1984 BYU Cougars football team

1984 BYU Cougars football
Consensus national champion
WAC champion
Holiday Bowl champion
Holiday Bowl, W 24–17 vs. Michigan
Conference Western Athletic Conference
Ranking
Coaches No. 1
AP No. 1
Record 13–0 (8–0 WAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Roger French (4th season)
Offensive scheme West Coast
Defensive coordinator Dick Felt (10th season)
Base defense 3–4
Home stadium Cougar Stadium
1984 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 BYU $ 8 – 0 – 0 13 – 0 – 0
Hawaii 5 – 2 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
Air Force 4 – 3 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Utah 4 – 3 – 1 6 – 5 – 1
San Diego State 4 – 3 – 1 4 – 7 – 1
Wyoming 4 – 4 – 0 6 – 6 – 0
Colorado State 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
New Mexico 1 – 7 – 0 4 – 8 – 0
UTEP 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 9 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1984 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) in the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Cougars were led by 13th-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 ninth consecutive year. The Cougars finished the regular season as the only undefeated team in Division I-A, and secured their first ever national title by defeating Michigan in the 1984 Holiday Bowl.

A number of pollsters and coaches were reluctant to name the Cougars as national champion, partly because they believed BYU's schedule was too weak. Only two of BYU's opponents won at least seven games. They had played only one ranked opponent all season, preseason #3 Pittsburgh, a team that would finish 3–7–1 and unranked. No other team in the WAC was even close to being their equal; the Cougars were the only team in the league with fewer than four overall losses. In the end, BYU was ranked number one in both major final polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll. The team was named national champion by NCAA-designated major selectors of AP, Billingsley, Football Research, FW, National Football Foundation, Poling, UPI, and USA/CNN, while named co-champion by both National Championship Foundation and Sagarin (ELO-Chess).

To date, the 1984 Cougars are the last team from outside a "power conference" to win a national title. It is widely believed that the various systems devised over the years with a view toward deciding the national championship on the field, with their emphasis on strength of schedule, make it extremely difficult for a team outside the power conferences to be considered for championship contention.

Schedule

Date Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance
September 1 at No. 3 Pittsburgh*
ESPN W 20–14 40,263
September 8 Baylor* No. 13
W 47–13 63,705
September 15 Tulsa* No. 8
  • Cougar Stadium
  • Provo, UT
 W 38–15 64,237
September 22 at Hawaii No. 6
W 18–13 50,000
October 6 at Colorado State No. 7
W 52–9 28,671
October 13 Wyomingdagger No. 5
  • Cougar Stadium
  • Provo, UT
 W 41–38 64,839
October 20 at Air Force No. 7
ABC W 30–25 30,469
October 25 at New Mexico No. 5
ESPN W 48–0 19,227
November 3 UTEP No. 4
  • Cougar Stadium
  • Provo, UT
 W 42–9 62,530
November 10 San Diego State No. 4
  • Cougar Stadium
  • Provo, UT
 W 34–3 64,050
November 17 at Utah No. 3
KUTV W 24–14 36,110
November 24 Utah State* No. 1
  • Cougar Stadium
  • Provo, UT (rivalry)
 W 38–13 65,580
December 21 vs. Michigan* No. 1
ESPN W 24–17 61,243
  • *Non-conference game
  • daggerHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1984 BYU Cougars football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
G, C 57 Robert Anae  Sr
WR 11 Mark Bellini So
OL 71 John Borgia Fr
QB 6 Robbie Bosco  Jr
RB 28 Paul Crawford
WR 18 Jim Edwards
QB 16 Blaine Fowler
OL 75 David Futrell
OL 59 Craig Garrick
WR 1 Adam Haysbert
RB 35 Lakei Heimuli
OL 68 John Hunter
OL 66 David King
WR 7 Glen Kozlowski  Jr
TE 90 Lance Lindley
QB 8 Steve Lindsley
OL 73 Chris Matau
C 50 Trevor Matich  Sr
OL 67 Keith McCullough
WR 26 David Miles
TE 12 David Mills
TE 94 Trevor Molini
WR 85 Scott Norberg
OL 75 Sam Oramas
WR 19 Richard Orr
HB 43 Robert Parker So
OL 61 Doug Rawlinson Fr
OL 63 Randy Rawlinson
OL 69 Scott Robinson
OL 55 Brian Rondoni Fr
FB 33 Thor Salanoa So
OL 56 Jay Shumway
HB 23 Vai Sikahema Jr
HB 21 Kelly Smith
OL 60 David Tidwell
HB 46 Tom Tuipulotu
TE 89 Brett Varoz
RB 33 Fred Whittingham
OL 70 Louis Wong
OL 78 David Wright
QB 12 Mike Young
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
LB 51 Ladd Akeo So
DB 22 Mark Allen Sr
LB 49 Marv Allen Sr
LB 31 John Bechtold So
LB 37 Alema Fitisemanu
LB 34 Kurt Gouveia Jr
DL 78 Larry Hamilton
DB 42 Steve Haymond
DB 2 Brian Hazelgren
DE 92 Jim Herrmann Sr
LB 57 Richard Hobbs
DL 96 Jay Huckaby
DL 77 Shawn Knight
DL 76 Tim Knight
DB 9 Rob Ledenko
DL 80 Ty Mattingly
LB 44 Jim McDade
LB 96 Jay McDonald
DB 5 Kyle Morrell Sr
LB 55 David Neff
DB 27 Kory Rasmussen So
LB 59 Steve Sanders
DB 5 Marc Sherman
DB 24 Shane Shumway
DL 76 Brad Smith
DL 65 Ken Smith
DB 25 Jeff Sprowls
DB 3 Rodney Thomas
LB 9 JC VonCollin
LB 41 Leon White Jr
LB 53 Cary Whittingham Jr
DB 14 Jeff Wilcox
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P, PK 10 Lee Johnson Sr
PK 3 Pete Rossi
PK 15 Gary Webster
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2017-Jan-01

Rankings

Further information: 1984 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked ( ) = First-place votes
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Final
AP — 13 8 (1) 6 8 7 5 7 5 (3) 4 (4) 4 3 (11) 1 (40) 1 (34) 1 (33) 1 (38)
Coaches — 12 6 (1) 4 8 6 5 5 (1) 4 (1) 3 (5) 4 (4) 3 (12) 1 (30) 1 (21) 1 (24) 1 (28)

Game summaries

At No. 3 Pittsburgh

1 2 3 4 Total
• Cougars 0 3 6 11 20
No. 3 Panthers 0 0 14 0 14
   
Scoring summary
2 BYU Lee Johnson 37-yard field goal BYU 3–0
3 Pitt Bill Callahan 78-yard interception return (kick) Pitt 7–3
11:35 Pitt Marc Bailey 1-yard run (kick) Pitt 14–3
BYU Lakai Heimuli 12-yard run (pass failed) Pitt 14–9
4 BYU Lee Johnson 23-yard field goal Pitt 14–12
1:37 BYU Adam Haysbert 50-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Bosco run) BYU 20–14
See also: 1984 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

Baylor

1 2 3 4 Total
Bears 7 0 0 6 13
• No. 13 Cougars 21 13 7 6 47
     
Scoring summary
1 BYU Glen Kozlowski 2-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (kick blocked) BYU 6–0
BYU David Mills 39-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Glen Kozlowski pass from Robbie Bosco) BYU 14–0
Baylor Glenn Pruitt 28-yard pass from Tom Muecke (Jim Mueller kick) BYU 14–7
BYU Glen Kozlowski 10-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 21–7
2 BYU Kelly Smith 2-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 28–7
BYU Kelly Smith 23-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (kick blocked) BYU 34–7
3 BYU David Mills 15-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 41–7
4 Baylor Ralph Stockemer 1-yard run (pass failed) BYU 41–13
BYU Fred Whittingham 1-yard run (kick failed) BYU 47–13
See also: 1984 Baylor Bears football team

Tulsa

1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Hurricane 0 6 3 6 15
• No. 8 Cougars 14 7 3 14 38
      
Scoring summary
1 BYU Vai Sikahema 89-yard punt return (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 7–0
BYU David Mills 7-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 14–0
2 BYU Lakei Heimuli (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 21–0
Tulsa Jason Staurovsky 32-yard field goal BYU 21–3
Tulsa Jason Staurovsky 30-yard field goal BYU 21–6
3 BYU Lee Johnson 25-yard field goal BYU 24–6
Tulsa Jason Staurovsky 46-yard field goal BYU 24–9
4 BYU Robbie Bosco 33-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 31–9
Tulsa Ronnie Kelley 4-yard pass from Steve Gage (pass failed) BYU 31–15
BYU Robbie Parker 3-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 38–15
See also: 1984 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

At Hawaii

1 2 3 4 Total
• No. 6 Cougars 3 9 0 6 18
Rainbows 0 10 0 3 13
  • Date: September 22
  • Location: Aloha Stadium
  • Game weather: Clear; 78 °F (26 °C)
Scoring summary
Q1 BYU Johnson 46 yard field goal BYU 3–0
Q2 BYU Johnson 36 yard field goal BYU 6–0
Q2 BYU Kel. Smith 4 yard run (pass failed) BYU 12–0
Q2 HAW Aguiar recovered blocked punt in end zone (Spelman kick) BYU 12–7
Q2 HAW Spelman 33 yard field goal BYU 12–10
Q4 HAW Spelman 17 yard field goal HAW 13–12
Q4 BYU Kozlowski 25 yard pass from Bosco (pass failed) BYU 18–13

At Colorado State

1 2 3 4 Total
• No. 7 Cougars 21 17 7 7 52
Rams 3 0 0 6 9
  • Date: October 6
  • Location: Hughes Stadium
  • Game attendance: 28,671
  • Game weather: Sunny; 64 °F (18 °C)
      
Scoring summary
1 BYU Lakei Leimuli 7-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 7–0
BYU Kelly Smith 40-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 14–0
BYU Kelly Smith 41-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 21–0
CSU Steve DeLine 32-yard field goal BYU 21–3
2 BYU Robbie Bosco 2-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 28–3
BYU Kelly Smith 8-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 35–3
BYU Lee Johnson 38-yard field goal BYU 38–3
3 BYU Robert Parker 28-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 45–3
4 BYU Richard Orr 17-yard pass from Blaine Fowler BYU 52–3
CSU Bill Sherman 5-yard pass from Rod Trumper (pass failed) BYU 52–9
See also: 1984 Colorado State Rams football team

Wyoming

1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 7 13 18 0 38
• No. 5 Cougars 14 7 12 8 41
        
Scoring summary
1 BYU David Mills 44-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 7–0
BYU Kelly Smith 6-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 14–0
Wyo Allyn Griffin 64-yard pass from Kevin Lowe (Andrew Cottingham kick) BYU 14–7
2 BYU Mark Bellini 9-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 21–7
Wyo Allyn Griffin 37-yard pass from Scott Runyan (Andrew Cottingham kick) BYU 21–14
Wyo Oliver Davis 77-yard punt return (kick failed) BYU 21–20
3 Wyo Dave Evans 14-yard run (pass failed) Wyo 26–21
BYU Lakei Heimuli 8-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (pass failed) BYU 27–26
Wyo Jeff Westphal 1-yard run (pass failed) Wyo 32–27
BYU David Mills 31-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (pass failed) BYU 33–32
Wyo Kevin Lowe 61-yard run (pass failed) Wyo 38–33
4 BYU David Mills 14-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (David Mills pass from Robbie Bosco) BYU 41–38
See also: 1984 Wyoming Cowboys football team
  • Robbie Bosco 29-44, 384 yards, 5 TD
  • David Mills 7 receptions, 136 yards, 3 TD
External videos
video icon Second half broadcast (partial)

At Air Force

1 2 3 4 Total
• No. 7 Cougars 7 7 13 3 30
Falcons 7 2 10 6 25
  • Date: October 20
  • Location: Falcon Stadium
  • Game attendance: 30,469
  • Game weather: Overcast, periods of snow; 36 °F (2 °C)
  • Television network: ABC
      
Scoring summary
1 AF Jody Simmons 2-yard run (Carlos Mateos kick) Air Force 7–0
BYU Mark Bellini 52-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) Tied 7–7
2 AF Safety, Mike Chandler tackled Robbie Bosco in end zone Air Force 9–7
BYU Glen Kozlowski 22-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 14–9
3 BYU Kelly Smith 56-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 21–9
AF Kevin Fleming 57-yard pass from Bart Weiss (Carlos Mateos kick) BYU 21–16
AF Carlos Mateos 46-yard field goal BYU 21–19
BYU David Mills 54-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (kick failed) BYU 27–19
4 AF Bart Weiss 2-yard run (run failed) BYU 27–25
BYU Lee Johnson 27-yard field goal BYU 30–25
See also: 1984 Air Force Falcons football team
  • Robbie Bosco 28-41, 484 yards, 4 TD, INT

At New Mexico

1 2 3 4 Total
• No. 5 Cougars 7 17 24 0 48
Lobos 0 0 0 0 0
  • Date: October 25
  • Location: University Stadium
  • Game attendance: 19,277
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy; 50 °F (10 °C)
  • Television network: ESPN
     
Scoring summary
1 BYU Glen Kozlowski 7-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 7–0
2 BYU Lee Johnson 17-yard field goal BYU 10–0
BYU Vai Sikahema 47-yard punt return (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 17–0
BYU Lakei Heimuli 2-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 24–0
3 BYU Lakei Heimuli 33-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 31–0
BYU Lee Johnson 47-yard field goal BYU 34–0
BYU Glen Kozlowski 10-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 41–0
BYU Glen Kozlowski 3-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Pete Rossi kick) BYU 48–0
See also: 1984 New Mexico Lobos football team

UTEP

1 2 3 4 Total
Miners 0 3 0 6 9
• No. 4 Cougars 14 7 21 0 42
  • Date: November 3
  • Location: Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah
  • Game attendance: 62,350
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), Mostly cloudy
    
Scoring summary
1 BYU Glen Kozlowski 24-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 7–0
BYU Adam Haysbert 4-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 14–0
2 BYU Mark Bellini 11-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 21–0
UTEP Hugo Castellanos 27-yard field goal BYU 21–3
3 BYU Lakei Heimuli 13-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 28–3
BYU Kelly Smith 12-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 35–3
BYU Adam Haysbert 6-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 42–3
4 UTEP Robert Moore 3-yard run (pass failed) BYU 42–9
See also: 1984 UTEP Miners football team

San Diego State

1 2 3 4 Total
Aztecs 3 0 0 0 3
• No. 4 Cougars 14 10 3 7 34
   
Scoring summary
1 SDSU Chris O'Brien 27-yard field goal SDSU 3–0
BYU Glen Kozlowski 17-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 7–3
BYU Kelly Smith 40-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 14–3
2 BYU Lakei Heimuli 2-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 21–3
BYU Lee Johnson 42-yard field goal BYU 24–3
3 BYU Lee Johnson 32-yard field goal BYU 27–3
4 BYU Glen Kozlowski 9-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 34–3
See also: 1984 San Diego State Aztecs football team

At Utah

BYU at Utah
1 2 3 4 Total
• No. 3 Cougars 7 3 7 7 24
Utes 7 0 7 0 14
Scoring summary
1 8:54 UTAH Moloani Hola 1 yard run (Andre Guardi kick) Utah 7–0
1 2:41 BYU Adam Haysbert 11 yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) Tied 7–7
2 0:02 BYU Lee Johnson 19 yard field goal BYU 10–7
3 8:11 BYU Glen Kozlowski 19 yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 17–7
3 1:35 UTAH Thomas Beard 11 yard pass from Mark Stevens (Andre Guardi kick) BYU 17–14
4 7:26 BYU Kelly Smith 4 yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 24–14
See also: 1984 Utah Utes football team

Utah State

1 2 3 4 Total
Aggies 0 7 6 0 13
• No. 1 Cougars 10 7 7 14 38
  • Date: November 24
  • Location: Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah
  • Game attendance: 65,508
  • Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), Partly cloudy
     
Scoring summary
1 BYU Lakei Heimuli 8-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 7–0
BYU Lee Johnson 22-yard field goal BYU 10–0
2 BYU Vai Sikahema 2-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 17–0
USU Tracy Duckworth 3-yard pass from Gym Kimball (Willie Beecher kick) BYU 17–7
3 USU Willie Beecher 26-yard field goal BYU 17–10
BYU Mark Bellini 19-yard pass from Robbie Bosco (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 24–10
USU Willie Beecher 46-yard field goal BYU 24–13
4 BYU Lakei Heimuli 4-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 31–13
BYU Vai Sikahema 26-yard run (Lee Johnson kick) BYU 38–13
See also: 1984 Utah State Aggies football team

Vs. Michigan (Holiday Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total
Wolverines 0 7 7 3 17
• No. 1 Cougars 0 10 0 14 24
  • Date: December 21
  • Location: Jack Murphy Stadium
  • Game attendance: 61,243
  • Game weather: Clear; 51 °F (11 °C)
  • Television network: ESPN
    
Scoring summary
2 BYU Kel. Smith 5 yard run (Johnson kick) BYU 7–0
MICH Rogers 5 yard run (Bergeron kick) Tied 7–7
BYU Johnson 31 yard field goal BYU 10–7
3 MICH Perryman 10 yard pass from Zurbrugg (Bergeron kick) MICH 14–10
4 MICH Bergeron 32 yard field goal MICH 17–10
BYU Kozlowski 7 yard pass from Bosco (Johnson kick) Tie 17–17
BYU Kel. Smith 13 yard pass from Bosco (Johnson kick) BYU 24–17
Main article: 1984 Holiday Bowl
See also: 1984 Michigan Wolverines football team

Draft picks

The following were selected in the 1985 NFL Draft.

Player Position Round Overall NFL Team
Trevor Matich Center 1 28 New England Patriots
Kyle Morrell Cornerback 4 106 Minnesota Vikings
Louis Wong Guard 5 131 St. Louis Cardinals
Lee Johnson Punter 5 138 Houston Oilers
Jim Herrmann Defensive end 7 184 Dallas Cowboys

Awards and honors