Remembering BYU's last trip to Logan

It’s hard to believe BYU hasn’t played Utah State in Logan in six years. That game on Oct. 4, 2002, was memorable for a number of reasons.

The 2002 season was a turning point in Cougar football history, really, and that USU game played a big role in it. It was the second year under then-coach Gary Crowton, who put together a 12-2 season in 2001. BYU won its first two games in 2002, then fell at Nevada and at Georgia Tech in back-to-back weeks as the offense sputtered.

Prior to the Utah State game, the Cougars had a bye, during which, Crowton announced he would evaluate his quarterbacks — starter Bret Engemann and backups Lance Pendleton, Matt Berry and Ben Olson. At the time, Olson, the most prized recruit in school history, was redshirting, but there was speculation that Olson would burn his redshirt in Logan.

Crowton announced early in the week that Engemann would start against the Aggies, but suggested that Olson could see playing time. Engemann had a miserable first half as the Aggies seized a 34-7 lead at halftime.

During the half, most people expected Olson to replace Engemann. Crowton considered making that change, but decided to give Engemann one more shot. Engemann guided BYU to their biggest second-half comeback in school history while Olson stood on the sidelines, wearing a baseball cap backward the rest of the game. The Cougars won, 35-34, and a couple of weeks later, Olson announced he would be going on a mission. Of course, he never played a down for BYU and he transferred to UCLA after his mission.

The Cougars went on to their first losing season since 1973; and it was the first of three straight losing seasons, which was a major factor in Crowton resigning under pressure in 2004.

So much has changed in six years. At that time, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall was New Mexico’s defensive coordinator.

Who knows if anything would have turned out differently — for BYU, or for Olson — had Olson played that night at Utah State.