Heading into the 2022 college football season, BYU football players, coaches and fans had every reason to be optimistic.

The Cougars had a veteran team with almost everyone back from the 2021 squad that went 10-3. It also had a schedule that featured some good opponents but no one that appeared to be unbeatable.

But hopes and dreams don’t always turn into reality, which is what BYU discovered as it went through the ups and downs of fall.

It’s a time of change for the Cougars as 2023 will begin a new era for BYU in the Big 12 conference — with all its challenges and benefits.

But before the Cougars turn the page, take one more look back and countdown the Top 10 stories of 2022 for BYU football:

10. BYU football alumni game ends with dramatic Hail Mary

Former BYU linebacker Bryan Kehl had an impressive career during his time in Provo in the mid-2000s but when he returned to LaVell Edwards Stadium for March’s Alumni Game, he wanted to make a new memory.

Kehl was on the Navy team, which took an early lead. But the other side, the Royal team made a fourth-quarter comeback.

After Colby Leifson made a interception in the end zone for the Royal team, quarterback Kevin Feterik calmly led his team back down the field and with just eight seconds on the clock, lofted a perfect pass to wide receiver Aleva Hifo in the back of the end zone.

That game the Royal team a 27-25 lead and appeared to be the dramatic game-winner.

Navy team QB Max Hall took the snap, waited for his teammates to race down the field, then sent the ball spiraling toward the end zone.

Nearly every player in the skeleton-style game converged on where the ball was dropping — but somehow it found its way right to Kehl for the dramatic Hail Mary victory and an exciting finish for the 7,500 fans in attendance.

9. Cougar staff expands as part of preparing for the Big 12

One of the focuses during the offseason was getting the football program (as well as other athletic teams) the staff to better match what they will be facing in their new conference.

That meant adding a number of new positions and separating responsibilities so that coaches and staff would be better positioned to focus on specifics.

A couple of examples were the May additions of former Cougar hoops star Mike Hall as the new director of player development and ex-BYU defensive back Brandon Bradley as the new new director of campus experience.

8. Fresh faces get big moments in the spotlight

Since a college football team has 85 scholarship players and nearly 40 more non-scholarship athletes, there are almost always some who shine who few were familiar with before the season.

That was certainly the case for BYU during the fall as guys like wide receivers Chase Roberts and Kody Epps, running backs Hinckley Ropati and Miles Davis, offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia, defensive backs Gabe Jeudy-Lally and Talan Alfrey and defensive lineman/linebacker Fisher Jackson all had big moments.

It’s not always easy in the modern era to find the right opportunities but those athletes and many others stepped up and took advantage for BYU when they got their chances.

7. BYU running back Tyler Allgeier gets drafted, enjoys solid rookie season

Allgeier was the only BYU player selected in the 2022 draft as he was taken by the Atlanta Falcons with the eighth pick of the fifth round and 151st overall, but he certainly has showed Atlanta they got a good deal.

This fall, Allgeier has played in 14 of 15 games and is leading the Falcons in rushing, gaining 817 yards on 166 carries with two touchdowns.

Allgeier is one of many former Cougars who have excelled in the NFL this fall, including former BYU RB Jamaal Williams (850 rushing yards and 14 TDs), ex-Cougar QB Taysom Hill (787 total yards with 10 TDs) and former BYU defensive back Michael Davis (56 tackles, two interceptions).

6. Maligned Cougar defense comes up big in one-point bowl win

With BYU’s offense playing a first-time starter at quarterback and missing a number of other key pieces, the Cougar defense — which at times had really struggled during 2022 — faced extra pressure to hold the talented SMU offense in check in the 2022 New Mexico Bowl.

While not perfect, BYU did get a defensive score on a big pick-6 by linebacker Ben Bywater and kept the Mustangs to three TDs and field goal — but in the final seconds needed to make one more play.

After scoring a touchdown to pull within one point, SMU chose to go for the two-point conversion and the win. Mustang quarterback Tanner Mordecai attempted to run the ball himself, but BYU defensive back Jakob Robinson came up and stopped him a hard short of the goal line to secured the dramatic 24-23 win for the Cougars.

5. Season falls apart in October slide

No team wants to see its hopes of a big year get smashed, but that gets even harder to take when the disappointment snowballs into multiple weeks of mediocre play.

BYU took a 4-1 record to Las Vegas to face Notre Dame, but an injury to Jaren Hall limited the Cougar offensive effectiveness and BYU couldn’t rally. The 28-20 loss was disheartening, but it was just the beginning.

The Cougars couldn’t keep up with Arkansas and lost 52-35 in their homecoming game, then surrendered 38 unanswered points in a 41-14 defeat at Liberty. BYU capped their October to forget by losing 27-24 to visiting East Carolina on a last-second field goal.

4. Puka Nacua makes potential GOAT catch to beat Boise State

Ask anyone what the best catch in BYU football history is and there could be dozens of answers. Cougar wide receiver Puka Nacua, however, put himself in that conversation on Nov. 5 at Boise State.

BYU trailed by four points with 1:46 left in the game and needed just six yards to take the lead … but it was fourth down.

Cougar junior quarterback Jaren Hall didn’t hesitate on the play, dropping back and throwing immediately to where Nacua was running on the far side of the end zone.

Nacua had Boise State senior cornerback Caleb Biggers draped all over him, pulling his jersey off his shoulder pads. Although Nacua was able to get his hands on the ball, he wasn’t able to catch it cleanly.

It hit his right hand as the BYU star twisted around and popped into the air. But Nacua stayed with it, spinning a full 180-degrees to gather the ball in and tap a toe down before crashing out of bounds to give the Cougars the lead and eventually the dramatic 31-28 win.

3. Injury woes strain depth

BYU hoped that having a number of experienced players back for the 2022 season would really make a difference as the season progressed, but as the season wore on the depth was tested.

The Cougars had numerous top players miss significant time, including QB Jaren Hall, running backs Chris Brooks and Lopini Katoa, wide receivers Puka Nacua, Gunner Romney and Kody Epps, linebackers Payton Wilgar and Max Tooley and defensive backs Micah Moore and Chaz Ah You.

While others stepped up and were able to make some big plays, there is little doubt that having so many of their top players get hurt limited what BYU might have been able to accomplish during the fall.

2. Best moment comes with OT win over Baylor

For two glorious week, BYU fans got to dream big.

After handling South Florida in Week 1, the No. 21-ranked Cougars hosted No. 9-ranked Baylor.

It took more than four hours of football at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Sept. 10, a wild ride of momentum swings and key moments, but the Cougars had finally watched the last pass fall incomplete for No. 9 Baylor.

The most of the sellout crowd of 63,470 erupted in jubilation that spilled onto the field as the Cougars got their first win over a Top 10-ranked team in Provo since upsetting No. 1 Miami in 1990, finally slamming the door on the 26-20 double overtime victory over the Bears.

The most poignant image of the game — and maybe of the season — was BYU QB Jaren Hall hugging kicker Jake Oldroyd, who had missed a potential game-winner and couldn’t hold back the emotions when the Cougars got the win anyway.

1. December upheaval sets tone for next step

After going 7-5 in the regular season and not reaching their potential, it likely wasn’t any surprise that the BYU football team would make some big changes.

But did anyone really expect them to be as big as they turned out to be, at least to this point?

It started with defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki resigning and Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake bringing in Jay Hill from Weber State to replace him. That resulted in some dominoes toppling as the BYU defensive staff went under a major overhaul with Jernaro Gilford being the only one officially retained as of the end of December.

The Cougars will also have a significant new look on the field as a number of starters have left either to transfer or for the NFL (including Jaren Hall, Chris Brooks, Lopini Katoa, Puka Nacua, Gunner Romney, Dallin Holker, Harris LaChance, Joe Tukuafu, Clark Barrington, Campbell Barrington, Keenan Pili, Gabe Jeudy-Lally, Lorenzo Fauatea, Kaleb Hayes).

On the flip side, BYU has already added its early signing class and is bringing in some transfers who could have an immediate impact (including Kedon Slovis, Jackson Cravens, Wyatt Dawe and Aidan Robbins).

It’s all part of the process that will end only when BYU kicks off 2023 as a member of the Big 12 next fall.

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