American college football season
The 1979 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) for the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season . The Cougars were led by eighth-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 title for the fourth consecutive year with a conference record of 7–0. BYU finished the regular season with an undefeated record of 11–0. BYU was invited to the 1979 Holiday Bowl , where they lost to Indiana . They were ranked 13th in the final AP Poll and 12th in the final Coaches Poll .
Schedule
Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 8 at No. 14 Texas A&M * W 18–17 40,000 September 15 Weber State *W 48–3 33,161 September 29 UTEP W 31–7 34,724 October 5 Hawaii No. 20 W 38–15 34,741 October 13 at Utah State * No. 16 W 48–24 28,094 October 20 at Wyoming No. 13 W 54–14 14,723 October 27 New Mexico No. 11 W 59–7 33,921 November 3 at Colorado State No. 11 W 30–7 25,612 November 9 at Long Beach State * No. 11 W 31–17 20,051 November 17 Utah No. 10 W 27–0 40,236 November 24 at San Diego State No. 10 ABC W 63–14 46,121 December 21 vs. Indiana * No. 9 L 37–38 52,500 *Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Game summaries
Vs. Texas A&M
BYU Cougars (0–0) at #14 Texas A&M Aggies (0–0)
at Rice Stadium , Houston, Texas
Date : September 8, 1979Game attendance : 40,000Box Score
Game information
First quarter
A&M – David Brothers 1-yard run (David Hardy kick). Texas A&M 7–0. Second quarter
BYU – Brent Johnson 27-yard field goal. Texas A&M 7–3. Third quarter
A&M – Mike Mosley 7-yard run (David Hardy kick). Texas A&M 14–3.
BYU – Dan Plater 20-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Brent Johnson kick). Texas A&M 14–10. Fourth quarter
A&M – David Hardy 37-yard field goal. Texas A&M 17–16.
BYU – Clay Brown 3-yard pass from Marc Wilson (pass good), 0:52. BYU 18–17.
Top passers Top rushers BYU – Homer Jones – 7 rushes, 53 yards
A&M – Curtis Dickey – 28 rushes, 148 yards Top receivers BYU – Dan Plater – 3 receptions, 49 yards, TD
A&M – Gerald Carter – 6 receptions, 104 yards
The game was played at Rice Stadium because Kyle Field was being renovated.
QB Marc Wilson had undergone an emergency appendectomy and had lost weight during the week of the game.
The defense carried the offense that was still finding its rhythm with a blocked punt and a goal line stand. The ailing Wilson drove BYU down the field to score with 52 seconds left to pull within 17–16. Coach Edwards let the team decide whether to go for the tie or the win and they chose the latter. The attempt was converted and BYU put itself in the national spotlight with a major upset.
Utah
1
2 3 4 Total
Utah
0
0 0 0
0
• BYU
17
3 7 0
27
Scoring summary 1 BYU Matt Braga 14-yard run (Johnson kick) BYU 7-0 1 BYU H. Jones 5-yard run (Johnson kick) BYU 14-0 1 BYU Johnson 39-yard field goal BYU 17-0 2 BYU Johnson 44-yard field goal BYU 20-0 3 BYU Matt Braga 18-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Johnson kick) BYU 27-0
Marc Wilson threw for 374 yards as BYU clinched at least a share of the WAC title and set up a showdown with San Diego State for the following week. Wilson set an NCAA record for the most passing yards against a single opponent in two games and tied Rice's Tommy Kramer 1976 record for 300-yard passing games in a season with seven.
Game 12: Holiday Bowl (vs. Indiana)
Marc Wilson 28/43, 380 yards, 2 TD, TD rushing
Personnel
1979 BYU Cougars football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Pos.
#
Name
Class
K
2
Brent Johnson
Sr
Head coach Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) IneligibleRoster
References
"Brigham Young comeback gives Texas A&M 18–17 shock" . Corpus Christi Caller-Times . September 9, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."Weber State is no match for Cougars" . The El Paso Times . September 16, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."BYU bombs Texas–El Paso 31–7" . San Angelo Standard-Times . September 30, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."BYU humbles Hawaii" . South Idaho Press . October 7, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."Marc Wilson hurls BYU past Utah St" . The Idaho Statesman . October 14, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."BYU crushes Wyoming, 54–14" . The Daily Spectrum . October 21, 1979. p. 7. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."Ambitious BYU zaps New Mexico, 59–7" . The Salt Lake Tribune . October 28, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."BYU rolls as Wilson sets mark" . The Tulsa World . November 4, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."Wilson (and BYU) make points as 49ers lose, 31–17" . The Los Angeles Times . November 10, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."BYU blanks Utes 27–0" . The Daily Herald . November 18, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."BYU batters Aztecs to win WAC title" . The Salt Lake Tribune . November 25, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."Indiana shocks BYU 38–37" . The Sacramento Bee . December 22, 1979. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com ."1979 Brigham Young Cougars Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 19, 2024.BYU Football Talk
Eugene Register-Guard . 1979 Nov 18.
"1979" . Holidaybowl.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
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1979 vs. Texas A&M – Game-winning touchdown & two-point conversion
