Colorado St. 45, BYU 21
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Going into Thursday night's game at Colorado State — despite all that had gone awry for BYU in 2000 — the Cougars still had a chance to salvage coach LaVell Edwards' final season.
Instead, they set BYU football back about 30 years, way back to the Pre-Edwards Era.
It's official. After an embarrassing 45-21 loss at the hands of No. 21-ranked Colorado State on national television, the Cougars (4-6 overall, 2-3 in the Mountain West) won't go to a bowl game, won't have a winning record, won't win a league title in Edwards' swan song campaign. "This takes us out of everything," said the coach.
Now there is only one question in Provo: When does basketball season start?
This is not what BYU expected when its legendary leader announced his retirement plans in August. Edwards may have saved his worst team for last.
"To lose like the way we lost today is a disgrace," said senior wide receiver Jonathan Pittman. "Coach Edwards deserves better than that."
"It's no fun to see coach Edwards have to answer questions about losing," said junior quarterback Brandon Doman, who played the second half in place of ineffective and injured starter Charlie Peterson. "It shouldn't have been this way."
"It's just real frustrating," said senior defensive lineman Setema Gali, tears rolling down his face. "It just makes me so sad and so disappointed, really depressed. I don't think words can explain what I'm going through right now."
The Cougars started out against CSU just like they have most games this season. They punted on their opening drive, then gave up a 69-yard touchdown pass — the Rams' longest play from scrimmage this season. And it was the beginning of BYU's longest night of the season.
Time after time in the first half, the Cougars self-destructed. On the first play after falling behind 21-0 at the end of the first quarter, Peterson threw an interception and CSU cashed in with a field goal. Midway through the second quarter, Mike Rigell muffed a punt, and the Rams recovered at the BYU 14. The Cougar defense held CSU out of the end zone, but on a 23-yard field goal attempt, Jared Lee jumped offsides, giving the Rams the ball first-and-goal at the BYU 3. On the next play, running back Rahsaan Sanders scored to put CSU up 31-0.
The Rams extended their lead to 38-0 at halftime, leaving the Cougars wishing there was a mercy rule in college football.
At intermission, the Cougars had 57 yards of total offense, compared to 320 for the Rams. Peterson, who hadn't practiced all week due to a shoulder injury, completed 11 of 24 passes for 48 yards and an interception. BYU's eight first-half possessions resulted in six punts, a fumble and a pick. The Rams? Five touchdowns, a field goal, a missed field goal, one punt and a fumble.
"Whenever we play big games, it's like we pucker up and can't play," said defensive tackle Chris Hoke said. "We can't step up in the first half."
Said CSU coach Sonny Lubick: "At halftime I gave the usual speech that never works. You have to go out and play like the score is 0-0, but the guys just looked at me strange."
With Doman at the controls, the Cougars scored their first touchdown late in the third quarter after defensive lineman Ryan Denney blocked a field goal to give BYU possession at the CSU eight-yard line. On the ensuing play, Doman ran a bootleg into the end zone. It was 45-7 at that point.
Following a fumble recovery by Isaac Kelley, the Cougars drove 28 yards for another score, capped by a three-yard touchdown grab by Pittman. Denney blocked a punt on CSU's next series and BYU marched 43 yards, culminating in a five-yard Luke Staley TD run.
But those scores were merely cosmetic.
How bad was this loss? It was BYU's worst conference defeat since a 31-point setback at Hawaii in 1990 and the program's worst loss to Colorado State in 42 years (a 32-6 loss in Fort Collins in 1958). It was also Colorado State's first victory over BYU at home since 1975. In fact, CSU had never scored this many points against the Cougars. Ever. The previous best was 36 in a victory over BYU in 1965. Remember, the Rams had 38 points at halftime.
More amazing still, this is not a great CSU team. The Rams (8-1, 5-0) had won their previous four MWC games by a grand total of 23 points.
With a bye coming up next week, BYU has 15 days to contemplate what went wrong — again. The Cougars face New Mexico in Edwards' last game at Cougar Stadium on Nov. 18.
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com