Former players recall 1996 BYU football season: was it the best ever?

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PROVO — BYU completed one of the best seasons in program history exactly 20 years ago.

The 14 wins by the 14-1 BYU football team set an FBS record that may never fall, and it was capped by a victory over Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl — the only New Year’s Day bowl appearance in program history.

A 41-37 win over Texas A&M in the season opener helped set the stage: 1996 could be a special season in Provo.

“That was a huge game,” running back Ronney Jenkins said. “The biggest game I’ve ever been in.”

The team claimed revenge on the Aggies, who defeated the Cougars in the 1990 Holiday Bowl after quarterback Ty Detmer was injured.

“That stuck with me,” star kick returner James Dye said. “I remember that just as a fan of BYU. For me, that win was to right the wrongs of the past and even the score.

“They held their heads low and licked their wounds. And that’s the way you want to send them.”

Nobody expected the result, which made it even sweeter.

“I don’t think anybody thought we were going to beat Texas A&M, coming in from the Big 12,” running back Brian McKenzie said.

Added linebacker Shay Muirbrook: “They were so above us. They were just so put off that they had to play BYU. It really fueled our fire. We took the field, and I definitely don’t think they were ready for the physicality of that game.

“I definitely think he underestimate the altitude. They were gassed.”

The win give them confidence. At 2-0, the Cougars rode waves of momentum into a road trip to Washington.

Then it all unraveled, leading to BYU’s only loss of the year, 29-17 in Huskie Stadium.

“The Washington game was a wake-up call,” McKenzie said. “It was a national stage; everything was laid out in front of us. We could’ve really broken into the top five.

“I don’t know what happened with that. But it brought us back down so that we could be beat.”

The rest of the season presented a fire and intensity for the remainder of the season. The Cougars won out through the Western Athletic Conference’s regular season, ending with a 37-17 victory at rival Utah.

“It’s easy to say ‘we were the better team,’” Dye said of the Washington loss. “But I look at it a different way. We had potential, and they showed us by beating us what our potential was.

“It helped us to understand the pieces we needed to have the season we had.”

Quarterback Steve Sarkisian led the Cougars, on the field and off it. A junior college transfer, he acted as another coach in LaVell Edwards’ legendary offense.

Photo: Mark Philbrick, BYU

“If he trusted you, he was going to showcase you,” Jenkins said. “Usually he was throwing me the ball, and I just wanted to catch it because I respected his game and respected his leadership.

“We just had so many different weapons. And I think everyone complemented each other.”

They made plays on special teams, too, in the form of Dye.

“Sometimes, what were they thinking?” Dye joked. “I have no idea.

“That was amazing to be an integral part of the success of the program and all of those wins.”

But the backbone of the team was defense.

“I think there’s an old adage somewhere that defense wins championships,” Muirbrook said. “We wanted to be recognized, and we wanted to be talked about the same way they talked about BYU offenses. We wanted people to know they were in a game, and regardless of the outcome, they were going to walk off the field knowing they got beat physically.”

A 28-25 overtime win over Wyoming in the WAC championship game in Las Vegas is still considered one of the greatest games in the conference’s football history.

“It was like a championship game is supposed to be,” McKenzie said. “We had a chance to play for a New Year’s Day bowl.

“Everything was on the line for everybody.”

Related Story

Why BYU's 1996 football team was the best in school history BYU football is celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the 1996 season, when the Cougars won 14 games and appeared in the school’s only New Year’s Bowl.

No other BYU team has played in a New Year’s Day bowl. The Cougars made themselves known with a win over Kansas State.

“Offenses score points, but defenses win championships,” Dye said. “What better way to go out than that way: letting your defense finish it off?

Was it the best BYU team ever? A lot of arguments can be made. The 1996 team finished the season ranked No. 5 in the AP poll, the second-highest season ending in school history. Until the advent of the College Football Playoff, no other team could exceed that win total. More than a dozen players on that team made it to the NFL, and even more are still coaching the game today.

But Dye hopes 'the best' is not to be.

“I’m anxious to be replaced,” he said. “I want to come down to the second level or the third level. I’m hoping someone can replace us, carry it forward, get gold rings and get another plaque. … I revel the day when they are sitting in their reunion, and we can say ‘job well done.’”

Click the video above for a trip down memory lane of the 1996 season.

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