Armed Forces Bowl
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BYU fan David Grant won't soon forget the Cougars' thrilling Dec. 30 victory against Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl at Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The football team's touchdown in the game's closing seconds secured a 24-21 victory over the Golden Hurricane and sent President Grant and his fellow fans home with big smiles and plenty of memories.
But he said he and hundreds of other Cougar fans and their friends will also long remember the team's traditional devotional held on the eve of the bowl game.
"It was a great, spiritual meeting," said President Grant, who serves as the second counselor in the Texas Dallas Mission Presidency. "The team members are not just football players, they're spiritual people."
Some 900 people squeezed into the Richardson Texas Stake Center for the evening devotional, including several hundred fans who traveled to the game from outside the Dallas-Ft. Worth region. BYU Coach Bronco Mendenhall spoke at the meeting despite the game's early kick-off the next morning. He was joined on the program by his wife, Holly Mendenhall.
President Grant said Coach Mendenhall called on his young son, Cutter Mendenhall, to recite, from memory, the Rudyard Kipling poem "If." The coach then enlisted the message of those oft-recited verses to anchor a message of inspiration.
Cougar running back Michael Alisa and linebacker Spencer Hadley also delivered remarks, while a choir of football players performed the missionary-themed song "To Bring the World His Truth."
"For a bunch of football players, they sounded fantastic," said President Grant, laughing. "They did great."
BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson and athletic director Tom Holmoe also attended the devotional. The meeting was conducted by Texas Dallas Mission President Devin Durrant, a former BYU basketball star.
Following the football devotional, full-time missionaries hosted a brief missionary devotional at the stake center. Many of those same missionaries were on hand to watch the nationally-televised bowl game the next day.
In the contest's closing seconds, BYU quarterback Riley Nelson led the Cougars on a 12-play drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to wide receiver Cody Hoffman.
The sophomore receiver earned Armed Forces Bowl Most Outstanding Player honors after scoring three touchdowns and catching eight passes for 122 yards.
Returned-missionary/quarterback Riley Nelson also earned high praise for his savvy play and acumen with both his arm and legs.
With the win, BYU finished its season 10-3 and reached double-digit victories in its first season of conference independence. The Cougars have now won three straight bowl games for the first time in school history.
