BYU, Virginia announce football series

PROVO, Utah (Nov. 7, 2012) — Brigham Young University and the University of Virginia today announced the schools have agreed to a home-and-home football series for the 2013 and 2014 seasons.

The Cougars and Cavaliers will meet at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., on August 31, 2013, with the second game being played at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Sept. 20, 2014.

“I really like this series with Virginia,” said BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe. “It’s been more than a decade since we played at Virginia. It should be a great game for BYU fans in that part of the country and will provide a unique travel experience for both teams.”

BYU and Virginia have previously met three times in football. The first meeting was in 1987 at the All-America Bowl in Birmingham, Ala., where the Cavaliers defeated the Cougars 22-16. The two teams met again in a home-and-home series in 1999 and 2000. Virginia won the first game in Provo 45-40 in 1999. The Cougars won in dramatic fashion the following year at Virginia 38-35 in overtime. Down 21-0 at halftime, BYU scored 35 points in the second half on three Brian McDonald touchdown runs and two Bret Engemann passes. Owen Pochman kicked a 26-yard field goal in overtime to give the Cougars a victory in LaVell Edwards’ final season as head coach.

Virginia was founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819. The Cavaliers began playing football in 1888 and are a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Virginia has played in 18 bowl games and had 42 All-Americans.

BYU was founded in 1875 and played its first season of intercollegiate football in 1922. The Cougars have appeared in 30 bowl games and garnered 71 All-Americans.

BYU has been ranked in the Top 25 during seven of eight seasons under head coach Bronco Mendenhall. The Cougars have captured at least 10 wins in five of the past six seasons and are No. 12 nationally in total wins since 2005.