The 24-23 loss to the Bruins in the Rose Bowl in 2015 was a difficult loss for the Cougars to take.
They had dominated on the defensive side of the ball for much of the contest, forcing elite quarterback Josh Rosen into one of his most difficult outings as a freshman.
But a long drive late in the fourth quarter gave UCLA the lead. BYU had a chance to answer, but freshman phenom Tanner Mangum was intercepted in the last minute of the game by Myles Jack to seal the Cougars' fate.
Fast-forward to a year later as the Cougars are looking to exact revenge on the Bruins.
That's a familiar situation for the Cougars when facing UCLA. In 2007, BYU suffered one of only a pair of defeats on the season to the Bruins in Pasadena. It was a game that at least one former Cougar on the field that day won't soon forget.
ESPN 960 radio host Ben Criddle was a senior defensive back on that team. He remembers the game well.
"Two momentum shifts occurred due to instant replay angles (or lack thereof)," he said. "Shawn Doman's interception was overturned and Vic So'oto's fumble was upheld. Both were atrocious calls that forced us to come from behind late in the game."
He continues by saying, "Bruce Davis was then able to wreak havoc, and by himself stopped our late drive with a sack strip fumble recovery."
Fortunately for the Cougars, it wasn't long before they had another chance to face the Bruins.
The rematch came just 10 games later as BYU and UCLA squared off in the Las Vegas Bowl. Said Criddle of the chance to face the Bruins again, "We wanted a taste of revenge.
"It's never ideal to play the same team twice in one year, but in this particular case, we as a team felt that we should have come away with a victory at the Rose Bowl."
It was revenge that the Cougars got, but barely. With BYU holding on to a 17-16 lead late in the contest, UCLA marched 87 yards and had a chance for a game-winning field goal with just three seconds left.
"I think we felt calm and confident," Criddle said. "We gathered around Bronco Mendenhall during the timeout before the field goal attempt and he asked, 'who is going to block it?' In unison everyone proclaimed 'I will.' Everyone believed we could block it, we had blocked one earlier in the year."
Eathyn Manumaleuna did just that, getting a hand on the 28-yard Kai Forbath attempt to preserve the win. It was the final play of Criddle's college career and he was overcome with excitement, joy and happiness for his teammates ... and a little revenge.
"I ran over to the UCLA sideline and did a backflip in front of them."
The Cougars got a bowl victory and an 11-2 season after starting out the year 1-2. As for Criddle, he got great memories and some keepsakes from that game.
"That night, I didn't throw my gear in the laundry basket. Those cherished souvenirs were going home with me."
Jay Yeomans is a sports writer for DeseretNews.com. Contact him at jyeomans@deseretdigital.com.