The BYU-Air Force series

While BYU has dominated the all-time series with Air Force (the Cougars lead 22-6), it’s been close in recent years. Since 1995, in 11 games, BYU has won six and the Falcons have won five.

The Cougars won 12 straight games against Air Force from 1983-1994 — which is remarkable considering that the Falcons during many of those seasons were nationally ranked. Then things started to turn in the mid-1990s. Air Force whipped BYU in 1995 in a game that started at 10 a.m. Then the two teams didn’t play each other in 1996 and 1997 due to the expanded WAC scheduling. When they met again in 1998, it was in the WAC championship game in Las Vegas and the Falcons won that one, too.

As members of the Mountain West Conference, BYU and Air Force have played each other every years since 1999. The series started to turn nasty in 2001, when the Cougars executed an on-side kick early in the game, then put tight end Doug Jolley back into the game late so he could break a conference receiving record. That didn’t sit well with then-coach Fisher DeBerry, whose team lost that game, 63-33.

But the Falcons exacted sweet revenge the following season in 2002, crushing the Cougars 52-9. Afterwards, DeBerry said he had waited 365 days for that game. Then there was the little sideshow between BYU linebacker Brady Poppinga and Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge. Poppinga, tired of Harridge’s trash-talking during the game, drilled Harridge after the whistle and drew a personal foul penalty.

In 2003, Air Force won in Provo for the only second time in its history (remember, the Falcons won the first game at expanded then-Cougar Stadium). Air Force scored a late touchdown against the Cougars when it had the game in hand, which upset BYU fans. DeBerry’s explanation afterwards was that his grandmother who had been dead for years could have scored from that close to the goal line. No way the Falcons would have tried to score had LaVell Edwards still been BYU’s coach.

The Cougars haven’t lost to Air Force since 2003. With coach Bronco Mendenhall and Troy Calhoun, the rivalry has returned to civility. There’s mutual respect between the two programs. BYU players and coaches have said many times during the week how they respect the Air Force players and what they stand for.

As for tomorrow’s game, the Falcons will be fired up. It’s Senior Day. What makes this even more intriguing is that both BYU and Air Force still have a shot at a MWC championship. I’m expecting a dogfight that’s decided in the fourth quarter.