And then there’s BYU running back Charlie Miska.

Miska crossed into the endzone with just under two minutes remaining in the Cougar’s 69-0 blowout win over Portland State last Saturday. In a game where the final outcome was long determined before then, some fans may have taken scarce notice, although the moment won’t be lost in the minds of many of Miska’s teammates, coaches, family and certainly Miska himself any time soon.

“It was incredible and something I’ve been dreaming of since I was born,” Miska said. “I mean, I’ve probably been dreaming of that moment prebirth, even, when I was up there in heaven.”

The touchdown run was relatively straight-forward. The 5-foot-11, 215 pound walkon running back took a handoff from backup quarterback Cole Hagen, veered slightly to his left behind his blockers and then bulldozed his way into the endzone. The ensuing celebration wasn’t exactly typical, however, with most of Miska’s reacting as if the touchdown was the final topper of a an extraordinary comeback win.

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“Charlie is a very well-liked player on the team,” explained BYU Offensive Coordinator Aaron Roderick. “He’s a very much respected guy. There’s not a harder worker and he’s just a great person. Everyone was super excited for him.”

What made the moment even better, from Miska’s perspective, was everyone who made specific contributions to the moment.

“Will Zundel, who is my roomate was in there giving great blocks, and so was Joe Brown, who I was best-man for at his wedding,” Miska said. “I could go down the list of everyone — Andrew Williams, Trevin (Ostler) and everyone in there are people I’m really close to. I really love them all and I wanted to make sure everyone was able to celebrate that moment with me.”

True blue through and through

Also celebrating the moment earnestly, to the point where he almost passed out, according to Charlie, was his father, Vit Miska, who was in attendance with his wife and Charlie’s mother, Leigh, along with several other family members.

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Indeed it was Vit and Leigh who instilled in Charlie unwavering loyalty to BYU athletics from their faraway home in Lorton, Virginia.

“Both of my parents went to BYU, met each other there and then got married,” Charlie related. “So growing up all I wanted to do was follow in their footsteps. BYU was really the only school I ever wanted to go to and play for. We’d watch every game, my first really big hero was Jimmer Fredette and watching BYU games was always a big thing. We’d even have superstitions like eating waffles during games, and yeah, we’d watch every game that we could together.”

Vit taught Charlie about BYU’s unique values, of which made the dream of playing for the Cougars even stronger while others worked to further enhanced Charlie’s desire.

“I remember going to a BYU football fireside when the team was out here playing Virginia and listening to Taysom Hill and some other guys speak and hearing their testimonies really impacted me,” he said. “It gave me a vision of who I wanted to be, not just as a football player, but as a representative of the church and of Jesus Christ. Off the field the team does so much good, and that’s the best thing about BYU football and why I’ve always wanted to be a part of it.”

Getting noticed

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Although Charlie was a standout player in high school, catching BYU football coach’s notice proved difficult. But one individual who did take note was Justin Andersen, who was on Bronco Mendenhall’s staff at Virginia at the time Charlie graduated high school and extended him a spot to play for the Cavaliers, which was accepted.

Charlie then embarked on a two-year mission service to Oakland, California, during which time Andersen had joined BYU’s staff as recruiting coordinator. He immediately reached out to Andersen, hoping for an opportunity to walk on at BYU, which Andersen responded positively to.

But still, Charlie’s dream of playing for BYU was mired with uncertainly considering Andersen’s offer game with no scholarship attached, much less preferred walkon status, which would guarantee him a spot on the team. Undaunted, Charlie began attending BYU for fall semester in 2024, anxiously awaiting an opportunity to prove his worth during team football practices the following spring, although it soon appeared that opportunity wouldn’t present itself.

“It was just right before spring practices and I hadn’t received any response from coaches and I was pretty crushed and feeling a bit hopeless,” Charlie recalled. “But the day spring ball started, Coach Andersen called me up and told me that they were going to give me a shot.”

Charlie made certain to do everything he could to stand out during spring practices, and did manage a few standout runs toward the conclusion in an effort to be invited back for the fall practice session. As could well be imagined, he went to work in the offseason, knowing that fulfilling his lifelong dream of playing for BYU was suddenly a real possibility.

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Eventually it was confirmed that he would be able to join the team officially as part of the 2025 roster, validating Charlie’s hard work and dedication.

“The Lord opened up an opportunity for me in the limited amount of reps that I got,” Charlie said. “I was able to catch the coach’s eye and I was so grateful it happened. So then every day after spring I worked as hard as I possibly could, trusting that my opportunity would open up again, and it did.”

The goal now, for Charlie, is to do whatever possible to stick with the program, learning ardently from running backs Coach Harvey Unga while maintaining the superior work ethic and belief system that opened the doors for him in the first place.

“I’m living my dream and I’ll do whatever it takes,” Charlie concluded. “I love BYU so much, for what it stands for and to be a part of it is everything I’ve ever dreamed of.”