BYU football alumni game delivers another magical night

Kalani Sitake believes there is strength in numbers, and when it comes to bolstering his BYU football program, nothing accomplishes that better than staging an alumni flag football game for a group of loyal has-beens inside the stadium where they once-were.

For an hour or so on Friday night, the boys on both rosters went back in time.

“It’s a little chilly, but it’s good to have everybody here,” Sitake said while watching Team Royal outgun Team Navy 29-22. “No matter what era you played in, this is home. This is family.

“It’s nice to see them hanging out and playing, although they are not like they used to be when they were in great shape.”

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The years may have aged Cody Hoffman (2009-2013), but BYU’s all-time leading touchdown receiver (33) still knows his way around the end zone, as he pulled in a strike from Steve Clements (1990-1994).

“Never! Never!” Hoffman said when asked if the ‘touchdown feeling’ ever gets old. “The end zone just feels like home to me. You just can’t beat it.”

In his return to LaVell Edwards Stadium for the first time since his junior season, quarterback John Walsh (1991-1994) threw for 129 yards and a touchdown pass to Aleva Hifo (2016-2019) to help deliver a win for Team Royal.

“That felt really good, especially after the pick,” Walsh said of his touchdown that was preceded by an interception. “It feels really good (to be back). It’s always awesome to see your old teammates.

“There is no feeling like it. The bond you have, getting back together and reminiscing about the good old days, it’s a lot of fun.”

Dax Milne (2018-2020) caught a 50-yard bomb from Clements for a touchdown to keep Team Navy within striking distance. For Milne, who amassed 70 receptions for 1,188 yards and eight touchdowns during his junior (and final) season at BYU, something else felt familiar.

“It’s great to be back,” Milne said, but it reminds me of the COVID season.”

He was right. During the pandemic, BYU was forced to play with very few fans in the stands. On Friday night, those in attendance were huddled up on the west side while the rest of the stadium was as empty as when Milne’s Cougars defied the odds in 2020 and went 11-1.

For two halves, or as long as the Advil held up, the names of the past ran around LaVell Edwards Stadium like they were kids again.

Mitch Mathews (2009, 2012-2015) went up and over a defender to grab a touchdown pass from Clements, and for a moment, Mathews looked like the same boy that pulled in Tanner Mangum’s Hail Mary toss to upset Nebraska in the 2015 season opener.

Linebacker Bryan Kehl (2002, 2005-2007) had the game’s first interception and rumbled 50 yards to the end zone — not unlike his 36-yard pick-six at New Mexico in 2007.

Quarterback Charlie Peterson (1995, 1998-2001) connected with Colby Pearson (2013-2016) on a 37-yard touchdown pass with the same glee in his eyes as when he routed Utah State 38-14 on a Friday before General Conference in 2000.

Defensive back Tim McTyer (1995-1996) snagged an interception with the same flare of the four picks he garnered during BYU’s historic 14-1 season and Cotton Bowl victory in 1996.

In the moment, linebacker Ben Bywater’s (2019-2023) last-minute interception to give Team Navy a last chance was nearly as significant as his pick-six against SMU in the 2023 New Mexico Bowl. However, Clements’ pass to Hoffman fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired, giving Team Royal the win.

As the former Cougars entertained, the current Cougars looked on while licking their chops for Utah Tech on September 5 in the 2026 season opener.

“It’s a special night. It’s a really cool deal. There are bunch of fans tailgating,” said rising sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier. “Watching all the legends warm up right now is pretty cool.”

Worthy of a legendary description, Norm Chow was also back on the field coaching and calling plays for Team Royal.

In essence, Chow, who was hired as LaVell Edwards’ quarterbacks coach in 1986 and promoted to offensive coordinator in 1996, had his hand in on 244 BYU victories — 245 if you count Friday.

“It’s so nice to be back,” Chow said. “This is so fun.”

There is magic around a winning program, and the annual alumni flag football game — the spring ball finale — feeds right into the culture Sitake is determined to foster.

“It’s always so much fun,” Hoffman said. “I look forward to this game every year.”

Six months ago, on the night before General Conference, BYU beat West Virginia 38-24 in 68 degree weather in Provo and in front of 63,917 fans.

This Friday, the air was much cooler, the crowd much smaller, the athletes moved much slower and the game didn’t count in the Big 12 standings, but with winning and losing on the line, these former Cougars (mostly) gave it all they had — just as they had done in their prime when the results really mattered.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.