Under the direction of first-year coach Bronco Mendenhall, the Cougars finished the 2005 regular season at 6-6, the first time BYU finished at .500 or better since 2001. The Cougars were 6-5 overall in the regular season and finished second in the Mountain West Conference at 5-3. BYU fell to California in the Pioneer PureVision Las Vegas Bowl 35-28.
The Cougars made several changes in preparation for the 2005 season, including a coaching change. Following the resignation of Gary Crowton, the Cougars promoted Bronco Mendenhall to head coach from his previous position as defensive coordinator. Mendenhall brought former Cougar Robert Anae on as offensive coordinator and named Brandon Doman, the quarterback of the 2001 team that finished 12-2, the quarterbacks coach. Also new to the staff was Patrick Higgins, who was hired as the receivers coach.
Mendenhall also made the decision to switch back to the traditional uniforms, while maintaining the navy blue, worn by all of the great BYU teams with the traditional Y logo on the helmets.
With a new staff that focused on effort and discipline, and uniforms that evoked the tradition of the glory days, the Cougars kicked off the 2005 season at home against Boston College. Despite the excitement for the new season, BYU was unable to crack the Eagles' defense and the Cougars fell 20-3. Despite the offensive struggles, BYU showed signs of its potential as John Beck completed a conference and Edward's Stadium record 41 passes on 60 attempts for 330 yards. The Cougars also proved to be a disciplined team in the first game, recording no turnovers.
BYU gave Mendenhall his first win the next weekend as the Cougars defeated Division I-AA opponent Eastern Illinois, 45-10. Curtis Brown scored the team's first touchdown of the season on BYU's first possession of the game and from there the Cougars built a 31-0 halftime lead. Brown finished the game with 110 rushing yards, his first of six 100-yard rushing games on the season.
The offense continued to roll against TCU as BYU scored 21 points in the first quarter and eventually led 41-29 midway through the fourth quarter. Newcomer TCU would not let the Cougars get away however, as the Horned Frogs staged a comeback and led 44-41 with 1:25 remaining. Beck drove BYU 69 yards on eight plays to set up a 39-yard field goal by Jared McLaughlin to send the game into overtime. Beck hit Watkins on a 25-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime to put the Cougars up 50-44. After BYU missed the extra point, the Horned Frogs scored on a controversial goal-line play and hit their point after to claim the win, 51-50.
Despite the loss, Beck played one of the best games in Mountain West history, completing 30-of-51 passes for a conference-record 517 yards and tying a conference record with five touchdown passes.
The Cougars could not recover from the heart-breaking loss in time for their first road game of the season, at San Diego State. The Aztecs defeated BYU 31-10 in a game the Cougars trailed 17-3 at the half. Tight end Jonny Harline had a breakout game, recording seven receptions for 123 yards. Fahu Tahi scored the team's only touchdown of the night to cut the lead to 24-10 early in the fourth, but San Diego State responded two minutes later with another touchdown to seal the victory.
On the road for the second-straight week and standing at 1-3 overall and 0-2 in the conference, BYU picked up an important, come-from-behind, 27-24 win over New Mexico. Despite scoring first, the Cougars could not maintain a lead and trailed 24-13 at the end of the third quarter. With the Lobos driving and looking to add to their lead, Markell Staffieri recovered a New Mexico fumble on the BYU seven. The Cougars then scored on a nine-yard run by Borwn, capping a 93-yard, 13-play drive to pull within five.
BYU regained possession with 2:48 remaining in the game and Beck completed five-consecutive passes for a total of 80 yards, the final completion coming on a 23-yard scoring strike to Matt Allen to put the Cougars ahead 25-24. Brown converted on the two-point conversion to make the score 27-24. The defense held and Mendenhall recorded his first win over a Division I-A school and his first victory in the conference.
Following the New Mexico win, the Cougars put together another solid performance, defeating Colorado State, 24-14, at home. After a scoreless first quarter, Brown scored on a four-yard run and Beck completed a two-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Coats to put BYU up 14-0. McLaughlin hit a 28-yard field goal to put the Cougars up 17-0 before the Rams scored consecutive touchdowns to cut the lead to three.
Brown clinched the game for BYU with a two-yard touchdown run late in the fourth. He finished the game with 147 yards and two touchdowns and Tahi had 86 yards.
The next week, the Cougars went on the road to play No. 9 Notre Dame and kept the game close before the Irish ran away and won 49-23. BYU scored first on a field goal and after a Notre Dame touchdown, Harline caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Beck to give the Cougars a 10-7 lead. The Irish then scored the next 21 points to take a 28-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. BYU then went to work, scoring on a 10-yard run by Beck, who on the Cougars' next possession, tossed a 10-yard scoring pass to Watkins to cut the lead to 28-23.
Notre Dame then scored twice within a 2:31 period at the end of the third quarter and added one more in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Beck completed 26-of-45 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns to lead BYU.
The next weekend the Cougars were back in Edward's Stadium for a conference matchup with Air Force. BYU dominated the first three quarters, outscoring the Falcons 41-14 as Beck threw for three touchdowns and Brown and Nathan Meikle each added scores on the ground. The Falcons made a run in the fourth, scoring 27 points, cutting the lead to 48-34. Brown kept the BYU offense rolling, scoring three touchdowns to ensure the 62-41 victory.
The day belonged to Brown as he ran for career-highs of 219 yards and four touchdowns. As a team, the Cougars amassed 300 yards on 42 carries. Beck also had an impressive game, passing for 383 yards and three scores. The game marked the first time BYU passed and ran for over 300 yards the Utah game in 1989. The defense also recorded five takeaways.
Against UNLV, the Cougars were again dominant on offense while also putting together a solid defensive performance, forcing three turnovers. BYU played a balanced offensive game, rushing for 224 yards and passing for 279. The game was tied at seven early in the second quarter before the Cougars scored 34-unanswered points to take a 41-7 lead. The Rebels added one more score before BYU tacked on 14 more in the fourth quarter. Beck threw for 267 yards and two touchdowns while Tahi ran 11 times for 62 yards and two scores. Wayne Latu came off the bench and ran 15 times for 93 yards and a touchdown.
The Cougars played their final game on the road at Wyoming. The Cowboys struck first, scoring on the games' first drive. BYU answered, scoring two-consecutive touchdowns before Wyoming scored again to tie the game at 14. The Cougars scored two more to take a 28-14 lead into the half.
The Cowboys came out strong in the third quarter, scoring on their first drive to cut the BYU lead to 28-21. They threatened to tie the game, but Justin Luettgerodt recovered a fumble deep in Cougar territory and the offense took over, driving 94 yards on 10 plays and scoring on a six-yard pass from Beck to Harline to make the score 35-21 to put the game out of reach. Luettgerodt recovered a fumble in each of the first three quarters and recorded an interception in the fourth. He recovered four of Wyoming's five turnovers on the day. With 153 yards on 25 carries, Brown had his fifth 100-yard rushing game of the season and 10th of his career, tying for the most career 100-yard rushing games in BYU history. He also added two touchdowns on the day.
The win at Wyoming made the Cougars 6-4 overall and 5-2 in the conference, clinching a winning regular season for the first time since 2001 and giving BYU at least a share of second place in the conference.
The Cougars returned home the next weekend for the season finale, a matchup with instate rival Utah. BYU struggled on both sides of the ball in the first half, falling behind 24-3. The Cougars stormed back in the second half, scoring on three of four possessions in the third quarter to cut the lead to three at 31-24. Brown scored twice in the quarter, the second on a 64-yard run, the longest of his career and the longest run from scrimmage by a BYU player in 2005.
Utah opened the fourth quarter with a field goal to go up 10 at 34-24 but the Cougars came back once again, scoring 10-more to tie the game and send it into overtime. The Utes started overtime with the ball and scored on their second play. BYU came out and failed to convert on fourth down when Beck threw a pass into the endzone, just out of reach of the outstretch arms of Michael Reed.
Brown ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 15 on the season, tied for third most in touchdowns in a season at BYU. It was also the 11th 100-yard rushing game of the season for Brown, the most 100-yard games in Cougar history. Beck threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 10-career 300 yard passing games, ninth best in BYU history. Brown finished the regular season with 1,095 rushing yards becoming the first Cougar to run for over 1,000 yards in one season. Beck had 3,357 yards on the year, the first time since 2001 a BYU quarterback has thrown for over 3,000 yards.
On Dec. 22, the Cougars faced California in the Las Vegas Bowl. The Golden Bears jumped ahead early on a touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch but BYU tied the score in the second when Beck threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Brown. Cal scored again to go ahead 14-7 but the Cougars came back once again, scoring on a three-yard run by Tahi to tie the score at 14-14 with 38 second left in the half. Cal took advantage of the little remaining time, going 58 yards on three plays to score and take a 21-14 lead into the half.
The Golden Bears took control of the game in the third quarter, scoring twice to take a commanding 35-14 lead. Beck rallied his team and engineered two scoring drives to cut the Cal lead to seven at 35-28. The first score was a seven-yard pass to Harline and the second a nine-yard pass to Todd Watkins. The touchdown by Watkins capped a 14-play, 96-yard drive, BYU's longest drive of the season and the third 90-yard scoring drive of the day for the Cougars. BYU got the ball back late in the game but the potential game-tying drive was cut short when Beck threw and interception after being hit.
Several Cougars were honored for their performances throughout the season. Brown was named MWC Offensive Player of the Week for his performances against Air Force and Wyoming. Beck was also a two-time honoree, earning conference accolades for his play against TCU and New Mexico. Luettgerodt rounded out the Cougars that were honored by the MWC as Defensive Player of the Week for his play against Wyoming. Harline was named the national John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau Country Sports Commission for his 10-reception, 123-yard performance against New Mexico. Nathan Meikle was recognized for his hard work in the classroom when CoSida and ESPN the Magazine named him Academic All-District and second-team Academic All-America.
The MWC named Beck, Brown and Harline first-team all-conference and Jake Kuresa, Lance Reynolds, Jr., Manaia Brown and Cameron Jensen to the second-team. Justin Luettgerodt was given honorable mention honors. Dallas Reynolds earned several freshman All-America honors.
Despite falling to Utah for the fourth-consecutive year, BYU accomplished several of its goals, including finishing with a winning season and qualifying for a bowl.
Overall Record: 6-6
MWC Record/Finish: 5-3/T-2nd
Record vs. Top-25: 0-2
MWC and National Statistical Rankings (Team):
Category Stat MWC National
Scoring Offense 33.0 2 24
Rushing Defense 147.8 3 57
Pass Offense 310.1 1 6
Total Offense 462.4 2 13
Pass Efficiency 137.1 4 32
First Downs 308 1 -
3rd-DN Conversion 44.8% 1 17
PAT Kicking .958 1 -
Time of Possession 32:27 1 -
Red Zone Offense 90.0% 1 -
MWC and NCAA Statistical Rankings (Individual):
Player Category Stat MWC National
Curtis Brown Rushing Yds/G 93.6 4 41
John Beck Passing Avg./G 309.1 1 5
John Beck Total Offense 314.2 2 7
Jonny Harline Receptions/Game 5.25 7 42
Curtis Brown All Purpose Yds 131.4 3 36
Curtis Brown Scoring 8.2 2 33
Jared McLaughlin Scoring 7.3 T-4 -
Cameron Jensen Tackles 84 12 -
Justin Luettgerodt Fumbles Rec. 3 T-2 -
Top Scorers/Category Leaders:
Top Rusher: Curtis Brown, 1,123 yards
Top Scorer: Curtis Brown, 16 TDs
Top Passer: John Beck, 331-513 for 3,709 yards, 27 TDs and 13 Int
Top Receiver: Jonny Harline, 63 rec. for 853 yards and five TDs
Top Tackler: Cameron Jensen, 84 tackles
BYU Records Broken (Individual):
Most Career 100-yard Games: Curtis Brown 11 (first)
Most Touchdowns in a season: Curtis Brown 16 (second)
All-America:
Freshman All-America Honors
Player Organization Rank
Dallas Reynolds Rivals.com Second-Team
Sporting News Third-Team
CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America:
Nathan Meikle, junior wide receiver, second-team
National Athlete/Player of the Week:
Jonny Harline, Nassau County Sports Commission
John Mackey National Tight End of the Week
CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District: Nathan Meikle
All-MWC:
First Team: John Beck, Curtis Brown, Jonny Harline
Second Team: Jake Kuresa, Lance Reynolds, Jr., Manaia Brown, Cameron Jensen
Honorable Mention: Justin Luettgerodt
Conference Athlete/Player of the Week:
John Beck (Sept. 25)
Curtis Brown (Oct. 29 and Nov. 13)
Justin Luettgerdot (Nov. 13)
Sport Specific Awards (Specify awarding organization and award):
ESPN All-Mayday Team: Nate Soelberg