PROVO — A perfect record. A high national ranking. A high-scoring, quick-strike offense. A Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback. An abundance of national media attention while belonging to a conference hungering for respect. An opportunity to make history.
The Utah Utes? Yeah. But that description also fit the BYU Cougars — in 1984. It's a little like deja vu all over again.
They're separated by 20 years and a fierce rivalry, but the 2004 Utes and the 2004 BYU Cougars have plenty in common. Before realizing their lofty dreams, the '04 Utes have to get past BYU this Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, just like the '84 Cougars had to get past the Utes two decades ago at the same stadium before eventually claiming the national championship.
Nobody understands what Utah is going through better than Robbie Bosco, who quarterbacked BYU to the 1984 national title and is now a fund-raiser in the school's athletic department. He sees the parallels between the two teams.
"They're playing like one of the best teams in the country," Bosco said of this year's version of the Utes. "They have the ability to score and the ability to make stops, like we had. They are solid all around, like we were. As Utah continues to win, teams ahead of them in the polls are losing that they need to lose. That's kind of what happened to us in 1984. We needed a lot of help from other teams and Utah's in a similar boat."
Indeed, the similarities between what's considered the best Utah team in history and what's considered the best BYU team in history are plentiful. The Utes have junior quarterback Alex Smith, a Heisman Trophy candidate. BYU had Bosco, a junior QB and Heisman Trophy candidate. Utah owns an undefeated record (10-0) and a top-5 ranking (No. 5). Going into the Utah game in 1984, BYU had an undefeated record (10-0) and a top-5 ranking (No. 3).
Come to think of it, there are similarities between the 1984 Utes and the 2004 Cougars, too. BYU's 2004 squad has a 5-5 record and needs a win Saturday to qualify for a bowl game. Utah's 1984 team was 6-4-1 and needed a win for any hope of a bowl invitation. Just as the future of current BYU coach Gary Crowton hangs in the balance, then-Utah coach Chuck Stobart was feeling pressure to win in order to keep his job. The goal of both teams? To be the Ultimate Spoilers.
The Utes came into the contest, played on Nov. 17, 1984, riding an emotional high, having won three straight games and looking to upset their mighty rivals to the south. During warmups, they wore white pants, but before running onto the field for the kickoff, they changed into all-red uniforms. Early on, Utah attempted a double-reverse flea-flicker and scored first, taking a 7-0 advantage in the in the first quarter. The Cougars uncharacteristically surrendered five turnovers in the game and led by a slim 17-14 margin going into the fourth quarter before hanging on for 24-14 victory.
"We had everything on the line," recalled Bosco, who spent 15 years as a Cougar assistant coach before stepping down last year. "Looking at the rivalry alone, it's a big game for both schools. BYU was getting all of this publicity and they weren't getting any. They wanted to knock us off, but it didn't happen. They played loose and they played well. When we went in there, number three in the country, we felt we were unstoppable. As far as the game went, we went about our business like we had done in the first nine games. But we had things happen to us that didn't happen all year, like turning the ball over. We knew nothing would be easy. We were always the target. We had to play our best to beat those teams like Utah."
As it turned out, the two teams ranked ahead of BYU on Nov. 17, 1984, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 2 South Carolina, lost. That opened the door for the Cougars to vault to the No. 1 spot in both the AP and UPI polls the following Monday. BYU went on to beat Utah State in its season-finale before downing Michigan in the Holiday Bowl to claim the mythical national title, which created a maelstrom of controversy across the country.
As for Utah's Stobart? He was fired at the end of the season and was replaced by Jim Fassel.
Of course, there are a bevy of differences between the '04 Utes and '84 Cougars, too. While BYU had four close games decided by a touchdown or less during its magical season, Utah hasn't experienced a close game yet. The Cougars began the '84 campaign unranked, then upset No. 3 Pittsburgh on the road in the season-opener — though the Panthers wound up not being a very good team. The Utes started the 2004 campaign rated No. 19 and have steadily risen in the polls since their home-opener at home, when they routed Texas A&M — a team that has turned out to be pretty good.
Though BYU had a 12-0 mark and No. 1 ranking after the '84 regular season, it had to settle for the Holiday Bowl, which had a payout of $500,000, to face a 6-5 Michigan squad.
With a win over the Cougars Saturday, Utah would clinch a berth in the Bowl Championship Series — which would be a first for a non-BCS school — and earn a bowl payout between $12 million and $14 million. However, even if the Utes win their bowl games, they have no shot at a national championship because of the BCS system.
It's worth noting that part of the reason for the creation of the BCS has to do with BYU's national title.
Yes, the Cougars made history in 1984. Twenty years later, the Utes are poised to make some history of their own.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com