Most Embarrassing Loss In Program History

It seems that there is some disagreement about the most embarrassing loss EVER in BYU Football history. So let's settle the argument once and for all!

FSU came on the heals of a huge win over OU in which some of us, including me, were talking about a shot at the BCS and possibly natl championship. It was at home, we had no clue how to stop them, and they have proved to be a barely above average team mediocre team year in and year out lately.

I vote UTEP.



The 1985 team was probably better than the 1984 team. They beat defending Cotton Bowl champs BC, killed defending Orange Bowl champs Washington, handed #8 Air Force their only loss of the season, had 3 shutout wins, and lost to #7 Rose Bowl champs UCLA and #14 Ohio State by a combined 6 points.



The UTEP loss was so inexplicable. In terms of point spread, it was one of the biggest upsets in college football history--UTEP was a 36-point underdog. The result is so crazy that several plausible conspiracy theories have arisen to explain it.

I wasn't paying attention in 85, I was on my mission in 90 2001 was irritating but I knew it was going to happen sooner or later with that defense we had then. I have wiped all of 2003 from my memory. utah 2011 is the most embarrasing loss for me since I have started paying attention to BYU football. By far.

54-10 as I wrote in the other post is not even top 2. Hawaii 2001 cost us an undefeated season but losing 3-0 to the Yewts snapping our NCAA record 361 consecutive games of scoring was much worse. That HURT.

CougarClaw wrote:
54-10 as I wrote in the other post is not even top 2.



Losing 3-0 to the Yewts snapping our NCAA record 361 consecutive games of scoring was much worse.

Boy was that a stinker of a game to sit through. A blizzard, 4th string QB, snapped scoring streak. That game truly sucked.

Losing at home against you rival by 44 pts in a game you should have WON is the worst. Road losses happen. Especially bad road losses. Losing to UTEP stunk. But that was an away game. The Holiday Bowl was neutral field. You should NEVER EVER Get pile driven at home like that in a rivalry game when the teams are equal. Ever.



Utah 2011 is a worse loss than the CSU/BSU losses Crowton let happen combined, with UTEP 1985 added in for good measure. It was horrendous.

hawkwing wrote:

54-10 as I wrote in the other post is not even top 2.



Losing 3-0 to the Yewts snapping our NCAA record 361 consecutive games of scoring was much worse.

Boy was that a stinker of a game to sit through. A blizzard, 4th string QB, snapped scoring streak. That game truly sucked.

Getting shut out by your rival is embarrasing. Getting shut out at home by your rival is embarrassing. Getting shut out at home by your rival when your coach is a self-described offensive genius is embarrasing. Getting shut out by your rival at home with a coach who is a self-described offensive genius and ending a NCAA record 361 concecutive game scoring streak is embarrasing.



Top that embarrasment off by having to hear about it from ASU fans who now no longer get mentioned as the last team to shut out BYU. It's bitter cream. :angry:

Mingjai wrote:
I vote UTEP.



The 1985 team was probably better than the 1984 team. They beat defending Cotton Bowl champs BC, killed defending Orange Bowl champs Washington, handed #8 Air Force their only loss of the season, had 3 shutout wins, and lost to #7 Rose Bowl champs UCLA and #14 Ohio State by a combined 6 points.



The UTEP loss was so inexplicable. In terms of point spread, it was one of the biggest upsets in college football history--UTEP was a 36-point underdog. The result is so crazy that several plausible conspiracy theories have arisen to explain it.

If you were a BYU football fan for the period covered by this poll, I don't see how you could vote anyway except for UTEP for the reasons noted above. Some of the others were bad losses, but you can't lose to a 36-point underdog the year after a national championship in that fashion. You didn't note that it was UTEP's only win that season.

Great list. (Am I allowed to say that?)



I am going to have to mull this over for a while.

Although all of these were what I would call embarrassing losses, the reason I chose Utah was that it was the first time that I recall seeing the team seem to completely give up. It looked to me like they were just marking the time to get off the field once the second half started. In the other games that I can remember, at least they continued to try.



Even in the FSU game where the score was a blow-out, the Cougars moved the ball well and made the game watchable.



The Hawaii game was hard because of the way Detmer was treated. It was like they went after him to "take him out", and they succeeded.

HoosierCougar wrote:



Getting shut out by your rival is embarrasing. Getting shut out at home by your rival is embarrassing. Getting shut out at home by your rival when your coach is a self-described offensive genius is embarrasing. Getting shut out by your rival at home with a coach who is a self-described offensive genius and ending a NCAA record 361 concecutive game scoring streak is embarrasing.



Top that embarrasment off by having to hear about it from ASU fans who now no longer get mentioned as the last team to shut out BYU. It's bitter cream. :angry:

The only reason Utah 2011 is currently second on this list is because it's recent memory. Ask this same question in two years and hardly anyone will vote for it.



losing a 25 year old running scoring record to your rivals at home leaves a bloody scar!



Losing a 12-0 nearly undefeated season to hawaii hurts more



losing another undefeated season to a winless UTEP following a national championship year...



those 3 beat the utah 2011 loss. EASY.



O

He wasn't asking what our worst losses were, he was asking what our most embarrassing loss was. utah 2011 should be winning this in a run away.

Most embarrassing was USU in 2010. We own those guys and this loss was the low point in the last decade to me. Consider that we were well on our way out of the dark ages of Crowton and into the prime and ascending years of Bronco, but then that whole season was horrid and culminated with the beatdown by our little sister. It was absolutely pathetic and looked more like Ole Miss' practice squad out there than a BYU team.



We expect to lose some games to Utah and some years they are just better than us. This year's game was a surprise, but it merely stood as a symbol of Heaps' career at BYU. The USU game last season very nearly and tragically (up until Riley saved us this year) began to define Bronco.

mizzoucoug wrote:
Most embarrassing was USU in 2010. We own those guys and this loss was the low point in the last decade to me. Consider that we were well on our way out of the dark ages of Crowton and into the prime and ascending years of Bronco, but then that whole season was horrid and culminated with the beatdown by our little sister. It was absolutely pathetic and looked more like Ole Miss' practice squad out there than a BYU team.



We expect to lose some games to Utah and some years they are just better than us. This year's game was a surprise, but it merely stood as a symbol of Heaps' career at BYU. The USU game last season very nearly and tragically (up until Riley saved us this year) began to define Bronco.

Don't forget that USU was an ESPN televised game in an era where those were hard to come by. Only football game on TV that night, as well.



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crh55 wrote:
FSU came on the heals of a huge win over OU in which some of us, including me, were talking about a shot at the BCS and possibly natl championship. It was at home, we had no clue how to stop them, and they have proved to be a barely above average team mediocre team year in and year out lately.

I was there. It was the new turf. Guys walking behind the O after every clock stop putting divots back. More seriously it was the refs early on. OK and speed and mobile QB exposed us. It seems that we gave gotten better at defending that although speed was definitely a factor as was quickness vs U, TCU, Tulsa, and others on O or D this year.



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EM_Puma wrote:

I vote UTEP.



The 1985 team was probably better than the 1984 team. They beat defending Cotton Bowl champs BC, killed defending Orange Bowl champs Washington, handed #8 Air Force their only loss of the season, had 3 shutout wins, and lost to #7 Rose Bowl champs UCLA and #14 Ohio State by a combined 6 points.



The UTEP loss was so inexplicable. In terms of point spread, it was one of the biggest upsets in college football history--UTEP was a 36-point underdog. The result is so crazy that several plausible conspiracy theories have arisen to explain it.

If you were a BYU football fan for the period covered by this poll, I don't see how you could vote anyway except for UTEP for the reasons noted above. Some of the others were bad losses, but you can't lose to a 36-point underdog the year after a national championship in that fashion. You didn't note that it was UTEP's only win that season.

I was a Y fan for the entire period covered by this poll. And while the UTEP loss is a sort-of close 2nd, the 2011 :utard: loss is in my opinion much more embarrassing, for reasons that have been pointed out again and again.

CougarClaw wrote:

losing another undefeated season to a winless UTEP following a national championship year...

We had already lost in 1985 before the UTEP game.

frdbtr wrote:
He wasn't asking what our worst losses were, he was asking what our most embarrassing loss was. utah 2011 should be winning this in a run away.

Exactly.

IowaCougar wrote:
Although all of these were what I would call embarrassing losses, the reason I chose Utah was that it was the first time that I recall seeing the team seem to completely give up. It looked to me like they were just marking the time to get off the field once the second half started. In the other games that I can remember, at least they continued to try.



Even in the FSU game where the score was a blow-out, the Cougars moved the ball well and made the game watchable.



The Hawaii game was hard because of the way Detmer was treated. It was like they went after him to "take him out", and they succeeded.

Classy FSU fans in the Provo High parking lot complimented how BYU never quit in that game - about the only bright spot.



Now if the question was Toughest Loss To Swallow

Different list of candidates. Texas this year. Indiana stealing a perfect season from Marc Wilson in the Bowl Game. Etc. because of the implications.



McMahon had a season opening loss that didn't mean so much until the season ended and it was our only loss. Sark had 1 in the 14-1 season. Not embarrassing - just tough - woulda coulda shoulda losses. TCU this year. Hawaii and A&M spoiling the Heisman for Detmer makes both lists Hawaii and someone else spoiling 12-0 for Doman.



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