Looking back at BYU's 1984 national championship season

It was a cool evening at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California. Christmas was just around the corner and the 12-0 Cougars wanted to take home a big Christmas present: the National Championship. Legendary coach LaVell Edwards had led BYU to its best season in history and was determined to bring the Cougars a trophy.

BYU faced the 6-5 Michigan Wolverines, led by Bo Schembechler. The game was played at Jack Murphy Stadium, where BYU had won the Miracle Bowl four years earlier. BYU was the only undefeated team in college football and was looking to make history as the first team from a non-major conference to win the National Championship.

The Cougars were ready to go. They were the most unlikely contenders and managed big moments like the 20-14 win over the Pittsburgh Panthers and the 24-14 win over in-state rival Utah. Quarterback Robbie Bosco completed passes and running back Lakei Heimuli ran wildly. LaVell Edwards thrived in a pass-heavy offense by throwing the ball two thirds of the time. Outperform your opponents by more points on average 22.2 points per gameBYU had an all-around good team. A strong offense coupled with a strong defense made the Cougars a tough opponent.

The Cougars were well-positioned to become the first non-power conference team to win the National Championship. The title of champion was not guaranteed, but the Cougars still had to beat Michigan, their Holiday Bowl opponent. The 6-5 Wolverines weren't the flashiest Michigan team and struggled to find consistency. The Wolverines were hungry and wanted to beat BYU to prove themselves.

The game began with BYU's opener against Michigan. The Wolverines and Cougars traded footballs, with BYU throwing an interception that ended with a Michigan punt. The first quarter was slow and ended with no points. Robbie Bosco left the first quarter with an injury and backup quarterback Blaine Fowler replaced him. It was later revealed that Robbie had a sprained ankle.

Robbie returned in the second quarter and led the Cougars down the field. In the end, BYU scored first with a 5-yard touchdown run by Kelly Smith. On the Wolverines' next possession, the Cougars intercepted a fleeing punter and brought the ball inside Michigan's ten-yard line. They then fumbled the ball near the goal line and the Wolverines got it back. The Wolverines would then score a touchdown to tie the game. The half would end with BYU kicking a field goal.

Early in the second half, BYU got the ball, drove down the field and then threw another interception. It wouldn't lead to anything. BYU would then fumble the ball and Michigan would punt it again. The Cougars would fend off a field goal attempt and it would lead to a Michigan touchdown to take the lead 14-10. BYU then fumbled the football inside its own 15, leading to a Wolverine field goal and increasing the score to 17-10.

BYU would cross the field as Robbie Bosco threw a risky pass into coverage. Kozlowski scored the touchdown to make it 17:17. Michigan punted and BYU threw another interception. After a massive sack, BYU would force the Wolverines to punt. BYU would put together another long drive that ended with a touchdown pass from Robbie Bosco to Kelly Smith to take the lead. BYU would then catch the game-winning interception and win 24-17.

Shortly after the win, BYU would be named national champions. Controversy ensued, with one prominent journalist saying that BYU was a ““Bo Diddly Tech” Schedule, meaning BYU had an easier-than-average schedule. Any way you look at it, BYU was the outright national champion in 1984. This is one of the greatest moments in Cougar football history and deserves to be celebrated every season. Never forget Robbie Bosco, who played despite his injury and brought us the title. This BYU team was special and the 2024 team looks very similar. Let's hope history can repeat itself.

Bring the energy of Cougar Nation!