1979 BYU Cougars football team

American college football season August 2023 February 2026 1979 BYU Cougars football Western Athletic Conference WAC 12 13 11–1 7–0 LaVell Edwards 7th Doug Scovil 3rd West Coast Fred Whittingham 1st 4–3 Cougar Stadium WAC champion Holiday Bowl L 37–38 vs. Indiana 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 1979 AP September 8 w y y Texas A&M 14 Rice Stadium Houston, TX 18–17 40,000 https://www.newspapers.com/article/corpus-christi-caller-times-brigham-youn/157427968/ Corpus Christi Caller-Times Brigham Young comeback gives Texas A&M 18–17 shock September 9, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com September 15 w y Weber State Cougar Stadium Provo, UT 48–3 33,161 https://www.newspapers.com/article/el-paso-times-weber-state-is-no-match-fo/155168675/ The El Paso Times Weber State is no match for Cougars September 16, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com September 29 w UTEP Cougar Stadium Provo, UT 31–7 34,724 https://www.newspapers.com/article/san-angelo-standard-times-byu-bombs-texa/157428065/ San Angelo Standard-Times BYU bombs Texas–El Paso 31–7 September 30, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com October 5 w 20 Hawaii Cougar Stadium Provo, UT 38–15 34,741 https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-idaho-press-byu-humbles-hawaii/157428136/ South Idaho Press BYU humbles Hawaii October 7, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com October 13 w y y 16 Utah State Romney Stadium Logan, UT 48–24 28,094 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman-marc-wilson-hurls-by/157428237/ The Idaho Statesman Marc Wilson hurls BYU past Utah St. October 14, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com October 20 w y 13 Wyoming War Memorial Stadium Laramie, WY 54–14 14,723 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115981875/byu-crushes-wyoming-54-14/ The Daily Spectrum BYU crushes Wyoming, 54–14 October 21, 1979 7 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com October 27 w 11 New Mexico Cougar Stadium Provo, UT 59–7 33,921 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-ambitious-byu-zaps/157428337/ The Salt Lake Tribune Ambitious BYU zaps New Mexico, 59–7 October 28, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com November 3 w y 11 Colorado State Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO 30–7 25,612 https://www.newspapers.com/article/tulsa-world-byu-rolls-as-wilson-sets-mar/157428434/ The Tulsa World BYU rolls as Wilson sets mark November 4, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com November 9 w y y 11 Long Beach State Anaheim Stadium Anaheim, CA 31–17 20,051 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-wilson-and-byu-m/157428573/ The Los Angeles Times Wilson (and BYU) make points as 49ers lose, 31–17 November 10, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com November 17 w 10 Utah Cougar Stadium Provo, UT 27–0 40,236 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-byu-blanks-utes-270/157428668/ The Daily Herald BYU blanks Utes 27–0 November 18, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com November 24 w y 10 San Diego State San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA ABC 63–14 46,121 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-salt-lake-tribune-byu-batters-aztecs/157428741/ The Salt Lake Tribune BYU batters Aztecs to win WAC title November 25, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com December 21 l y y 9 Indiana San Diego Stadium San Diego, CA Holiday Bowl 37–38 52,500 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sacramento-bee-indiana-shocks-byu-38/157428797/ The Sacramento Bee Indiana shocks BYU 38–37 December 22, 1979 October 19, 2024 Newspapers.com 1979 Brigham Young Cougars Schedule and Results Sports Reference LLC SR/College Football October 19, 2024 https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/brigham-young/1979-schedule.html Game summaries Vs. Texas A&M BYU Cougars 2; text-align:center collapsed BYU Cougars (0–0) at #14 Texas A&M Aggies (0–0) September 8, 1979 BYU 0 3 7 8 Texas A&M 7 0 7 3 Rice Stadium, Houston, Texas 40,000 Box Score 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 BYU – Marc Wilson – 17/35, 165 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT A&M – Mike Mosley – 9/13, 125 yards 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. BYU Football Talk"Late Pass Enables BYU to Upset A&M." Palm Beach Post. 1979 Sept 9. right 1979 vs. Texas A&M – Game-winning touchdown & two-point conversion Utah Utah 0 0 0 0 BYU 17 3 7 0 November 18 Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah 40,236 yes 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 yes 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. "BYU stays unbeaten, Wilson breaks records." Eugene Register-Guard. 1979 Nov 18. Game 12: Holiday Bowl (vs. Indiana) Marc Wilson 28/43, 380 yards, 2 TD, TD rushing http://www.holidaybowl.com/game-history/1979.html 1979 Holidaybowl.com 2012-11-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20121216233430/http://www.holidaybowl.com/game-history/1979.html 2012-12-16 dead Personnel 1979 BYU Cougars f 85 Jr Clay Brown Clay Brown (American football) TE y 3 Fr Scott Collie WR y 72 Jr Nick Eyre T y 87 Jr Lloyd Jones WR 36 Jr Eric Lane Eric Lane (American football) RB y 9 Jr Jim McMahon QB y y y 64 Jr Andy Reid T y 6 Sr Marc Wilson Marc Wilson (American football) QB y 78 Fr Chuck Ehin DT y 48 Jr Scott Garrett LB 83 Sr Mat Mendenhall DE y 77 Fr Mike Morgan DE 41 Jr Glen Redd LB y 59 So Kyle Whittingham LB y 2 Sr Brent Johnson K https://byucougars.com/sports/football/roster/season/1979 *LaVell Edwards References BYU Category:BYU Cougars football seasons Category:Western Athletic Conference football champion seasons BYU Cougars football