PROVO — There's the 65,000-seat stadium, named for the previous coach, who happens to be a college football legend. There's the abundance of hype and expectations. There's the national television audience — well, at least, an ESPN2 audience — that will be watching.
Suffice it to say, it was never like this for Alvin Twitchell. Or anybody else who has debuted as the head football coach at BYU.
Twitchell became the Cougars' first coach in 1922 and in the program's inaugural game, BYU fell to Utah State, 41-3. Fifty years later, LaVell Edwards' team pounded Kansas State, 32-9, in his first game, in '72. In between, nine men — C.J. Hart, G. Ott Romney, Eddie Kimball, Floyd Millet, Chick Atkinson, Hal Kopp, Tally Stevens, Hal Mitchell and Tom Hudspeth — have embarked on this job.
Today, it's Gary Crowton's turn.
Because of the extraordinary success Edwards enjoyed, including 257 victories in 29 seasons, none of those other former coaches in the program's 79-year history had to face anything like what Crowton does now.
The long-awaited Crowton Era opens this afternoon (2:36 p.m. kickoff) at LaVell Edwards Stadium when BYU meets Tulane in the Black Coaches Association Classic.
"There's a lot riding on this game with the new era, a new team, a new offense," said starting quarterback Brandon Doman. "There's a new head coach here at BYU and all of us, as a team, want to perform well."
In other words, the Cougars want to usher in the Crowton Era the right way, with a victory in Game One. "It's very important that we start out with a win," said cornerback Jernaro Gilford.
Since his hiring in December, Crowton has retooled the offense and changed the way the program goes about its business. He's also appeared on countless talk shows and television commercials. But, ultimately, a coach is judged by his win-loss record and at the moment, Crowton's record is 0-0.
The hard-working Orem native doesn't like to leave anything to chance, evidenced by his exhaustive preparation. Yet he understands there are things he cannot control. For instance, he is still learning about his players. "I have my feeling on how good they're going to be, and it's very optimistic," Crowton said. "But until you watch them play in a game situation, it really is an unknown."
Which is why Crowton admits he'll be a little nervous today. "I hope I don't hyperventilate before the game," he said. Crowton recalled his first game as head coach at Louisiana Tech in 1996. After tending to matters in the locker room prior to kickoff, when time came to run onto the field with his team, he almost collapsed. "My legs were so heavy because I had so much anxiety and excitement," he recalled. "I think I'll feel the same way (today)."
It's more than a little ironic that Crowton begins his BYU career against Tulane, since his last game as a college coach was a 63-30 loss to the Green Wave in 1998. A month later, he was sitting in the stands at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., witnessing Tulane's demolition of BYU, 41-27. The Cougars trailed 34-6 going into the fourth quarter.
Doman was a freshman at the time, and the awful memory of that game lingers. "I remember getting beat up bad and being embarrassed," he recalled. "We're not coming in for revenge, but we're definitely coming in to not let them even think about doing that to us again."
Many questions abound about Crowton and his team, especially concerning the new offense he has installed. Can it deliver what BYU fans crave and expect — an aerial attack that produces touchdowns in bunches? "I can see us throwing the ball 40-50 times a game if it's a good game for us," Doman said. "That's 40 points. If we will be very smart on our assignments, our offense has the ability to put big numbers up."
"I feel very good about where we're at right now," Crowton said. "I'll know a lot more Saturday night after the game."
So will everyone else.
NOTES: Safety Levi Madarieta, who broke a rib two weeks ago in practice, is doubtful for today's game. Freshman Aaron Francisco will start at free safety for the Cougars . . . BYU is 1-2 all-time in games played in August . . . School officials are expecting a crowd of about 45,000 for today's game . . . The Cougars traditionally have manned the east sideline at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Today, they will convene on the west sideline, Crowton said, to avoid having to stare into the afternoon sun.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com