Cougar Football Archive

1976 BYU Football

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Date	Opponent	Score	Stadium	Location	Attendance
Sep 11	at Kansas State	3-13 L	KSU Stadium	Manhattan, KS	27,100
Sep 18	Colorado State	42-18 W	Cougar Stadium	Provo, UT	33,013
Sep 25	at Arizona	23-16 W	Arizona Stadium	Tucson, AZ	31,000
Oct 2	at San Diego State	8-0 W	San Diego Stadium	San Diego, CA	41,786
Oct 9	Wyoming	29-34 L	Cougar Stadium	Provo, UT	35,423
Oct 16	Southern Miss	63-19 W	Cougar Stadium	Provo, UT	23,029
Oct 23	Utah State	45-14 W	Cougar Stadium	Provo, UT	24,074
Oct 30	Arizona State	43-21 W	Cougar Stadium	Provo, UT	29,854
Nov 6	UTEP	40-27 W	Cougar Stadium	Provo, UT	24,644
Nov 13	at New Mexico	21-8 W	University Stadium	Albuquerque, NM	18,038
Nov 20	at Utah	34-12 W	Rice Stadium	Salt Lake City, UT	30,503
Dec 18	vs No. 14 Oklahoma State	21-49 L	Citrus Bowl	Orlando, FL	37,812

Statistic	BYU	OPP
Scoring	372	231
Points per game	31.0	19.3
First Downs	243	209
Rushing	80	111
Passing	141	79
Penalty	22	19
Rushing Yardage	1309	2105
Rushing attempts	478	610
Average per rush	2.7	3.5
Average per game	109.1	175.4
TDs Rushing	14	18
Passing Yardage	3596	1863
Comp-Att-Int	246-437-23	123-288-25
Completion pct	56.3%	42.7%
Average per pass	8.2	6.5
Average per catch	14.6	15.1
Average per game	299.7	155.3
TDs Passing	32	9
Total Offense	4905	3968
Total plays	915	898
Average per play	5.4	4.4
Average per game	408.8	330.7
Kick returns: #-Yards	37-818	49-801
Average per return	22.1	16.3
Punt returns: #-Yards	36-249	20-100
Average per return	6.9	5.0
Fumbles-Lost	27-10	39-24
Penalties-Yards	99-1042	90-807
Punts-Yards	70-2667	74-2887
Average per punt	38.1	39.0
Sacks by	36	36
Field goals-attempts	15-30	9-13
3rd-down conversion	66/178	60/178
3rd-down pct	37.1%	33.7%
4th-down conversion	6/12	7/22
4th-down pct	50.0%	31.8%

Passing

Player	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yards	Yds/Att	TD	Int	Eff	Lng	Sacked	Sack Yards
Gifford Nielsen	231	406	56.9	3401	8.4	30	23	140.3	81	34	293
Terry McEwen	15	29	51.7	179	6.2	2	0	126.3	29	1	10
John Van Der Wouden	1	1	100.0	15	15.0	0	0	226.0	15	0	0
Dave Lowry	0	1	0.0	0	0.0	0	0	.0	26	0	0

Rushing

Player	Att	Yards	Yds/Att	TD	Lng
Jeff Blanc	157	625	4.0	3	33
Todd Christensen	97	359	3.7	4	15
Dave Lowry	79	315	4.0	4	39
Roger Gourley	36	172	4.8	1	25
Mike Chronister	4	64	16.0	1	45
Roy Ward	6	37	6.2	0	16
Robbie Kahuanui	6	24	4.0	0	8
Dan Van Valkenburg	5	8	1.6	0	5
Terry McEwen	5	6	1.2	0	8
John Van Der Wouden	1	3	3.0	1	3
Parry Winder	1	-19	-19.0	0	0
Gifford Nielsen	83	-266	-3.2	1	11

Receiving

Player	Rec	Yards	Yds/Rec	TD	Lng
Mike Chronister	33	723	21.9	7	81
John Van Der Wouden	42	669	15.9	8	67
Todd Christensen	57	563	9.9	3	32
Brian Billick	24	375	15.6	1	44
George Harris	12	327	27.3	3	68
Tod Thompson	16	290	18.1	3	56
Jeff Blanc	26	238	9.2	2	19
Dave Lowry	16	155	9.7	2	29
Roger Gourley	10	88	8.8	1	22
Jeff Nilsson	6	73	12.2	2	29
Jay Miller	6	66	11.0	0	17
Lynn Zwahlen	1	16	16.0	0	16
Roy Ward	1	14	14.0	0	14

Kick Returns

Player	No	Yds	Avg	TD	Lng
Dave Lowry	31	698	22.5	1	59
Jason Coloma	3	59	19.7	0	35
Mark Terranova	2	50	25.0	0	0
Todd Christensen	1	14	14.0	0	14
Roger Gourley	1	5	5.0	0	5

Punt Returns

Player	No	Yds	Avg
Mike Chronister	22	182	8.3
Jeff Blanc	10	51	5.1
Lynn Zwahlen	6	20	3.3
Mark Terranova	1	0	0.0
Jason Coloma	2	0	0.0

Defense

Player	Tkl	Solo	Ast	Sacks	TFL	PBU	INT	Yds	TD	FF	FR	Blk
Rod Wood	125	45	80	1.5	4.0	6	1	4	0	1	2	0
Bill Rice	97	35	62	8.0	3.0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
Mekeli Ieremia	91	33	58	9.5	2.0	0	0	0	0	4	1	0
Blake Murdock	69	31	38	0.0	1.0	3	2	24	0	0	1	0
Marcus Kanahele	68	22	46	4.0	2.0	1	0	0	0	1	1	0
Dana Wilgar	64	35	29	0.0	0.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Tony Hernandez	52	25	27	0.0	0.0	4	6	79	0	0	0	0
Marc Swenson	48	27	21	0.0	2.0	0	2	31	0	0	0	0
Larry Miller	47	26	21	0.0	1.0	0	4	49	0	2	0	0
Craig Jensen	43	27	16	0.0	1.0	4	5	54	0	1	1	0
Steve Dewey	39	18	21	3.0	2.0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
Ross Varner	34	12	22	1.0	3.0	1	1	17	0	1	1	0
Mark Berntsen	24	11	13	1.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Gary Peterson	20	8	12	4.0	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Gary Kama	14	8	6	0.0	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Reed Brown	14	7	7	1.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Ron Velasco	14	6	8	0.0	0.0	2	0	0	0	1	0	0
Mark Terranova	13	7	6	0.0	0.0	2	0	0	0	0	1	0
Larry Tucker	10	8	2	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Jason Coloma	8	7	1	0.0	0.0	0	1	18	0	0	0	0
Bob Biddy	8	5	3	0.0	0.0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
Dave Taylor	5	2	3	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Kip Apostol	4	2	2	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
George Harris	3	1	2	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Glen Redd	3	2	1	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Doug Stromberg	2	2	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Chuck Carlson	2	0	2	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Roger Gourley	2	2	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Roy Ward	2	2	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bill Popin	1	1	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Dave Lowry	1	1	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Keith Uperesa	1	1	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bob Prested	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Neal Anae	0	0	0	0.0	0.0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0
TEAM				0.0	0.0							1

Kicking

Player	FG	FGA	Pct	Lng	0-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50+	Blk	XPM	XPA	XP Blk
Dave Taylor	15	30	50.0	45	1-1	4-5	6-9	4-11	0-4	0	37	41	0

Punting

Player	Punt	Yds	Avg	Lng
Dave Lowry	61	2319	38.0	64
Gifford Nielsen	7	277	39.6	61
Todd Christensen	1	44	44.0	44
Parry Winder	1	28	28.0	28

Kickoffs

Player	No	Yds	TB	OB
Dave Taylor	70	3856	22	0

Roster

No.	Name	Class	Position	Height	Weight	Hometown	High School	Previous School
	Ron Lewis	SO	WR	6-2	185	San Jose, CA	Fairfield HS	Soleno Junior College
	Randy Litchfield	JR	QB	6-4	190	Redmond, WA	Redmond HS
3	Brent Johnson	RS (SO)	K	6-2	190	Granger, UT	Granger HS
4	Pisa Finai	JR	WR	6-2	210	Laie, HI
5	Bob Prested	FR	DB	6-1	180	Glendale, CA	Glendale HS
5	Craig Jensen	R-SR	CB	6-1	180	Provo, UT	Provo HS
6	Marc Wilson	RS	QB	6-5	195	Seattle, WA	Shorecrest HS
7	Terry McEwen	JR	QB	6-1	185	Portland, OR	David Douglas HS
8	John Van Der Wouden	JR	WR	5-11	175	Salt Lake City, UT	South HS
9	Ron Velasco	SO	DB	6-3	180	Aiea, HI	Radford HS
11	Mark Flammer	SO	QB	6-1	180	North Logan, UT	Skyview HS
12	Dan Hartwig	FR	QB	6-4	195	Walnut Creek, CA	Ygnacio Valley HS
14	Gifford Nielsen	R-JR	QB	6-5	195	Provo, UT	Provo HS
15	Dave McKee	FR				Holden, UT	Millard HS
15	Jeff Nilsson	JR	WR	6-1	190	Salt Lake City, UT	Brighton HS
16	Bob Biddy	SR	CB	6-1	180	Richland, UT	Richfield HS
17	Gary Hahn	SR	DB	6-1	190	Anaheim, CA	Edgewood HS
18	Mark Terranova	JR	DB	5-11	185	Canoga Park, CA	Canoga Park HS
20	Kevin Velasco	SO	DB	5-11	175	Aiea, HI	Punahou HS
21	Jason Coloma	SO	SS	5-11	190	Haleiwa, HI	Waialua HS
22	Lynn Zwahlen	JR	WR	5-11	175	Modesto, CA	Grace Davis HS
23	Clay Blackwell	RS	TB	5-9	165	Ogden, UT	Bonneville HS
24	Roger Gourley	JR	FB	6-1	200	Provo, UT	Provo HS
25	Kent Tingey	FR	WR	6-2	185	North Logan, UT	Skyview HS
26	George Harris	R-JR	WR	5-11	175	Burnsville, MN	Burnsville HS
27	Tony Hernandez	JR	CB	6-1	175	Glendale, AZ	Wilson HS	Glendale College
28	Terry Baker	JR	DB	5-10	175	Brea, CA
29	Mike Chronister	SO	WR	6-2	180	Concord, CA	Concord HS	Diablo Valley College
30	Jeff Blanc	SR	TB	6-1	195	Boise, ID	Borah HS
31	Larry Kemp	JR	TB	6-2	180	Pocatello, ID	Highland HS
32	Ken White	SO	TB	6-1	195	Pleasant Hill, CA	Pleasant Hill HS
33	Todd Christensen	JR	FB	6-2	215	Eugene, OR	Sheldon HS
34	Roy Ward	JR	FB	5-10	195	Boise, ID	Borah HS
36	Rod Wood	R-SO	MLB	6-1	225	Durango, CO	Duranga HS
37	Gary Kama	SO	MLB	6-1	220	Haleiwa, HI	Saint Louis HS
39	Allen Strong	SR	DB	5-10	170	Provo, UT	Provo HS
41	Mark Berntsen	JR	OLB	6-1	210	Salt Lake City, UT	Skyline HS
42	Dana Wilgar	SR	FS	5-11	175	Las Vegas, NV	Clark HS
44	Dave Lowry	SR	FB	6-1	195	Salt Lake City, UT	Cottonwood HS
45	Bill Popin	JR	CB	5-10	180	San Mateo, CA	Aragon HS	San Mateo College
46	Marc Swenson	SO	SS	6-1	195	Santa Maria, CA	Righetti HS
49	Kim Stewart	JR	TB	6-1	200	Provo, UT	Provo HS
50	Scott Nielsen	SO	C	6-3	210	Salt Lake City, UT	Olympus HS
50	Blake Murdock	SR	OLB	6-1	215	Clearfield, UT	Clearfield HS
52	Chuck Carlson	SR	C	5-10	220	Westminster, CA	Westminster HS
53	Dave Taylor	R-FR	K/C	6-2	210	Macon, GA	Central HS
54	Russ Beck	SO	LB	6-3	200	Littleton, CO	Littleton HS
59	Reed Brown	JR	OLB	6-1	200	Provo, UT	Provo HS
60	John Dowell	JR	RG	6-1	210	Flagstaff, AZ	Flagstaff HS
61	Dave Gardineer	SO	LG	6-5	235	Camp Springs, MD
62	Tom Schmidt	JR	C	6-1	220	Phoenix, AZ	Browne HS	Mesa CC
64	Ross Varner	R-SO	DE	6-3	230	Salt Lake City, UT	Skyline HS
64	Calvin Close	FR	OT	6-3	210	Camarillo, CA	Adolfo Camarillo HS
65	Neils Tidwell	SO	OG	6-1	200	Nampa, ID	Vallivue HS
65	Steve Miller	SR	LG	6-1	230	Los Olivos, CA	Santa Maria HS	Allan Hancock College
67	Allen Plumb	JR	DT	6-4	240	Globe, AZ
68	Neal Anae	JR	LB	5-10	205	Honolulu, HI	Punahou HS
69	Jan Van de Merwe	JR	OT	6-2	210	Bountiful, UT	Viewmont HS
70	Dave Hubbard	SR	RT	6-7	270	Napa, CA	Vintage HS
71	Gary Peterson	JR	DT	6-3	265	Cedar Fort, UT	Lehi HS
72	Nick Eyre	FR				Las Vegas, NV	Las Vegas HS
72	Kelly Harris	JR	LT	6-5	220	Provo, UT	Provo HS
73	Bob Simmerman	SO	DT	6-4	220	Fresno, CA	Fresno HS
74	Randy Nuckolls	SO	DT	6-4	235	Bountiful, UT	Viewmont HS
75	Steve Dewey	SR	DE	6-1	230	Provo, UT	Provo HS
75	Russ Davis	SO				Murray, UT	Murray HS
76	Dave Meteer	R-SR	RT	6-8	245	Moraga, CA	Miramonte High
77	Keith Uperesa	JR	RG	6-3	255	Aiea, HI	Punahou HS
78	Lance Reynolds	JR	LT	6-3	260	Salt Lake City, UT	Granite HS
79	Bill Rice	SR	DT	6-4	245	Salt Lake City, UT	Skyline HS
80	Mekeli Ieremia	JR	DT	6-3	235	Tarrytown, NY	Sleepy Hollow HS
82	Larry Miller	SO	OLB	6-5	210	Bountiful, UT	Bountiful HS
83	Richard Herlin	JR	TE	6-5	215	Orem, UT	Orem HS
84	Richard Jones	JR	WR	6-1	180	Menlo Park, CA	Woodside HS
85	Dan Olsen	SR	TE	6-1	215	Los Angeles, CA
86	Marcus Kanahele	SR	DE	6-3	230	Kanehoe, HI	Punahou HS
87	Brian Billick	SR	TE	6-5	225	Redlands, CA	Redlands HS	Air Force
88	Jay Miller	R-SR	WR	6-1	195	San Jose, CA	Lynnbrook High
89	Jeff Harris	SO	DE	6-3	220	Jacksonville, FL	Paxon HS
90	Kip Apostol	JR	LB	6-1	200	Orem, UT	Orem HS
92	Tod Thompson	R-SO	TE	6-5	215	Concord, CA	Clayton Valley HS
93	Matt Mendenhall	RS-Medical	LB	6-5	220	Salt Lake City, UT	East HS

Coaching Staff

Coach	Position
Fred Whittingham Sr.	Linebackers
LaVell Edwards	Head Coach
Norm Chow	Receivers
Stan Watts	Athletic Director
Tom Ramage	Defensive Line
Dave Kragthorpe	Assistant Head Coach, Offensive Line
Dick Felt	Defensive Coordinator, Defensive Backs
Doug Scovil	Offensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks
Garth Hall	Running Backs
Mel Olson	Junior Varsity

Starters

Offense

Pos	Player
QB	Gifford Nielsen
TB	Jeff Blanc
FB	Todd Christensen
FL	Mike Chronister
SE	John Van Der Wouden
TE	Brian Billick
TE	Tod Thompson
LT	Dave Meteer
LG	Steve Miller
C	Chuck Carlson
RG	Keith Uperesa
RT	Dave Hubbard

Defense

Pos	Player
DE	Marcus Kanahele
DE	Steve Dewey
DT	Mekeli Ieremia
DT	Bill Rice
LB	Larry Miller
LB	Blake Murdock
MLB	Rod Wood
CB	Craig Jensen
CB	Tony Hernandez
S	Marc Swenson
S	Dana Wilgar

Special Teams

Pos	Player
PK	Dave Taylor
P	Dave Lowry
KR	Dave Lowry
PR	Mike Chronister