-- Wherein a train moonwalks his way into the history books
5.1 Shay Muirbrook (drafted by Jay Drew)
When it looked like Kansas State was going to leave a giant skidmark on the 1996 season, there was Shay Muirbrook. Not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4, not 5 ... nah, I'm not referring to LeBron's introduction to the Heat. We're talking about sacks in a game. Each time Muirbrook sacked Cavanaugh it was like he was flipping two birds to the media, to the bowl alliance, to every LDS-hating enemy of BYU my 10-year old self perceived to exist. For 29 minutes Muirbrook actually led Kansas State two to zero. Without two fluky long bombs he might have won the game two to zero. I'm glad he didn't; I like the original ending.
5.2 Skipped (BRoyalBlueCoug)
And we have our first team to drop out! Stay strong everyone else. We can do this thing!
5.3 Vai Sikahema (drafted by Cousin Newt)
My dad loved this dude. You know that moment when you're growing up and you realize your dad is old and not as cool as you thought? That happened to me when I spoke the gospel of James Dye and my dad countered that James couldn't hold Vai's mouthguard (I think my dad felt it inappropriate to use the word jockstrap). Vai was good - the stats and the NFL career back it up. I probably judge him a little unfairly due to his, er ... friendliness with the Utes.
5.4 Rob Morris (Drafted by Tax Commissioner Danny)
For years I felt confident that the slickest celebration ever rolled out by a BYU player came when Austin Collie went casually between the legs after opening the scoring against Washington in '08. When I worked at Hillcrest Elementary I taught every football youngster this move, even though they couldn't pull it off without bouncing the ball into their goods. But for the first time in **checks notes** ever(!) I actually have to admit someone did something better than Austin Collie. You see, once upon a time Rob Morris made a play and celebrated with a moonwalk:
Can you believe that? How has no one else tried this? Also of note: in '98 Morris tackled 147 dudes which goodness that's a lot of people to drag to the ground. That figure is tied for 6th best all-time at BYU, but here's the rub. If you count only unassisted tackles Rob vaults up to the second best tackling season of all-time. He's also one of only two Cougars to post over 200 unassisted tackles in a career. And what a nickname! Freight Train for life!That time @BYUfootball legend Rob Morris did the moonwalk after a tackle for loss. #BYU #BYUFootball#KSLSportsArchive pic.twitter.com/d4AHPw0Sgu— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) April 18, 2020
5.5 Fred Warner (drafted by me)
"Hi, welcome to Reddit, my name is Fred Warner! I'm the owner of the best interception returned for a touchdown in BYU history that no one will ever remember because we ended up blowing the game thanks to our offense intentionally running the clock out on ourselves. Ask me anything!"
5.6 Margin Hooks (drafted by Odyseuss)
Should I have drafted Margin Hooks back in round four instead of Reno Mahe? I'm thinking maybe so. It feels like Hooks is the forgotten name in the BYU wide receiver pantheon. Hooks is fifth all-time in career receptions, fourth if you take running backs out the equation, and third if you take tight ends out as well. And that was despite a lost senior season that featured a quarterback carousel of Bret Engemann, Charlie Petersen, and finally Brandon Doman. He was awesome as a junior, catching almost 1,100 yards from Feterik while going over 100 yards 7 times in just 11 games. By stats I think we can say Hooks is the third best Cougar receiver but how the heck did he only score 14 TDs in 46 career games?
"Hi, welcome to Reddit, my name is Fred Warner! I'm the owner of the best interception returned for a touchdown in BYU history that no one will ever remember because we ended up blowing the game thanks to our offense intentionally running the clock out on ourselves. Ask me anything!"
5.6 Margin Hooks (drafted by Odyseuss)
Should I have drafted Margin Hooks back in round four instead of Reno Mahe? I'm thinking maybe so. It feels like Hooks is the forgotten name in the BYU wide receiver pantheon. Hooks is fifth all-time in career receptions, fourth if you take running backs out the equation, and third if you take tight ends out as well. And that was despite a lost senior season that featured a quarterback carousel of Bret Engemann, Charlie Petersen, and finally Brandon Doman. He was awesome as a junior, catching almost 1,100 yards from Feterik while going over 100 yards 7 times in just 11 games. By stats I think we can say Hooks is the third best Cougar receiver but how the heck did he only score 14 TDs in 46 career games?
For reference, Luke Staley scored 15 touchdowns in a four game stretch during the 2001 season. Be still my heart.
5.7 Tim McTyer (drafted by Brian Henderson, he who once helped me get a ticket to the 59-0 UCLA game)
Yet another hero of the 1996 season, we've all seen the clip where he shoved the Kansas State receiver out of bounds right before his running mate Omarr sealed the game. The McTyer-Morgan pairing gets a lot of hype as the greatest cornerback duo to wear the royal. That could be true? In '96 they combined for 26 pass deflections and 7 interceptions. They won both first team all-WAC corner spots that same year, but they also benefited from a defense that excelled at all three levels. In a battle of the 1996 defense versus the 2012 defense, who you got?
5.8 Kai Nacua (drafted by Andrew Metcalf)
Speaking of the 1996 defense, their weakest area -- or maybe better said, least decorated and/or least memorable -- was at safety. So can you imagine teleporting Kai onto that team? I'm happy to report in that timeline he isn't kicked out of the Utah game for one of the most absurd targeting calls known to man. (Yes, I'm still bitter)
By the way, Kai recorded three turnovers in that game against Utah before getting sent to prison by the refs (2 picks, 1 fumble recovery). Do you think he might have come in handy down the stretch of that game?
5.7 Tim McTyer (drafted by Brian Henderson, he who once helped me get a ticket to the 59-0 UCLA game)
Yet another hero of the 1996 season, we've all seen the clip where he shoved the Kansas State receiver out of bounds right before his running mate Omarr sealed the game. The McTyer-Morgan pairing gets a lot of hype as the greatest cornerback duo to wear the royal. That could be true? In '96 they combined for 26 pass deflections and 7 interceptions. They won both first team all-WAC corner spots that same year, but they also benefited from a defense that excelled at all three levels. In a battle of the 1996 defense versus the 2012 defense, who you got?
5.8 Kai Nacua (drafted by Andrew Metcalf)
Speaking of the 1996 defense, their weakest area -- or maybe better said, least decorated and/or least memorable -- was at safety. So can you imagine teleporting Kai onto that team? I'm happy to report in that timeline he isn't kicked out of the Utah game for one of the most absurd targeting calls known to man. (Yes, I'm still bitter)
By the way, Kai recorded three turnovers in that game against Utah before getting sent to prison by the refs (2 picks, 1 fumble recovery). Do you think he might have come in handy down the stretch of that game?
Somehow that abbreviated game against Utah wasn't his only three turnover performance. The year before he led the upset over #20 Boise State with three picks and a stadium-shaking touchdown return. Kai put in a lot of work to make sure he wasn't remembered as the guy who got clocked in the Miami Beach Brawl. I can confirm his legacy is that of a clutch playmaker, as opposed to being solely the recipient of a haymaker.
5.9 Glen Kozlowski (drafted by Devon “Lasersheep” Smith)
Kozlowski gets a lot of fan love for being a guy who topped out at 55 catches and 879 yard receiving. The internet tells me this is due to his penchant for making ridiculous catches, but I think part of it has to be how fun it is to say "KOZ!!!" Ok, ok, don't worry, I may not know who Jim Herrmann is but I know the real reason why Koz is so beloved.
The score was 17 to 10. The date was December 21st. The opponent was Michigan. The pass looked like it was thrown out of bounds on purpose. But it wasn't. Koz caught it.
5.10 K.O. Kealaluhi (drafted by Magathisll)
I have a scar on my knee from trying to recreate KO's game-winning TD slide against Texas A&M. Ok, that's not true, the scar is from a 4-wheeling crash during a Scout camp gone awry. But it's true I performed KO's slide over and over in the backyard and once landed directly on a sprinkler head. The pain did not stop my love affair with KO.
Like Koz, part of it was the name. Part of it was spending every sacrament meeting drawing him on the back of the program. Part of it was his reaction to Kansas State decapitating Kaipo McGuire. "Oh, you enjoyed knocking out my teammate? You think that's fun? Ok, fine. I'm just going to go ahead and win this game now."
Parting Thoughts from Round 5
Thought #1
That KO touchdown immediately after the Kaipo injury is one of the greatest FU moments in BYU history. I'm sad to say the other FU moment that instantly comes to mind is when Francis Bernard pulled down the one-handed interception immediately after Kai got ejected from the Utah game for the horrifying, despicable, inhuman act of tackling an opposing player. What a great moment this was at the time. Sitake going crazy11. Did church leaders tell Sitake to calm it down on the sidelines after this game? I dunno, but unfortunately I'm betting yes., Bernard giving us a "ball don't lie" for the ages. Now when I think of Bernard ... only sadness.
Thought #2
I also feel sad for Fred Warner. I hate when super talented guys are saddled with teams that never get special seasons.
Round by Round Recap
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