PROVO — Christmas aside, it's been a joyous season for the BYU football program's Reynolds clan.
As fate would have it, the final year for Lance Reynolds Jr., a senior center, coincided with the first year for Dallas Reynolds, a freshman left guard. This band of brothers each turned in award-winning performances while playing next to each other on the Cougar offensive line.
"I've always dreamed of running out of that tunnel (at LaVell Edwards Stadium), but I never thought I'd be able to do it running alongside my brother and playing next to my brother," said Dallas, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound Provo native. "It's been a choice experience for me that not many people get to have."
"That first play when I huddled up and looked next to me and I saw my brother was fun," said Lance.
What made the experience even more special was the fact that BYU snapped a streak of three consecutive losing seasons and earned a bowl bid for the first time since 2001.
When the Cougars take on California in the Las Vegas Bowl on Dec. 22, it will mark their final game together. But the thing that amazes both Lance and Dallas — not to mention everyone else in the program — is the fact they got to play together at all.
Dallas defied the odds to earn a spot in the lineup after returning home from an LDS mission to Seattle just months before the season began. Not even he expected to play in 2005. He was counting on redshirting.
"Coming home, I felt that I was going to need some time to get back in shape and get ready," Dallas said. "I wanted to play, but I never really thought it would happen this year."
Fall camp proved to be particularly difficult as he struggled to play football again after a two-year hiatus from the sport. "At first, it was hard physically and emotionally," Dallas said. "After sticking it out a couple of weeks, it became easier. It made it easy when other linemen stayed after practice and helped me out."
"When we were in fall camp, he'd come over for lunch in between two-a-days and he'd bring his blocking manual and ask me what we were doing," Lance recalled. "Those first couple of days, he was lost. He had no idea. We'd call screens and he was going the wrong direction. But he picked up the physical part and the mental part quick."
So quick that Dallas became a starter and earned freshman all-America honors. His unexpected emergence this season was something nobody, except for maybe his older brother Lance, saw coming.
"On the one hand, I was really surprised. I've been on a mission and when you come back, your body doesn't respond like you want it to," said Lance, who was named to the all-Mountain West Conference second team. "You remember doing things that came naturally to you before, now they don't. His body responded well. On the other hand, I saw Dallas play before and I knew what he was capable of. He was a great offensive lineman in high school. I knew if he could get his legs under him, he'd have a chance to play. It's difficult to do anywhere, but especially at BYU, to come in and play as a freshman on the O-line. It's amazing. He was named to the freshman all-America team. That pretty much sums it up."
Dallas was a pleasant surprise to first-year coach Bronco Mendenhall as well. "We expected Dallas would have to redshirt because he came home without much preparation time before the season and the nature of the position usually requires a redshirt," he said. "To Dallas' credit, he was very diligent right when he got home in the weight room. What's more impressive is his mind-set and work ethic. That's allowed him to perform in his first year at the level that he is."
The Reynolds Brothers helped anchor a line that gave quarterback John Beck time to throw for more than 3,000 yards and opened holes for running back Curtis Brown, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards.
Mendenhall appreciates what it means for the Reynolds to have the opportunity to play side-by-side.
"I think it's great for both of them," he said. "Lance serves as a mentor and a true big brother on the field. The proximity that they have to each other on the line and the communication and the advantage they form just because of their relationship has allowed Dallas to progress faster than he would have if Lance wasn't here. I think Lance deserves some credit as well for being a coach on the field, play-in, play-out, for his brother."
As if playing together, going to a bowl game and receiving personal accolades weren't enough for one season, Lance became a father and Dallas became an uncle when Lance's son, Lance Reynolds III, was born on Sept. 26. The blessed arrival also made their father, Lance Reynolds Sr., BYU's running backs coach, a grandfather.
All in all, there's plenty of joy to go around for the Reynolds family.
Reynolds rap
A couple of generations of Reynolds have made a major impact on BYU football already—and the family is expected to produce more big-time players in the future.
Lance Reynolds Sr. — Former BYU lineman (1972-1977) is the assistant head coach and running backs coach.
Lance Reynolds Jr. — A two-year starter, he became an All-MWC selection as a senior in 2005.
Dallas Reynolds — Earned freshman all-America honors this season on the offensive line.
Matt Reynolds — Parade All-American signed with BYU and is currently serving a mission in Germany.
Houston Reynolds — Junior at Timpview High appears to be following his father's and brothers' footsteps.
E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com