2015 BYU Cougars football team

2015 BYU Cougars football
Las Vegas Bowl vs Utah, L 28–35
Conference Independent
2015 record 9–4
Head coach Bronco Mendenhall (11th year)
Offensive coordinator Robert Anae (9th year)
Offensive scheme Multiple formation
Defensive coordinator Nick Howell (3rd year)
Base defense 3–4
Captain Taysom Hill
Captain Bronson Kaufusi
Home stadium LaVell Edwards Stadium
(Capacity: 63,470)
2015 Division I FBS independents football records
Conf     Overall
Team   W   L         W   L  
#11 Notre Dame               10 3  
BYU               9 4  
Army               2 10  
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2015 BYU Cougars football team represented Brigham Young University (BYU) in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars, led by 11th-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall, played their home games at LaVell Edwards Stadium. This was the fifth year BYU competed as an NCAA Division I FBS independent. They finished the season 9–4. They were invited to the Las Vegas Bowl, where they lost to rival Utah.

On December 4th, Mendenhall was hired as the head coach at Virginia. He stayed and coached the Cougars in the Las Vegas Bowl. He finished at BYU with an 11 year record of 99–43.

On December 19th, Oregon State defensive coordinator and former BYU fullback Kalani Sitake was named BYU's new head coach.[1]

Before the season

After a season in which the entire offensive staff was changed, BYU is expected to have stability in the coaching ranks as every coach is expected to return.

2015 returning missionaries

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown High School
Matt Hadley DB 6'0" 191 Sophomore Connell, WA Connell
Micah Hannemann DB 6'1" 190 Sophomore Alpine, UT Lone Peak
Austin Hoyt OL 6'7" 268 RS Freshman Ione, CA Argonaut
Moses Kaumatule DL 6'1" 254 RS Freshman South Jordan, UT Bingham
Sawyer Powell DB 6'1" 203 RS Freshman West Richland, WA Richland
Rhett Sandlin LB 6'2" 220 RS Freshman Sandy, UT Alta
Josh Weeks WR 6'4" 200 Freshman Show Low, AZ Show Low

2015 departures

The following Cougars graduated, transferred, or chose to serve two-year church missions after the 2013 season and didn't return to the team in 2015.

Media

Football Media Day

Football Media Day took place on June 24, 2015. It aired live on BYUtv, with a simulcast on ESPN3. The Media Day featured the start time and tv network of all but 2 home games. Player interviews were also conducted on byutv.org.

Cougar IMG Sports Network Affiliates

KSL 102.7 FM and 1160 AM- Flagship Station (Salt Lake City/ Provo, UT and ksl.com)
BYU Radio- Nationwide (Dish Network 980, Sirius XM 143, and byuradio.org)
KIDO- Boise, ID (football only)
KTHK- Blackfoot/ Idaho Falls/ Pocatello/ Rexburg, ID
KMGR- Manti, UT
KSUB- Cedar City, UT
KDXU- St. George, UT
KSHP- Las Vegas, NV (football only)[2]

Roster

2015 BYU Cougars football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
WR 1 Davis, AkileAkile Davis Fr
WR 1 Laulu-Pututau, MoroniMoroni Laulu-Pututau Fr
RB 2 Canada, SquallySqually Canada Fr
WR 3 Pearson, ColbyColby Pearson Jr
QB 4 Hill, TaysomTaysom Hill  (C) Sr
WR 5 Kurtz, NickNick Kurtz Jr
WR 6 Dye, TreyTrey Dye So
QB 7 Hoge, BeauBeau Hoge Fr
WR 10 Mathews, MitchMitch Mathews Sr
WR 11 Houk, TerennTerenn Houk Sr
QB 12 Mangum, TannerTanner Mangum Fr
QB 13 Detmer Jr., KoyKoy Detmer Jr. Fr
WR 13 Henderson, KurtKurt Henderson Sr
QB 17 Hill, McCoyMcCoy Hill So
TE 17 Jorgensen, ColbyColby Jorgensen So
WR 18 Knox, ElliotElliot Knox Jr
WR 18 Weeks, JoshJosh Weeks Fr
WR 19 Blackmon, DevonDevon Blackmon Sr
WR 22 Stewart, CodyCody Stewart So
WR 23 Shumway, RickeyRickey Shumway Fr
RB 24 Brown, AlgernonAlgernon Brown Jr
RB 24 El-Bakri, BraydenBrayden El-Bakri Fr
WR 25 Shumway, TalonTalon Shumway Fr
RB 26 Carter, NateNate Carter Sr
RB 28 Hiné, AdamAdam Hiné Sr
WR 29 Saunders, ZacharyZachary Saunders Fr
RB 30 Hansen, ColbyColby Hansen So
RB 32 Burt, RileyRiley Burt Fr
RB 32 Welsh, PeterPeter Welsh Jr
RB 34 Engstrom, BryanBryan Engstrom Fr
RB 36 Bernard, FrancisFrancis Bernard Fr
RB 45 Ho Ching, Toloa'iToloa'i Ho Ching So
OL 54 Dawe, ParkerParker Dawe Jr
OL 55 Ficklin, QuinQuin Ficklin Fr
OL 56 Koroma, TejanTejan Koroma So
OL 57 Tanoai, LeRoyLeRoy Tanoai Fr
OL 58 Davis, DemetriusDemetrius Davis Fr
OL 60 Denucci, DarrenDarren Denucci Jr
OL 65 Nwigwe, JJJJ Nwigwe Fr
OL 67 Johnson, KyleKyle Johnson Jr
OL 68 Rawlinson, BrianBrian Rawlinson So
OL 70 Jimenez, JacobJacob Jimenez Fr
OL 71 Hoyt, AustinAustin Hoyt Fr
OL 72 Mathews, RykerRyker Mathews Sr
OL 73 Lapuaho, UluiUlui Lapuaho So
OL 74 Hofheins, FiggsFiggs Hofheins So
OL 75 Wilcox, BradBrad Wilcox Jr
OL 77 Gulley, JaterriusJaterrius Gulley Fr
OL 78 Kanuch, TuniTuni Kanuch So
WR 82 Ziolkowski, JakeJake Ziolkowski Jr
WR 83 Kessler, DavidDavid Kessler Jr
TE 84 Kaka, JacksonJackson Kaka So
TE 85 Sampson, BryanBryan Sampson Jr
WR 86 Frey, TravisTravis Frey Jr
WR 87 Juergens, MitchellMitchell Juergens Jr
TE 89 Balderree, TannerTanner Balderree So
TE 89 Richards, StevenSteven Richards Fr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DB 1 Simon, MicahMicah Simon Fr
DB 2 Hadley, MattMatt Hadley So
LB 2 Hinds, TroyTroy Hinds So
LB 4 Warner, FredFred Warner So
DB 5 Lake, DayanDayan Lake Fr
DB 7 Hannemann, MicahMicah Hannemann So
DB 12 Nacua, KaiKai Nacua Jr
DB 15 Davis, MichaelMichael Davis Jr
LB 16 Takitaki, SioneSione Takitaki So
DB 17 Badger, ChrisChris Badger Jr
DB 18 Shelton, MichaelMichael Shelton Fr
DB 19 Brent, TrevorTrevor Brent Fr
DB 20 Hall, KJKJ Hall Fr
DB 20 Preator, JordanJordan Preator So
LB 21 Langi, HarveyHarvey Langi Jr
LB 22 Pikula, ManoaManoa Pikula Sr
DB 23 Juergens, GarrettGarrett Juergens Jr
DB 24 Anderson, ZayneZayne Anderson Fr
DB 24 Fifita, BJBJ Fifita Fr
LB 25 Kautai, TeuTeu Kautai Sr
DB 27 Unga, MorganMorgan Unga Fr
DB 28 Powell, SawyerSawyer Powell So
DB 30 Wadsworth, MichaelMichael Wadsworth Sr
LB 31 Tautu, SaeSae Tautu Jr
DB 32 Fowler, GavinGavin Fowler Fr
DB 33 Takenaka, EricEric Takenaka Jr
DB 34 Moore, AJAJ Moore Jr
LB 35 Niumatalolo, Va'aVa'a Niumatalolo So
LB 36 DeBeikes, NathanNathan DeBeikes Fr
DB 37 Jones, GrantGrant Jones So
LB 38 Pau'u, ButchButch Pau'u Fr
LB 39 Amone, PhillipPhillip Amone Fr
LB 41 Langi, PaulPaul Langi Fr
LB 41 Morell, SamSam Morell Fr
LB 41 Pulsipher, AdamAdam Pulsipher Fr
LB 42 Heder, AustinAustin Heder Jr
LB 43 Leuta-Douyere, JherremyaJherremya Leuta-Douyere Sr
DL 44 Peck, RemingtonRemington Peck Sr
LB 46 Sandlin, RhettRhett Sandlin Fr
LB 47 Huntsman, ScottScott Huntsman Fr
DL 48 Laulile, TomasiTomasi Laulile Jr
DL 49 Kaumatule, MosesMoses Kaumatule Fr
DL 50 Mo'Unga, TevitaTevita Mo'Unga Fr
LB 51 Lesatele, LeneLene Lesatele So
LB 52 Sampson, NateNate Sampson So
LB 53 Jensen, RyanRyan Jensen Fr
LB 53 Richardson, CreedCreed Richardson Fr
DL 55 Tofi, FelesiFelesi Tofi Fr
LB 56 Newman, ZachZach Newman So
DL 59 Andrus, RomanRoman Andrus Fr
DL 62 Taele, LoganLogan Taele Sr
LB 88 Cook, TylerTyler Cook Fr
DL 90 Kaufusi, BronsonBronson Kaufusi (C) Sr
DL 91 Tuiloma, TravisTravis Tuiloma Jr
DL 92 Rowley, GrahamGraham Rowley Sr
DL 94 Tausinga, KesniKesni Tausinga So
DL 95 Savage, CodyCody Savage Fr
DL 96 Ingersoll, AdamAdam Ingersoll Jr
DL 97 King, TheodoreTheodore King Jr
DL 98 Maxwell, MauriceMaurice Maxwell Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P 29 Almond, RhettRhett Almond Fr
P 31 Linehan, JonnyJonny Linehan Jr
K 27 Samson, TrevorTrevor Samson Sr
K 33 Edwards, CoreyCorey Edwards Fr
K 84 Brasher, AustinAustin Brasher Jr
DS 64 Foley, MattMatt Foley Fr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches

[3]


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Roster

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
September 5 1:30 p.m. at Nebraska Lincoln Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE ABC W 33–28   89,959
September 12 8:15 p.m. No. 20 Boise State LaVell Edwards StadiumProvo, UT ESPN2 W 35–24   63,470
September 19 8:30 p.m. at No. 10 UCLA No. 19 Rose BowlLos Angeles, CA FS1 L 23–24   67,612
September 26 10:00 a.m. at Michigan No. 22 Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI ABC L 0–31   108,940
October 2 8:15 p.m. UConn LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT ESPN2 W 30–13   56,393
October 10 5:30 p.m. East Carolinadagger LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT ESPNU W 45–38   60,186
October 16 6:00 p.m. Cincinnati LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT ESPN W 38–24   57,612
October 24 1:00 p.m. Wagner LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT BYUtv W 70–6   56,015
November 6 9:30 p.m. at San Jose State Spartan StadiumSan Jose, CA CBSSN W 17–16   15,652
November 14 5:30 p.m. vs. Missouri Arrowhead StadiumKansas City, MO SECN L 16–20   42,824
November 21 1:00 p.m. Fresno State LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, UT BYUtv/ESPN3 W 52–10   57,515
November 28 1:30 p.m. at Utah State Maverik StadiumLogan, UT (Beehive Boot & The Old Wagon Wheel) CBSSN W 51–28   22,509
December 19 1:30 p.m. vs. No. 20 Utah Sam Boyd StadiumWhitney, NV (Las Vegas Bowl, Holy War & Beehive Boot) ABC L 28–35   42,213
daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from AP Poll / Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Mountain Time.

Game summaries

Nebraska

BYU at Nebraska
1 234Total
Cougars 7 1709 33
Cornhuskers 14 0140 28

Sources:[4]

Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting

BYU entered Lincoln as 6-point underdogs, with Bronco Mendenhall taking back defensive play-calling responsibilities, and with Taysom Hill looking to prove last years Heisman talk wasn't outside the box. The Cougars entered the game with 4 starters being suspended due to last years bowl game: defensive lineman Tomasi Laulile, safety Kai Nacua, wide receiver Trey Dye, and linebacker Sione Takitaki. The revamped BYU defense gave up huge amounts of passing yardage, giving up 180 yards passing in the first quarter alone. On the way they lost 3 defensive starters to injury, including nose tackle Travis Tuiloma 4-6 weeks.[5]

Taysom Hill kept BYU in the game with his scrambling, including a 21-yard run which evened it up at 14. On the 21-yard run though Hill came to an abrupt stop in the endzone. He was taken into the locker room, where he was diagnosed with a foot sprain of some sort. A Fred Warner fumble recovery gave BYU the ball back quickly. Freshman QB Tanner Mangum came in on BYU's next possession for 2 plays: a 9-yard run and a 9-yard pass, before Hill returned. The Cougars drove the rest of the field before Hill found Mitch Mathews for the first of his 2 receiving touchdowns.

A Hill interception in the third reversed the tide back to Nebraska. After missing 12-of-15 passes in the 2nd quarter Nebraska QB Tommy Armstrong, Jr. once again shredded the BYU D for more than 100 yards receiving in the 3rd. Hill would keep in close, driving possession after possession into Nebraska's end of the field, but the interception and a 4th down stop seemed to keep Nebraska with the momentum.

In the 4th Hill limped off the field. BYU sent him back into the locker room and sent Mangum back onto the field. Mangum went on to complete 6/10 in the 4th quarter for 102 yards, but the most memorable play came on the final possession. With only one second left Mangum scrambled right and threw the hail mary to the end zone. Mathews came all the way across the field and caught the 42-yard pass for the touchdown, ending Nebraska's 29-year home opener winning streak.[6]

While Mangum entered the halls of Cougar lore with the touchdown pass, but the news wasn't so good for BYU after the game. Hill was diagnosed with a lisfranc injury, which would be season-ending.[7]

Game Stats:


Boise State

Boise State at BYU
1 234Total
#20 Broncos 7 3140 24
Cougars 7 0721 35

Sources:[8]

Overall record Last meeting Result
1–4 2014 BSU, 55–30

Game Stats:


UCLA

BYU at UCLA
1 234Total
#19 Cougars 7 376 23
#10 Bruins 0 3714 24

Sources:[9]

Overall record Last meeting Result
3–7 2008 BYU, 59–0

Game Stats:


Michigan

BYU at Michigan
1 234Total
#22 Cougars 0 000 0
Wolverines 7 2400 31
  • Date: September 26
  • Location: Michigan Stadium
    Ann Arbor, MI
  • Game start: 12:05 p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 3:08
  • Game attendance: 108,940
  • Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), Partly Cloudy, winds NE 10–15 mph
  • Referee: Mike Cannon
  • TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Todd McShay

Sources:[10]

Overall record Last meeting Result
1–0 1984 BYU, 24–17

Game Stats:


Connecticut

Connecticut at BYU
1 234Total
Huskies 0 733 13
Cougars 7 0320 30
  • Date: October 2
  • Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
    Provo, UT
  • Game start: 8:21 p.m. MST
  • Elapsed time: 3:16
  • Game attendance: 56,393
  • Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), Cloudy, winds WNW 4 mph
  • Referee: Scott Campbell
  • TV announcers (ESPN2/BYUtv): Eamon McAnaney, Rocky Boiman (ESPN2)
    Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Lauren Francom (BYUtv)

Sources:[11]

Overall record Last meeting Result
1–0 2014 BYU, 35–10

Game Stats:


East Carolina

East Carolina at BYU
1 234Total
Pirates 14 7017 38
Cougars 7 21107 45
  • Date: October 10
  • Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
    Provo, UT
  • Game start: 5:32 p.m. MST
  • Elapsed time: 3:31
  • Game attendance: 60,186
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), Sunny, winds light
  • Referee: Adam Savoie
  • TV announcers (ESPNU/BYUtv): Allen Bestwick, Dan Hawkins (ESPNU)
    Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Lauren Francom (BYUtv)

Sources:[12]

Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting

Game Stats:


Cincinnati

Cincinnati at BYU
1 234Total
Bearcats 10 770 24
Cougars 0 10721 38
  • Date: October 16
  • Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
    Provo, UT
  • Game start: 6:01 p.m. MST
  • Elapsed time: 3:24
  • Game attendance: 57,612
  • Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), Mostly Sunny, winds none
  • Referee: Tracy Jones
  • TV announcers (ESPN/BYUtv): Adam Amin, Kelly Stouffer, Olivia Harlan (ESPN)
    Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Lauren Francom (BYUtv)

Sources:[13]

Overall record Last meeting Result
First Meeting

Game Stats:


Wagner

Wagner at BYU
1 234Total
Seahawks 0 060 6
Cougars 28 21147 70
  • Date: October 24
  • Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
    Provo, UT
  • Game start: 1:05 p.m. MST
  • Elapsed time: 2:58
  • Game attendance: 56,015
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), Clear & Sunny, winds calm
  • Referee: Dan Romeo
  • TV announcers (BYUtv): Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Lauren Francom

Sources:[14]

Overall record Last meeting Result
First meeting

Game Stats:


San Jose State

BYU at San Jose State
1 234Total
Cougars 7 703 17
Spartans 3 706 16

Sources:[15]

Overall record Last meeting Result
6–10 2012 San Jose State, 20–14

Game Stats:


Missouri

BYU vs. Missouri
1 234Total
Cougars 0 376 16
Tigers 3 3014 20

Sources:[16]

Overall record Last meeting Result
1–0 1983 BYU, 21–17

Game Stats:


Fresno State

Fresno State at BYU
1 234Total
Bulldogs 3 007 10
Cougars 3 211414 52
  • Date: November 21
  • Location: LaVell Edwards Stadium
    Provo, UT
  • Game start: 1:05 p.m. MST
  • Elapsed time: 3:30
  • Game attendance: 57,515
  • Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C), Clear, winds SSW 15 mph
  • Referee: Kevin Mar
  • TV announcers (BYUtv/ESPN3): Dave McCann, Blaine Fowler, Lauren Francom

Sources:[17]

Overall record Last meeting Result
4–5 1998 Fresno State, 31–21

Game Stats:


Utah State

BYU at Utah State
1 234Total
Cougars 10 141413 51
Aggies 7 1407 28
  • Date: November 28
  • Location: Maverik Stadium
    Logan, UT
  • Game start: 1:35 MST
  • Elapsed time: 3:52
  • Game attendance: 22,509
  • Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), Partly cloudy w/ snow flurries, No wind
  • Referee: Eddy Shelton
  • TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz, Adam Archuleta, Cassie Gallo

Sources:[18]

Overall record Last meeting Result
46–35–3 2014 Utah State, 35–20

Game Stats:


Las Vegas Bowl

BYU vs. Utah
1 234Total
Cougars 0 7714 28
#20 Utes 35 000 35
  • Date: December 19
  • Location: Whitney, NV
  • Game start: 12:45 p.m. PST
  • Elapsed time: 3:40
  • Game attendance: 42,213
  • Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), Sunny, Wind ESE 3 mph
  • Referee: Mark Klucynnski
  • TV announcers (ABC/Sports USA): Brent Musburger, Jesse Palmer, Maria Taylor (ABC)
    Mike Morgan, Gary Barnett, Jonathan Von Tobel (Sports USA)

Sources:[19]

Overall record Last meeting Result
31–54–4 2013 Utah, 20–13

This will be the final game for head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who accepted the same position with the Virginia Cavaliers on December 4,[20] and for assistant coaches Robert Anae, Garett Tujague, Mark Atuaia, Jason Beck,[21] Nick Howell, and Kelly Poppinga[22] who accepted coaching responsibilities for the same positions at Virginia on December 9 & 10.

Game Stats:

After the game was completed, Tom Holmoe took time during the post-game press conference to announce that Kalani Sitake would become the BYU head coach beginning with the 2016 season.[23]


Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Final 
AP RV RV 19 22 RV RV RV RV RV RV RV NR RV RV  
Coaches RV RV 22 RV RV NR NR RV RV RV RV RV RV RV  
CFP Not released NR NR NR NR Not released

References

  1. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14399087/byu-cougars-agree-kalani-sitake-become-next-head-coach
  2. "BYU Sports Network Affiliates". KSL. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  3. "BYU Men's Football Staff". BYU Athletics.
  4. "BYU at Nebraska". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  5. "BYU loses nose tackle Travis Tuiloma for 4-6 weeks in win over Nebraska". Deseret News. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  6. "BYU beat Nebraska 33-28 as Mangum throws 42-yard Hail Mary to Mathews on game's final play, Hill out for the year". Deseret News. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  7. "BYU QB Hill out for the season with a foot fracture". KSL-TV. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  8. "Boise State at BYU". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-09-12.
  9. "BYU at UCLA". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  10. "BYU at Michigan". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  11. "UConn at BYU". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-10-02.
  12. "East Carolina at BYU". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-10-10.
  13. "Cincinnati at BYU". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-10-16.
  14. "Wagner at BYU". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  15. "BYU at San Jose State". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  16. "BYU vs. Missouri". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-11-14.
  17. "Fresno State at BYU". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-10-12.
  18. "BYU at Utah State". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  19. "2015 Las Vegas Bowl: BYU vs. Utah Stats". Stat Broadcast. Retrieved 2015-12-19.
  20. Wood, Norm (December 4, 2015). "Virginia keeps Bronco Mendenhall pursuit a secret, taps him to be Cavaliers' new football coach". Daily Press. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  21. Harmon, Dick (December 9, 2015). "BYU's Robert Anae leaving for Virginia, taking 3 assistants with him". Deseret News. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  22. Welch, Jake (December 10, 2015). "BYU assistants Kelly Poppinga, Nick Howell reportedly following Bronco Mendenhall to Virginia". SB Nation. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  23. Mizell, Gina (December 19, 2015). "Kalani Sitake hired as BYU's head coach". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
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