1974 BYU Cougars football team

American college football season

1974 BYU Cougars football
WAC champion
Fiesta Bowl, L 6–16 vs. Oklahoma State
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	7–4–1 (6–0–1 WAC)
Head coach	LaVell Edwards (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Dave Kragthorpe (5th season)
Offensive scheme	West Coast
Defensive coordinator	Dick Felt (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Cougar Stadium
Seasons← 1973 1975 →

1974 Western Athletic Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
BYU $	6	–	0	–	1	7	–	4	–	1
Arizona	6	–	1	–	0	9	–	2	–	0
Arizona State	4	–	3	–	0	7	–	5	–	0
New Mexico	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	6	–	1
UTEP	3	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
Colorado State	2	–	3	–	1	4	–	6	–	1
Utah	1	–	5	–	0	1	–	10	–	0
Wyoming	1	–	6	–	0	2	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion

The 1974 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. The Cougars were led by third-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 the conference for the first time since 1965 with an undefeated conference record of 6–0–1. BYU was invited to the 1974 Fiesta Bowl, where they lost to Oklahoma State.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance
September 14	at Hawaii*		Honolulu Stadium Honolulu, HI	L 13–15	23,000
September 21	Utah State*		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	L 6–9	34,555
September 28	at Iowa State*		Clyde Williams Field Ames, IA	L 7–34	29,419–32,000
October 5	at Colorado State		Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	T 33–33	17,458
October 12	Wyoming		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 38–7	29,555
October 19	UTEP		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 45–21	19,628
October 26	at No. 16 Arizona		Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	W 37–13	34,116
November 2	at Air Force*		Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO	W 12–10	24,204
November 9	No. 16 Arizona State		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 21–18	26,922
November 16	at New Mexico		University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	W 36–3	12,672
November 23	Utah		Cougar Stadium Provo, UT (Holy War)	W 48–20	30,978
December 28	vs. Oklahoma State*	No. 17	Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ (Fiesta Bowl)	L 6–16	50,878
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Game summaries

At Hawaii

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	0	7	6	13
Rainbow Warriors	3	3	6	3	15

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	13/22, 154 yards, TD, 4 INT
	Rushing	Jeff Blanc	31 rushes, 165 yards
	Receiving	Craig Van Leeuwen	3 receptions, 62 yards
Hawaii	Passing	Alex Cloi	13/21, 167 yards, INT
	Rushing	Arnold Morgado	19 rushes, 45 yards
	Receiving	Mel de Lora	10 receptions, 143 yards

Utah State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	3	6	0	9
Cougars	6	0	0	0	6

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah State	Passing	Tom Wilson	10/16, 106 yards
	Rushing	Louie Giammona	21 rushes, 59 yards
	Receiving	Jerry Cox	4 receptions, 44 yards
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	18/28, 170 yards, 4 INT
	Rushing	Jeff Blanc	22 rushes, 104 yards
	Receiving	Tom Toolson	5 receptions, 58 yards

At Iowa State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	0	0	0	7	7
Cyclones	5	10	7	12	34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
BYU	Passing	Mark Giles	2/6, 31 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Mark Giles	6 rushes, 26 yards
	Receiving	John Betham	2 receptions, 31 yards, TD
Iowa State	Passing	Wayne Stanley	4/16, 53 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Steve Wilson	22 rushes, 107 yards
	Receiving	Luther Blue	2 receptions, 26 yards

At Colorado State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	13	6	7	33
Rams	0	6	14	13	33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	10/13, 123 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Charley Ah You	13 rushes, 72 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jeff Blanc	2 receptions, 43 yards
Colorado State	Passing	Jack Graham	22/46, 305 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jim McKenzie	11 rushes, 40 yards
	Receiving	Willie Miller	6 receptions, 157 yards, TD

The game ended in controversy as Colorado State scored on the game's final play but the ensuing extra point from the 35-yard line, due to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, was missed although one official ruled that the attempt was good.

Wyoming

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	7	0	0	7
Cougars	3	14	7	14	38

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wyoming	Passing	Rick Costello	8/17, 85 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Charlie Shaw	7 rushes, 20 yards
	Receiving	Archie Gray	3 receptions, 55 yards
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	20/27, 263 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jeff Blanc	24 rushes, 74 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	John Betham	4 receptions, 69 yards, 2 TD

UTEP

	1	2	3	4	Total
Miners	7	14	0	0	21
Cougars	21	14	7	3	45

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
UTEP	Passing	Bob McKinley	7/16, 121 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Bob McKinley	15 rushes, 103 yards, TD
	Receiving	Flash Collins	2 receptions, 67 yards, TD
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	27/40, 387 yards, 6 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jeff Blanc	22 rushes, 90 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jeff Nilsson	9 receptions, 176 yards, 3 TD

At No. 16 Arizona

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	21	7	0	9	37
No. 16 Wildcats	7	0	6	0	13

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	20/35, 268 yards, 5 TD
	Rushing	Charley Ah You	22 rushes, 69 yards
	Receiving	John Betham	10 receptions, 144 yards, 3 TD
Arizona	Passing	Bruce Hill	9/29, 200 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT
	Rushing	Jim Upchurch	21 rushes, 108 yards
	Receiving	Willie Hamilton	2 receptions, 83 yards, TD

At Air Force

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	6	0	6	0	12
Falcons	0	3	0	7	10

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	18/30, 215 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Charley Ah You	30 rushes, 87 yards
	Receiving	Sam LoBue	7 receptions, 109 yards
Air Force	Passing	Rob Shaw	16/28, 226 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ken Wood	15 rushes, 56 yards
	Receiving	Bob Farr	10 receptions, 117 yards, TD

No. 16 Arizona State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 16 Sun Devils	6	6	6	0	18
Cougars	2	6	6	7	21

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arizona State	Passing	Ray Alexander	8/20, 148 yards, TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Fred Williams	14 rushes, 48 yards
	Receiving	John Washington	7 receptions, 110 yards
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	24/41, 224 yards, 2 TD, 5 INT
	Rushing	Jeff Blanc	30 rushes, 77 yards, TD
	Receiving	Jeff Blanc	6 receptions, 61 yards

At New Mexico

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cougars	7	13	6	10	36
Lobos	3	0	0	0	3

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	15/29, 244 yards, TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Jeff Blanc	24 rushes, 74 yards
	Receiving	Jeff Blanc	3 receptions, 94 yards, TD
New Mexico	Passing	Ken Bryant	9/30, 66 yards, 2 INT
	Rushing	Ken Bryant	20 rushes, 42 yards
	Receiving	Preston Dennard	2 receptions, 20 yards

Utah

	1	2	3	4	Total
Utes	0	6	0	14	20
Cougars	14	7	14	13	48

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Utah	Passing	Homer Warner	7/14, 103 yards, TD, INT
Rushing	Ike Spencer	6 rushes, 31 yards
Receiving	Mike Cordy	4 receptions, 60 yards
BYU	Passing	Gary Sheide	11/22, 104 yards, 2 TD, INT
Rushing	Jeff Blanc	20 rushes, 122 yards, 2 TD
Receiving	John Betham	2 receptions, 40 yards

Vs. Oklahoma State (Fiesta Bowl)

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	7	3	6	16
No. 17 Cougars	6	0	0	0	6

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Oklahoma State	Passing	Charlie Weatherbie	6/16, 64 yards, TD
	Rushing	Kenny Walker	6 rushes, 34 yards, TD
	Receiving	Leonard Thompson	3 receptions, 42 yards, TD
BYU	Passing	Mark Giles	12/27, 138 yards, 3 INT
	Rushing	Jeff Blanc	19 rushes, 53 yards
	Receiving	Sam LoBue	3 receptions, 50 yards

Roster

1974 BYU Cougars football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
FB	`33`	Todd Christensen	Fr
QB	`14`	Gifford Nielsen	Fr
QB	`12`	Gary Sheide	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class

Head coach

LaVell Edwards

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

References

"Hawaii wins 15–13 on five field goals". The Daily Herald. September 15, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Field goals sink BYU". The Arizona Daily Star. September 22, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"ISU rips BYU as Strachan sets career rush record". The Sioux City Journal. September 29, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"BYU, Rams battle to tie". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. October 6, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"BYU blasts Pokes". Rapid City Journal. October 13, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sheide passes Cougars past Texas–El Paso". The Daily Herald. October 20, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sheide shreds Wildcats 37–13". The Daily Sentinel. October 27, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"BYU grounds Falcons, 12–10". The Sunday Oregonian. November 3, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Cougars edge Arizona State". Albuquerque Journal. November 10, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"BYU nears title after 36–3 romp". The El Paso Times. November 17, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Sheide leads BYU to crown". The Billings Gazette. November 24, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Cowboys 'turn over' Cougars, 16–6". The Arizona Republic. December 29, 1974. Retrieved October 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"CougarStats.com. 1974 season". Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
Eugene Register-Guard. 1974 Oct 6

v t e BYU Cougars football
Venues	LaVell Edwards Stadium (1964–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Utah: Holy War (Beehive Boot) Utah State (Beehive Boot, The Old Wagon Wheel)
Culture & lore	Cosmo the Cougar "The Cougar Song" BYU Cougar Marching Band Mormons vs. Mullets
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943–1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Western Athletic Conference football champions
I-A/FBS	New Mexico (1962) Arizona State (1963) Arizona, New Mexico & Utah (1964) BYU (1965) Wyoming (1966) Wyoming (1967) Wyoming (1968) Arizona State (1969) Arizona State (1970) Arizona State (1971) Arizona State (1972) Arizona & Arizona State (1973) BYU (1974) Arizona State (1975) BYU & Wyoming (1976) Arizona State & BYU (1977) BYU (1978) BYU (1979) BYU (1980) BYU (1981) BYU (1982) BYU (1983) BYU (1984) Air Force & BYU (1985) San Diego State (1986) Wyoming (1987) Wyoming (1988) BYU (1989) BYU (1990) BYU (1991) BYU, Fresno State & Hawaii (1992) BYU, Fresno State & Wyoming (1993) Colorado State (1994) Air Force, BYU, Colorado State & Utah (1995) BYU (1996) Colorado State (1997) Air Force (1998) Fresno State, Hawaii & TCU (1999) TCU & UTEP (2000) Louisiana Tech (2001) Boise State (2002) Boise State (2003) Boise State (2004) Boise State & Nevada (2005) Boise State (2006) Hawaii (2007) Boise State (2008) Boise State (2009) Boise State, Hawaii & Nevada (2010) Louisiana Tech (2011) Utah State (2012)
I-AA/FCS	Sam Houston (2021) Abilene Christian & Stephen F. Austin (2022)
National championships in bold

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