Parallel worlds: BYU and SMU both followed winding paths to college football prominence | News, Sports, Jobs

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BYU's Jacob Robinson (0) defeats SMU quarterback Tanner Mordecai on a two-point conversion attempt to secure the Cougars' 24-23 victory in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl.

Courtesy of BYU Photo

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Former BYU quarterback Jim McMahon celebrates his team's comeback victory in the 1980 Holiday Bowl against SMU.

Courtesy of BYU Photo

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SMU tight end Nolan Matthews-Harris (14) and defensive end David Abiara (10) celebrate after defeating Tulane in the NCAA American Athletic Conference college football championship game on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in New Orleans. SMU won 26-14.

Gerald Herbert, AP Photo

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SMU running back Tyler Lavine (31) carries during the second half of the NCAA American Athletic Conference college football championship game against Tulane, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in New Orleans. SMU won 26-14.

Gerald Herbert, AP Photo

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Any self-respecting BYU fan knows the story of the Cougars' amazing comeback victory over SMU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl.

The Miracle Bowl in San Diego was the starting point for BYU's winning streak in the 1980s and 1990s, the glory days for LaVell Edwards and the Cougar fans, many of whom listened to the final moments of the game on the car radio as they drove down the highway after an early exit.

The 1980s were also the Mustangs' happiest days. From 1981 to 1986, SMU posted a record of 53-15-1 in the Southwest Conference, including a 41-5-1 record during a four-year winning streak. But years of rule-breaking and paying players caught up with SMU and the program was busted by the NCAA, the so-called “death penalty” that sent the Mustangs into a 20-year slide.

Both programs have overcome adversity and emerged with hope and potential.

As the two teams prepare for Friday's game in Dallas, BYU and SMU have emerged as members of power conferences. The Cougars joined the Big 12 last season and SMU is now a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference after years of college football exile.

“We're happy with where we're at,” SMU athletic director Rick Hart said in an interview with the Associated Press. “Maybe it's silly, but I think it's because we've fought our way back from doom. We're going to take advantage of this moment. And I'm confident we're going to position ourselves to compete at the highest level of athleticism.”

It's a miracle

The stories of the 1980 Holiday Bowl are well told. BYU trailed by 22 points in the third quarter and was down 45-20 with four minutes left, but scored 21 straight points, including a Hail Mary from Jim McMahon to Clay Brown on the game's final play, to win 46-45. Every Cougar fan knows how McMahon refused to leave the field on fourth down, forcing Edwards to call a timeout. BYU converted the first down and the comeback began.

McMahon says Mustangs running back and NFL legend Eric Dickerson always turns heads when they meet on the golf course.

Current Cougar AD Tom Holmoe was a defensive back on that team. He tells the story of how he was wandering around San Diego with his friends after the game and pranking a convenience store clerk who was watching the game on TV, not knowing he was watching a replay. Holmoe correctly predicted the game's final sequence, baffling the clerk.

“He looked at me like I was Nostradamus,” said Holmoe, who had bet $20 with the seller on the outcome of the game but then came clean and refused to take his money.

Vai Sikahema, a future NFL All-Pro, scored a touchdown on a punt return in the game. He said when he returned to his hometown of Phoenix, he and his buddies put on BYU gear and took a victory lap around the local mall.

“I was 5 years old when the game happened,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said this week. “I don't remember much, but I remember watching highlights when I was 8. I was the kind of kid who watched replays of games all the time. It was cool to see that SMU team with guys like Eric Dickerson. Then you see guys like Kyle Whittingham and Jim McMahon for BYU. There are some cool moments in that game, like Jim McMahon not wanting to punt and keeping the offense out. I grew up hearing those stories as a kid and then, as a BYU player, I was able to ask LaVell what he did. [Edwards] about it.”

SMU doesn't remember the game quite so fondly.

“It's bitter,” Rich Phillips, the radio voice of SMU football, said on BYU Sports Nation. “It's still very bitter. People were already leaving the stadium because it was over, but then you end up losing by a last-ditch effort. Two years ago (the 2022 New Mexico Bowl) was a little bitter for some, too. (Mustangs coach) Rhett Lashlee ended up getting two points because he decided we weren't going to go to overtime and someone was going to win the game right there.”

In the final minutes of the game, Jakob Robinson stopped a two-point conversion attempt by Mustangs quarterback Tanner Mordecai, securing the 24-23 victory.

The two programs also met when they were members of an expanded Western Athletic Conference, with BYU winning 31-3 in Provo (1996) and 19-16 in overtime in Dallas (1997).

Transition years

The end of the Edwards era was a slow decline (29-20 in his final four seasons), giving way to a 12-0 start in 2001 by new coach Gary Crowton. But Crowton suffered three straight losing seasons and was replaced by Bronco Mendenhall, who began to revitalize the program. The Cougars went to independence and Mendenhall, hitting a glass ceiling in terms of entry to the big boys club, went to Virginia. Kalani Sitake stepped in and had some success, including an 11-1 record in 2020. Then came one of the best weeks ever in BYU football: An invitation to the Big 12 on Friday, Sept. 10, 2021, followed by a win over Utah the following day that ended the Utes' nine-game winning streak in the series.

The most surprising aspect of moving to a power conference was that the BYU administration and board of directors examined the financial commitment of joining the Big 12 and were fully committed to it.

The Cougars struggled in their first year, going 2-7 in league play and failing to make a bowl game for the first time since 2017. But a spot in the 12-team NCAA playoff is within reach. It's all BYU has ever wanted.

“Congratulations, Cougar Nation,” Holmoe said at the press conference announcing the move. “It's been a long time coming. Here we are. And the journey continues.”

The fight is real

SMU went from a top team to a doormat after the NCAA dropped the hammer. The Mustangs, who had been on probation five times before, didn't play football in 1987 and 1988 and then went nine seasons without a win. They jumped from the Southwest Conference to the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference without much success. SMU struggled for 21 years without a bowl game, finally making it to the Hawaii Bowl in 2009. They have now made bowl games in six of the last seven seasons. Last year, Lashlee led the team to an 11-3 overall record and an 8-0 record in the AAC.

Last September, amid the breakup of the Pac-12 and other conference restructuring, SMU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference along with Stanford and Cal.

“Joining the Atlantic Coast Conference is a historic milestone in our institution's history and the beginning of a new chapter in SMU Athletics,” said SMU President R. Gerald Turner. “Early in my tenure here at the Hilltop, we had a vision to re-establish SMU Athletics as a nationally recognized and relevant program that complements our outstanding academic reputation. It is truly an exciting time at the Hilltop.”

Still, the move was heavily criticized. The Mustangs had to pay a $10 million exit fee from the AAC and gave up over $200 million in television revenue from the ACC to join that conference. While critics claimed SMU bought its way into the ACC, there are plenty of movers and shakers in Dallas to keep the program competitive. The school raised over $100 million in the week after the move was announced. SMU supporters have pledged to donate more than $200 million to make up for the lost revenue.

A new hope

The fifth meeting between BYU and SMU represents a brand new opportunity for a rivalry with deep roots. The Mustangs are 11.5-point favorites in this game despite going just 5-40 against power conference opponents since 2000.

Neither program is comfortable in their new conferences, and the likelihood of BYU and SMU moving or their respective conferences adding more teams is very high given the current volatile landscape of college football.

“There's been a lot of excitement around our program, which is great,” Lashlee said. “There are a lot of overzealous people out there making predictions about what we should do. We're not under any pressure. We're not supposed to win these games, are we? I mean, if you look at history, the four teams that came into the Big 12 last year, none of them had a winning record their first year.

“I don't think we've won a game against a power conference opponent since 2010. So we just have to relax and play. Some of this stuff out there is kind of confusing. To me, we're the underdog every week. It doesn't matter what the line says. We're not supposed to go out and beat everybody.”

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