1987 BYU Cougars football team

1987 BYU Cougars football
All-American Bowl, L 16–22 vs. Virginia
Conference	Western Athletic Conference
Record	9–4 (7–1 WAC)
Head coach	LaVell Edwards (16th season)
Offensive coordinator	Roger French (7th season)
Offensive scheme	West Coast
Defensive coordinator	Dick Felt (13th season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Cougar Stadium
Seasons ←  1986 1988  →

1987 Western Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
Wyoming $	8	–	0	–	0			10	–	3	–	0
BYU	7	–	1	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
Air Force	6	–	2	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
UTEP	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
San Diego State	4	–	4	–	0			5	–	7	–	0
Hawaii	3	–	5	–	0			5	–	7	–	0
Utah	2	–	6	–	0			5	–	7	–	0
Colorado State	1	–	7	–	0			1	–	11	–	0
New Mexico	0	–	8	–	0			0	–	11	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1987 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University during the 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season. ^[1] The Cougars were led by 16th-year head coach LaVell Edwards and played their home games at Cougar Stadium in Provo, Utah. The team competed as members of the Western Athletic Conference, finishing in second with a record of 9–4 (7–1 WAC). BYU was invited to the All-American Bowl, where they were defeated by Virginia. The Cougars also participated in a rare college football game played outside the United States, in a regular season finale against Colorado State played in Melbourne, Australia. The game was promoted as the "Melbourne Bowl" but was met with weak enthusiasm in Australia. ^[2]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	Pittsburgh *	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	L 17–27	64,374	[3]
September 12	at Texas *	Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, TX	W 22–17	65,102	[4]
September 19	at TCU *	Amon G. Carter Stadium Fort Worth, TX	L 12–33	22,615	[5]
September 26	at New Mexico	University Stadium Albuquerque, NM	W 45–25	22,286	[6]
October 2	Utah State *	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT (rivalry)	W 45–24	65,729	[7]
October 10	Wyoming	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	L 27–29	65,921	[8]
October 24	at Hawaii	Aloha Stadium Halawa, HI	W 16–14	46,843	[9]
October 31	Air Force	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 24–13	65,384	[10]
November 7	San Diego State	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT	W 38–21	64,341	[11]
November 14	at UTEP	Sun Bowl El Paso, TX	W 37–24	47,910	[12]
November 21	Utah	Cougar Stadium Provo, UT (Holy War)	W 21–18	65,686	[13]
December 5	vs. Colorado State	Princes Park Melbourne, Australia (Melbourne Bowl)	W 30–26	7,652	[2]
December 22	vs. Virginia *	Legion Field Birmingham, AL (All-American Bowl)	L 16–22	37,000	[14]
*Non-conference game

^[15]

Game summaries

At Texas

BYU Cougars (0–1) at Texas Longhorns (0–1)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
BYU	0	14	8	0	22
Texas	7	3	0	7	17

at Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas

• Date: September 12, 1987
• Game time: 7:00 p.m.
• Game weather: Clear, 87 °F (31 °C)
• Game attendance: 65,102
• Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter UT – Bret Stafford 1-yard run (Wayne Clements kick), 8:43. Texas 7–0. Second quarter BYU – David Miles 21-yard pass from Bob Jensen (Leonard Chitty kick), 14:54. Tie 7–7. BYU – Chuck Cutler 27-yard pass from Bob Jensen (Leonard Chitty kick), 1:38. BYU 14–7. UT – Wayne Clements 46-yard field goal, 0:00. BYU 14–10. Third quarter BYU – Safety, Richard Hobbs blocked punt through end zone, 13:13. BYU 16–10. BYU – Leonard Chitty 33-yard field goal, 4:26. BYU 19–10. BYU – Leonard Chitty 33-yard field goal, 2:25. BYU 22–10. Fourth quarter UT – Darron Norris 3-yard run (Wayne Clements kick), 1:06. BYU 22–17. Top passers BYU – Bob Jensen – 16/35, 199 yards, 2 TD, INT UT – Bret Stafford – 12/26, 107 yards, 3 INT Top rushers BYU – Peter Tuipulotu – 6 rushes, 16 yards UT – Darron Norris – 8 rushes, 85 yards, TD Top receivers BYU – Chuck Cutler – 5 receptions, 70 yards, TD UT – Tony Jones – 5 receptions, 61 yards

External videos
Game highlights

Air Force

Air Force Falcons (6–2) at BYU Cougars (4–3)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Air Force	10	0	3	0	13
BYU	0	14	10	0	24

at Cougar Stadium, Provo, Utah

• Date: October 31, 1987
• Game attendance: 65,384
• Box Score

Game information

First quarter AFA – Steve Yarborough 32-yard field goal. Air Force 3–0. AFA – Anthony Roberson 3-yard run (Steve Yarborough kick). Air Force 10–0. Second quarter BYU – Mike O'Brien 3-yard run (Leonard Chitty kick). Air Force 10–7. BYU – Fred Whittingham 5-yard pass from Sean Covey (Leonard Chitty kick). BYU 14–10. Third quarter BYU – Leonard Chitty 26-yard field goal. BYU 17–10. BYU – Mike O'Brien 2-yard run (Leonard Chitty kick). BYU 24–10. AFA – Steve Yarborough 32-yard field goal. BYU 24–13. Fourth quarter No scoring Top passers AFA – Dee Dowis – 2/7, 25 yards, 3 INT BYU – Sean Covey – 18/29, 294 yards, TD Top rushers AFA – Quinton Roberts – 15 rushes, 85 yards BYU – Mike O'Brien – 16 rushes, 73 yards, 2 TD Top receivers AFA – Tyler Barth – 1 reception, 13 yards BYU – Rich Zayas – 3 receptions, 118 yards

External videos
BYU highlights

Personnel

1987 BYU Cougars football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB Matt Bellini QB 10 Sean Covey Jr WR Chuck Cutler QB Bob Jensen WR David Miles RB Thor Salanoa RB Peter Tuipulotu FB Fred Whittingham	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB Richard Hobbs	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Leonard Chitty	Head coach LaVell Edwards Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1987 Brigham Young Cougars Schedule and Results". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
2. "Only 7,652 Fans Turn Out Down Under To See BYU Edge Colorado State, 30-26". Los Angeles Times. December 5, 1987.
3. "Panthers look good in opener". Latrobe Bulletin. September 3, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "BYU defeats Texas, 22–17". The Monitor. September 13, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Jeffery reappears to pace TCU win". Abilene Reporter-News. September 20, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "BYU dumps Lobos on four TD show". Alamogordo Daily News. September 27, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Utah improved, but BYU better". The Indianapolis News. October 3, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Wyoming dumps BYU 29–27". The Daily Spectrum. October 11, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "BYU stops 'Bows in defensive battle". The Salt Lake Tribune. October 26, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Cougars (typically) roll past Falcons". The Daily Herald. November 1, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "BYU down Aztecs, despite efforts by Santos". South Idaho Press. November 8, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Cougars rally to topple Miners, 37–24". The Daily Herald. November 15, 1987. Retrieved May 10, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. Harmon, Dick (November 22, 1987). "WHEW! Cougars slip past Utes, 21–18". The Daily Herald . p. 17. Retrieved February 2, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
14. "Cavaliers pass big test". Birmingham Post-Herald. December 23, 1987. Retrieved February 1, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
15. "1988 BYU Football Media Guide" (PDF). byucougars.com. Retrieved June 25, 2023.