The 2016 BYU Cougars football team attained an unusual statistic — four losses by a cumulative eight points — and not losing a game by more than three points. And to top it off, BYU won four of its games by seven points or less. To say that the season was exciting would be putting it mildly.
As we honor and revere the coaching career of the late LaVell Edwards, there is a striking similarity to this season, but on a much grander scale.
A perusal of the BYU Football Almanac unearths some unique statistics, which are certainly unusual, and maybe even unprecedented.
During those heady and legally intoxicating days of BYU football dominance in the Western Athletic Conference and the Intermountain states, there were some notable streaks.
The first streak began in mid-October of 1978 with a BYU win over the University of Oregon. That season featured two future All-Americans and NFL quarterbacks Marc Wilson and Jim McMahon.
Counting that game at Oregon, BYU played 40 games without losing one by more than seven points. The Edwards-led Cougars racked up a 35-5 record before the streak ended in mid-October of 1981 in snowy Laramie, Wyoming.
It didn't take long until the same type of streak started again. After a tough loss to begin the 1983 season at Baylor, great Cougar quarterbacks led BYU to three outstanding seasons in a row.
Steve Young and Robbie Bosco were at the helm during those seasons, and after the Baylor loss in early 1983, the Cougars went 37-3 in the next 40 games and, by the way, won a national championship.
Once again during those 40 games, none of the losses were by more than seven points. During that time, BYU had an 8-2 record against UCLA, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Baylor, Michigan, Boston College, Washington, ranked Air Force and Ohio State.
The streak finally ended early in the 1986 season with a resounding loss at Washington. In the meantime, the Cougars had established a never-to-be-forgotten imprint on college football.
With college football offenses exploding with scoring binges in the current era, it is remarkable that BYU could have stayed in every game in the recently completed 2016 season.
It is even more remarkable that an upstart BYU program in the 1970s could have established such a record in those two 40-game streaks.
It is a tribute to coach Edwards and his staff that early in his tenure as head coach, the bar was set so high. The thirst for more of the same is in the hearts and minds of the BYU faithful.
We don't know what future streaks may lie ahead for the BYU football program, but coach Kalani Sitake and staff certainly have the program pointed in the right direction.
Offseason transfers, returning missionaries and current recruits all make an optimistic fan get excited about the next few seasons.
Spring practice will whet the appetite, then in the fall the full meal will be delivered. All 14 courses of it. Let's hope we are fully satisfied.
Ken Driggs of Mesa, Arizona, is a BYU graduate and served as Cosmo in the ’60s. Contact him at kkdriggs@gmail.com.