftime lead at San Diego State, Morris and Chris Hoke forced Aztec quarterback Jack Hawley to fumble. Defensive lineman Hans Olsen scooped up the loose ball and lumbered 24 yards for a touchdown.
STAT OF THE YEAR: BYU scored 18 offensive touchdowns in its first four games of season but in the final four games, the offense mustered only six TDs.
MILESTONE OF THE YEAR: Edwards won the 250th game of his 27-year career at BYU with a 27-20 victory over Air Force. Weeks earlier, to stem the increasing speculation about his future, BYU signed Edwards to a new, five-year contract.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE, OFFENSE: With its two leading rushers (Ronney Jenkins and Junior Mahe) gone from the previous season, BYU had no other choice than to go with freshmen Luke Staley and Fahu Tahi. All Staley did was score five touchdowns in the first two games of the season and finished with a team-high 13 TDs. Staley, the MWC freshman of the year, was hampered by injuries in the latter part of the season and will undergo reconstructive knee surgery on Jan. 11.
MOST PLEASANT SURPRISE, DEFENSE: Ricks Junior College transfer Jared Lee didn't start at safety until the fifth game of the season, but he wound up leading the team in defensive points, highlighted by 96 tackles (he had 22 against Air Force), four interceptions and eight pass break-ups.
WORST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: Hands down, the offensive line -- which appeared to be playing with its hands down most of the year. BYU lost tackles John Tait and Joe Wong to the NFL, and it showed. The Cougars surrendered 45 sacks, and Feterik absorbed an awful beating. "The whole season we were struggling to put it together," said center Jimmy Richards.
Three members of the O-line -- Richards, right guard Matt Johnson and left guard John Skiba -- have used up their eligibility, meaning next year's line will be a callow group. That doesn't bode well for a team that must face Florida State in a little less than nine months.