1980 BYU Cougars football team

1980 BYU Cougars football
WAC champion Holiday Bowl champion
Holiday Bowl, W 46–45 vs. SMU
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
AP	No. 12
Record	12–1 (6–1 WAC)
Head coach	LaVell Edwards (9th season)
Offensive coordinator	Doug Scovil (4th season)
Offensive scheme	West Coast
Defensive coordinator	Fred Whittingham (2nd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Cougar Stadium

1980 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 12 BYU $	6	–	1	–	0			12	–	1	–	0
Colorado State	5	–	1	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Hawaii	3	–	3	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Wyoming	4	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
San Diego State	4	–	4	–	0			4	–	8	–	0
New Mexico	3	–	4	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Utah	2	–	3	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
Air Force	1	–	3	–	0			2	–	9	–	1
UTEP	1	–	6	–	0			1	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) for the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by ninth-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as a member of the Western Athletic Conference, winning their fifth consecutive conference title with a conference record of 6–1. After a season-opening loss to New Mexico, BYU ended on a 12-game winning streak, including a victory over SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl, finishing 12–1 overall and ranked 12th in the final AP Poll. The Cougars' offense scored 606 points during the season for an average of 46.6 points per game. They scored over 50 points in a game five times, including two games scoring over 70 points.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	at New Mexico		University Stadium Albuquerque, NM		L 21–25	16,840	[1]
September 13	San Diego State		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	ABC	W 35–11	36,178	[2]
September 20	at Wisconsin*		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	KBYU	W 28–3	71,496	[3]
September 27	Long Beach State*		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		W 41–25	37,152	[4]
October 11	Wyoming		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		W 52–17	41,296	[5]
October 18	at Utah State*		Romney Stadium Logan, UT	ABC	W 70–46	23,230	[6]
October 25	at Hawaii	No. 19	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI		W 34–7	49,139	[7]
November 1	UTEP	No. 17	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		W 83–7	36,251	[8]
November 8	North Texas State*	No. 13	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		W 41–23	36,583	[9]
November 15	Colorado State	No. 13	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT		W 45–14	40,515	[10]
November 22	at Utah	No. 13	Robert Rice Stadium Salt Lake City, UT		W 56–6	30,520	[11]
November 29	at UNLV*	No. 12	Las Vegas Silver Bowl Whitney, NV		W 54–14	31,406	[12]
December 19	vs. No. 19 SMU*	No. 14	San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl)	Mizlou	W 46–45	50,200	[13]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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Game summaries

San Diego State

San Diego St at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total San Diego St 0 3 0 8 11 • BYU 7 14 14 0 35 Date: Saturday, September 13 Location: Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah Game attendance: 36,178 Source: Palm Beach Post

Scoring summary 1 BYU Brown 17-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick) BYU 7-0 2 SDSU Corral 47-yard field goal BYU 7-3 2 BYU Phillips 17-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick) BYU 14-3 2 BYU Davis 15-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick) BYU 21-3 3 BYU Lacey 12-yard blocked punt return (Gunther kick) BYU 28-3 3 BYU Brown 80-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick) BYU 35-3 4 SDSU Kofler 4-yard run (Corral kick) BYU 35-11

Long Beach State

Long Beach State at BYU

1 2 3 4 Total Long Beach St 0 6 13 6 25 • BYU 21 7 0 13 41 Date: Saturday, September 28 Location: Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah Game attendance: 37,152

Scoring summary 1 BYU Lane 5-yard run (Gunther kick) BYU 7-0 1 BYU Jones 20-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick) BYU 14-0 1 BYU Braga 28-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick) BYU 21-0 2 LBS Duddridge 25-yard pass from Starkey (run failed) BYU 21-6 2 BYU Davis 2-yard pass from McMahon (Gunther kick) BYU 28-6 3 LBS Wilson 1-yard run (pass failed) BYU 28-12 3 LBS Wilson 1-yard run (Petrosian kick) BYU 28-19 4 BYU Lane 1-yard run (Gunther kick) BYU 35-19 4 BYU Lane 13-yard pass from McMahon (kick failed) BYU 41-19 4 LBS Johnson 12-yard pass from Starkey (pass failed) BYU 41-25

• BYU: Jim McMahon 339 Yds passing ^[15]

Wyoming

Wyoming came into the contest with a wishbone attack that was fourth in the nation in rushing and sixth in total offense at 450 yards per game while BYU featured the nation's second best passing squad behind Jim McMahon, the best statistical passer in the country.

McMahon finished 22 of 31 for 408 yards and four touchdowns, his fourth straight game over 300 yards to keep his number one ranking. Wyoming attempted to rush seven and eight at McMahon but the offensive line and backs, normally featured in the passing game, did a superb job blocking. McMahon was never sacked as Nick Eyre, Lloyd Eldredge, Bart Oates, Calvin Close and Ray Linford dominated the line of scrimmage for the Cougars.

With the Cowboys committing to the pass rush, McMahon threw at will to targets Dan Plater (8 receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown), Lloyd Jones (5/120, TD), Bill Davis (7/143, TD) and Clay Brown (2/61, TD), who faced one-on-one coverage and exploit this advantage.

Meanwhile, BYU's defense was just as dominating, consistently getting into the Wyoming backfield and limiting the wishbone options for a team that came in averaging 323 yards on the ground. With the defensive line of Glen Titensor, Mike Morgan, Chuck Ehin, Pulusila Filiaga and Brad Anae shutting down the run, all the likes of Glen Redd, Kyle Whittingham, Bob Prested and Ed St. Pierre had to do was clean up.

The game was decided in the first quarter as BYU scored on two of its first three possessions and Wyoming gained 30 yards rushing in four. By halftime, BYU led 17-3 and the Cowboys had only increased their rushing total to 42.

"I've never seen a team compare with BYU throwing the football and I don't believe we've seen anyone physically as tough. BYU is much stronger than we are", Wyoming head coach Pat Dye said.

Dye continued, "McMahon is a great quarterback. We knew the four-man rush wouldn't get to them, so we tried different things. Today, a four-man rush or a seven-man rush didn't make any difference."

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At Utah

#13 BYU Cougars (9–1) at Utah Utes (6–2–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
BYU	7	14	21	14	56
Utah	0	0	0	6	6

at Rice Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

• Date: November 22, 1980
• Game weather: Light rain, 42 °F (6 °C)
• Game attendance: 30,520
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter BYU – Eric Lane 1-yard run (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 7–0. Second quarter BYU – Jim McMahon 7-yard run (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 14–0. BYU – Clay Brown 5-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Kurt Gunther kick), 1:47. BYU 21–0. Third quarter BYU – Eric Lane 11-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 28–0. BYU – Eric Lane 1-yard run (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 35–0. BYU – Clay Brown 76-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 42–0. Fourth quarter UTAH – Hilria Johnson 1-yard run (pass failed). BYU 42–6. BYU – Steve Carlsen 1-yard run (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 49–6. BYU – Scott Pettis 5-yard run (Kurt Gunther kick). BYU 56–6. Top passers BYU – Jim McMahon – 21/34, 399 yards, 3 TD, INT UTAH – Ricky Hardin – 19/31, 258 yards, 2 INT Top rushers BYU – Scott Pettis – 4 rushes, 81 yards, TD UTAH – Tony Lindsay – 22 rushes, 93 yards Top receivers BYU – Clay Brown – 5 receptions, 184 yards, 2 TD UTAH – James Teahan – 7 receptions, 92 yards

BYU clinched its third straight Holiday Bowl berth and its fifth straight Western Athletic Conference title with the victory over their in-state rivals. Jim McMahon completed 21 of 34 passes for 399 yards, an NCAA record tenth straight game over 300 yards passing. McMahon also broke San Diego State's Dennis Shaw's 1969 single-season touchdown pass record of 39 with his first scoring toss and later surpassed Shaw for most total touchdowns in a single season (45). ^{[17] [18]}

External videos
1980 BYU at Utah – Highlights

Holiday Bowl

Holiday Bowl
SMU vs. BYU

1 2 3 4 Total SMU 19 10 9 7 45 • BYU 7 6 6 27 46 Date: December 19 Location: Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California Game attendance: 50,200

Scoring summary 1 SMU Eric Dickerson 15-yard run (Eddie Garcia kick) SMU 7-0 1 SMU Craig James 45-yard run (Eddie Garcia kick) SMU 14-0 1 SMU Safety, centered out of end zone SMU 16-0 1 SMU Eddie Garcia 42-yard field goal SMU 19-0 1 BYU Clay Brown 64-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Kurt Gunther kick) SMU 19-7 2 SMU Craig James 3-yard pass from Lance McIlhenny (Eddie Garcia kick) SMU 26-7 2 SMU Eddie Garcia 44-yard field goal SMU 29-7 2 BYU Vai Sikahema 83-yard punt return (pass failed) SMU 29-13 3 SMU Eric Dickerson 1-yard run (pass failed) SMU 35-13 3 BYU Clay Brown 13-yard pass from Jim McMahon (pass failed) SMU 35-19 3 SMU Eddie Garcia 42-yard field goal SMU 38-19 4 BYU Scott Phillips 1-yard run (pass failed) SMU 38-25 4 SMU Craig James 42-yard run (Eddie Garcia kick) SMU 45-25 4 BYU Matt Braga 15-yard pass from Jim McMahon (pass failed) SMU 45-31 4 BYU Scott Phillips 1-yard run (Scott Phillips pass from Jim McMahon) SMU 45-39 4 :00 BYU Clay Brown 41-yard pass from Jim McMahon (Kurt Gunther kick) BYU 46-45

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Personnel

1980 BYU Cougars football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class TE 85 Clay Brown Sr WR 88 Bill Davis Sr OT 72 Nick Eyre Sr RB Bruce Hansen Fr TE 95 Gordon Hudson Fr RB 36 Eric Lane Sr C 52 Trevor Matich So QB 9 Jim McMahon RJr C 50 Bart Oates So OT 64 Andy Reid Sr RB 23 Vai Sikahema Fr QB 8 Steve Young Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DE 93 Brad Anae Jr DT 78 Chuck Ehin So DB 46 Tom Holmoe So DT 66 Doug Kellermeyer  Fr DE 77 Mike Morgan So LB 41 Glen Redd Sr LB 47 Todd Shell Fr LB 59 Kyle Whittingham Jr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 10 Lee Johnson Fr	Head coach LaVell Edwards Coordinators/assistant coaches Norm Chow (WR) Dick Felt (DB) Roger French (OL) Garth Hall (RB) Mel Olsen (JV) Tom Ramage (DL) Doug Scovil (OC/QB) Fred Whittingham (LB) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

References

1. "Heartbreak! Lobos ambush Cougars". The Daily Herald. September 7, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "McMahon, BYU whip San Diego State". Wisconsin State Journal. September 14, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "Brigham Young bounces Badgers". The La Crosse Tribune. September 21, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Cougars club 49ers". The Salt Lake Tribune. September 28, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "BYU buries Pokes, 52–17". The Billings Gazette. October 12, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "BYU scores 70, and gives up 46". The Los Angeles Times. October 19, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Gutsy McMahon, defense stop Bows". The Daily Herald. October 27, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Cougars blast hapless Miners". The Salt Lake Tribune. November 2, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "McMahon outsoars Eagles with 40-50 – 464 and 3 TDs". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. November 9, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "BYU strikes quickly to top Colorado St". The Idaho Statesman. November 16, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Cougars storm past Utes, 56–6 for title". The Daily Herald. November 23, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "BYU clobbers Nev.–Las Vegas". South Idaho Press. November 30, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Last-play TD lifts BYU to 46–45 Holiday victory". The Arizona Republic. December 20, 1980. Retrieved November 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "1980 Brigham Young Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
15. Palm Beach Post. 1980 Sept 29.
16. "Y. football stock up again." The Deseret News. Bill Ewer. 13 Oct 1980.
17. "Brigham Young Crushes Utah." Ocala Star-Banner. 1980 Nov 23
18. "BYU breezes." Eugene Register-Guard. 1980 Nov 23.
19. My Favorite Bowl Games. Archived 2013-03-09 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 26, 2012.
20. CougarStats. Retrieved December 26, 2012