It was a cool evening at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California. Christmas was coming and the 12-0 Cougars wanted to take home a big Christmas present: the National Championship. Legendary coach LaVell Edwards had led BYU to their best season in history and was determined to bring the Cougars a trophy.

BYU faced the 6-5 Michigan Wolverines, led by Bo Schembechler. The game was played at Jack Murphy Stadium, where BYU had won the Miracle Bowl four years earlier. BYU was the only undefeated team in College Football and they wanted to make history as the first team from a non-major conference to win the National Championship.

The Cougars were ready to go. They were the unlikeliest of contenders, producing big moments like beating the Pittsburgh Panthers 20-14 and rival Utah 24-14. Quarterback Robbie Bosco completed passes and running back Lakei Heimuli ran rampant. LaVell Edwards found success in a pass-heavy offense and threw the ball two-thirds of the time. Score better on average than opponents 22.2 points per gameBYU had an overall good team. A powerful offense combined with a tight defense made the Cougars a tough opponent.

The Cougars were nicely set up to be the first non-power conference team to win the National Championship. The title of champion was not guaranteed, but the Cougars still had to beat Michigan, their Holiday Bowl opponent. The 6-5 Wolverines weren’t the flashiest Michigan team, struggling to find consistency. The Wolverines were hungry and wanted to beat BYU to prove themselves.

The game started with BYU kicking off to Michigan. The Wolverines and Cougars traded the football, with BYU throwing an interception that ended with a Michigan punt. The first quarter was slow and ended without a goal. Robbie Bosco left the first quarter with an injury and backup quarterback Blaine Fowler replaced him. It was later revealed that Robbie had a sprained ankle.

Robbie returned in the second quarter and led the Cougars down the field, finishing with BYU scoring first with a 5-yard touchdown run by Kelly Smith. On the Wolverines’ next possession, the Cougars picked off a fleeing punter and got the ball inside Michigan’s ten-yard line. They then fumbled the ball near the goal line, and the Wolverines got it back. The Wolverines would then score a touchdown to tie the game. The half would end with a BYU field goal.

BYU would get the ball to start the second half, drive down the field and then intercept again. It wouldn’t accomplish anything. BYU would then fumble the ball and Michigan would punt it away again. A field goal attempt by the Cougars would be blocked and it would result in a Michigan touchdown to take the lead 14-10. BYU would then play with the football in their own 15, leading to a Wolverine field goal to make the score 17-10.

BYU would drive down the field as Robbie Bosco threw a risky pass into coverage. Kozlowski would run with it for the touchdown to make it 17-17. Michigan punted and BYU threw another interception. After a huge sack, BYU would force the Wolverines to punt. BYU would put together another long drive, ending with a touchdown pass from Robbie Bosco to Kelly Smith to take the lead. BYU would then catch the game’s interception and win 24-17.

Shortly after the win, BYU would be named National Champion. Controversy ensued, with one prominent journalist saying that BYU was a “Bo Diddly Tech” schedule, meaning BYU had an easier than average schedule. Any way you look at it, BYU was the outright national champion in 1984. This is one of the greatest moments in Cougar football history and deserves to be celebrated every season. Never forget Robbie Bosco, whose injury gave us the title. This BYU team was special and the 2024 team is very similar. Let’s hope history can repeat itself.

Bring the energy Cougar Nation!