PROVO — The Miracle Bowl. An unforgettable upset of No. 1 Miami. A win for LaVell in his final game. Beck to Harline. Hall to George. A Cotton Bowl victory. Taysom running rampant over Texas. Kyle Van Noy beating San Diego State with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.
During the pandemic, sports-starved BYU fans can relive those epic Cougar football moments, and many more, thanks to BYUtv.org and the BYUtv app.
Due to the nature of broadcasting contracts, BYUtv doesn’t own the rights to all of the unforgettable contests over the years. But there are still plenty of entertaining games available for fans to watch on demand.
There are also some underrated and overlooked contests that are included on this list.
These games — dating back as far as 40 years and as recent as last season — can provide hours of entertainment, especially during this time of self-isolation. Take your pick.
Bowl games
BYU vs. Southern Methodist, 1980 Holiday Bowl
This game, known as the “Miracle Bowl” also produces “The Catch” as the Cougars rally from a 45-25 deficit with four minutes remaining. Jim McMahon brings BYU back, heaving a last-second Hail Mary to Clay Brown in a stunning 46-45 victory, capping a comeback for the ages.
BYU vs. Missouri, 1983 Holiday Bowl
Steve Young catches the game-winning touchdown pass on a trick play with 23 seconds remaining in a 21-17 victory.
BYU vs. Michigan, 1984 Holiday Bowl
The Cougars complete a perfect season and clinch the national championship with a 24-17 win. (Steve Young provides color analysis on the broadcast.)
BYU vs. Colorado, 1988 Freedom Bowl
Redshirt freshman Ty Detmer comes off the bench to earn MVP honors as the Cougars upset the Buffaloes, 20-17.
BYU vs. Oklahoma, 1994 Copper Bowl
The Cougars pummel the Sooners 31-6 in John Walsh’s final game.
BYU vs. Kansas State, 1997 Cotton Bowl
In its first, and only, New Year’s Day bowl appearance, the No. 5 Cougars hold on for a victory over a Big 12 opponent, 19-15.
BYU vs. Oregon, 2006 Las Vegas Bowl
John Beck and the Cougars crush the Ducks, 38-8.
BYU vs. UCLA, 2007 Las Vegas Bowl
A last-second blocked field goal attempt by Eathyn Manumaleuna preserves a dramatic 17-16 victory over the Bruins.
BYU vs. Oregon State, 2009 Las Vegas Bowl
The Cougars cap the season with a 44-20 blowout of the Beavers on a windy night in Las Vegas.
BYU vs. UTEP, 2010 New Mexico Bowl
Freshman Jake Heaps shines in the Cougars’ 52-24 win, the most points BYU has ever scored in a bowl game.
BYU vs. Tulsa, 2011 Armed Forces Bowl
This game features a helmet-less block by Matt Reynolds and a trick play from Riley Nelson to Cody Hoffman for the game-winning touchdown.
BYU vs. San Diego State, 2012 Poinsettia Bowl
Linebacker Kyle Van Noy scores two touchdowns — a strip-sack fumble and a pick six — in the fourth quarter in a 23-6 Cougar victory.
BYU vs. Utah, 2015 Las Vegas Bowl
In Bronco Mendenhall’s final game, the Cougars fall behind 35-0 in the first quarter before mounting a comeback that falls short in a 35-28 setback.
BYU vs. Western Michigan, 2018 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Freshman Zach Wilson completes a perfect 18 of 18 passes in the Cougars’ 49-18 win.
Upsets
The Cougars rally from a two-touchdown deficit early in the second half to defeat the No. 4 Falcons in Provo, 28-21.
The Cougars shock the No. 1-ranked defending national champions 28-21 and jump-start Ty Detmer’s Heisman Trophy campaign.
In the college football season opener, the Cougars knock off No. 13 Texas A&M with a late-game KO, with Steve Sarkisian finding K.O. Kealaluhi on a 46-yard TD pass in the final minute for a 41-37 win.
Ronney Jenkins runs for a career-best 171 yards as the Cougars upset No. 14 Arizona State, 26-6, for a second consecutive season.
The Cougars knock quarterback Sam Bradford out of the game and upset No. 3 Oklahoma 14-13 at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas in the ‘09 season-opener and the first college game played at that venue.
The Cougars rush for a school-record 550 yards and BYU overwhelms No. 15 Texas, 40-21, whose defense offered a whole new meaning to the term “burnt orange.” Taysom Hill runs for 259 yards all by himself.
The Cougars upset the No. 24 Trojans in overtime, 30-27.
Mired in a three-game losing streak, the Cougars, led by freshman Baylor Romney, beat No. 14 Boise State 28-25 in Romney’s first career start.
Rivalry games
A hard-fought 24-14 road victory preserves the Cougars’ perfect season and days later, BYU is ranked No. 1 for the first time ever.
The Cougars avenge a humbling loss to the Utes the previous season by taking a 49-0 halftime lead and finishing with a 70-31 win.
The Cougars run over and through the Utes to the tune of 366 yards on 63 carries in a 37-17 decision.
The Cougars hold on for a 26-24 win after the Utes’ field goal attempt clangs off the upright as time expires.
In legendary coach LaVell Edwards’ final game, the Cougars rally with miraculous final drive in a 34-27 win.
The Cougars, undefeated and ranked in the top 10, pull out a late comeback to defeat the Utes, 24-21.
Answered prayer. Beck to Harline. An iconic play. Cougars 33, Utes 31.
The Cougars come from behind yet again to edge the Utes, 17-10.
Max Hall finds Andrew George with the game-winning touchdown pass over the middle in overtime — the Cougars’ most recent win over the Utes.
Thrillers
In the first meeting between the two schools, the Cougars nip the Bruins 37-35 at the Rose Bowl.
The Cougars escape with a 41-38 win in Provo to keep their perfect season alive.
Ty Detmer leads a furious second-half rally that sees the Cougars battle back from a 45-17 deficit to record a 52-52 tie, the highest-scoring tie in NCAA history.
In a wild one in Provo, the Cougars hold off the Rainbow Warriors 41-38.
The Cougars edge the Cowboys in overtime in the first Western Athletic Championship game in Las Vegas, 28-25.
After trailing 21-0 at halftime, the Cougars roar back to beat the Cavaliers 38-35 in overtime in Charlottesville.
BYU vs. Mississippi State, 2001
The Cougars venture into Southeastern Conference country with a top-10 ranking and undefeated record and they leave with a game-winning field goal for a 41-38 win as time expires.
USU transfer Riley Nelson comes off the bench to lead the Cougars to a come-from-behind 27-24 win, which includes a 96-yard drive and game-winning TD with 11 seconds remaining.
A week after Tanner Mangum led a miraculous win at Nebraska, the freshman, making his first collegiate start, guides the Cougars to a 35-24 victory with another fourth-quarter Hail Mary against the No. 20 Broncos.
Jamaal Williams rushes for a school-record 286 yards and five touchdown and Rhett Almond kicks the game-winning field goal as time expires in a 55-53 win.
BYU vs. Mississippi State, 2016
The Cougars seize their first lead of the game in the second overtime as Taysom Hill leads BYU to a 28-21 win and Jamaal Williams becomes the school’s all-time leading rusher.
Other notable games
Al Michaels calls this game on ABC in the Cougars’ 63-14 stomping of the Aztecs.
BYU vs. Long Beach State, 1981
Watch Jim McMahon dismantle LBSU in the ’81 season-opener, 31-8.
In his first career start, replacing an injured Jim McMahon, Steve Young leads the Cougars to a 32-26 triumph.
The Cougars win a 13-3 defensive battle in the islands to clinch the WAC title.
The Cougars won the 1984 national championship, and the Huskies finished No. 2 in the national polls. Months later, the two teams meet in Provo. BYU blasts Washington, 31-3.
Future NFL star Marshall Faulk leads the Aztecs to a 45-38 shootout victory in Provo.
The Cougars, led by quarterback Ryan Hancock, defeat the Nittany Lions and Joe Paterno 31-17 in Provo — on Halloween.
Steve Sarkisian sets a school record that still stands for completion percentage (31 of 34, 91%) in a 45-28 win against the Bulldogs in the season finale, setting the stage for a big 1996 campaign for BYU.
The Cougars beat the Aggies 42-35 in an emotional game, just days after BYU cornerback Terrance Harvey dies in a car accident.
The Cougars hang tough on a humid night in Tuscaloosa but fall 38-31 to the Crimson Tide.
In the first game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in the legendary coach’s final home game, the Cougars wallop the Lobos 37-13. It also marks Brandon Doman’s first start.
The Cougars open the season with a big 42-21 victory against the Orangemen, avenging a 42-12 loss in 2000.
In the 2004 season opener, and Austin Collie’s first game as a Cougars, Collie scores the game-winning touchdown in BYU’s 20-17 win.
Against the top-ranked Trojans, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, the Cougars lose 42-10 to the eventual national champions.
Traveling to Boston, the Cougars fall in overtime to the Eagles and future NFL star Matt Ryan, 30-23.
Max Hall directs a 38-28 win in San Diego.
This game features a controversial call — a third-quarter fumble by running back JJ Di Luigi is recovered by the Aztecs but the officials rule Di Luigi’s knee is down and it’s upheld by replay officials. The Cougars go on to score on the possession in a 24-21 win, snapping a four-game losing streak.
At Corvallis, the Cougars earn a 38-28 win highlighted by some spectacular catches by Cody Hoffman.
In Taysom Hill’s first career start, he runs for 143 yards, including a 68-yard TD, in a 47-0 rout.
The Cougars wear all-black uniforms for the first time ever. But the No. 10 Beavers pull away in the fourth quarter in a 42-24 win.
BYU earns its first-ever win over Boise State, 37-20.
In a Thursday night game commemorating 9/11 — featuring the American flag incorporated into the Y. logo on BYU’s helmets — BYU defeats Houston 33-25.
In a wildly entertaining game at the Miami Beach Bowl, the Tigers beat the Cougars 55-48 in double overtime. But this one will always be remembered for the brawl that ensues after it ends.
Zach Wilson becomes the youngest Cougar to start a game at quarterback and leads BYU to a dominating 49-23 win.