From Deseret News archives:

LaVell Edwards reflects on roots, relationships

Published: Wednesday, April 7, 2004 7:09 a.m. MDT
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"I didn't like to play LaVell," Welsh said at Tuesday's event. "I figured you had to score 45 points to win — if you didn't, you may not have a chance to win."

"I don't know why he would say that — he beat me nearly every time we played," said Edwards, mindful of BYU's 23-16 loss to Navy in the inaugural Holiday Bowl in 1978 and the Cougars' 22-16 loss to Virginia in the 1987 All-American Bowl.

"He came out to Provo one year, and the officials he brought out with him robbed us," quipped Edwards of Welsh's 45-40 victory in 1999 with Virginia. "But then we went out to Charlottesville the next year and took our officials and beat them."

Tuesday's event also allowed Edwards to field several questions, including a personal favorite of all his standout Cougar quarterbacks and his take of the Bowl Championship Series and the possibility of a national playoff system.

True to form, Edwards declined to name his No. 1 BYU quarterback, saying "not even in my own mind have I come up with just one."

He added: "They're all different, with different styles, but they were all great leaders . . . and in my last few years, I would have loved to have had any one of them."

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Of the current state of postseason college football, Edwards proclaimed, "I'm not a fan of the BCS because BYU is not a part of it — it's a personal thing."

He said BYU's 1984 national championship was the result of several factors: the Cougars going undefeated and all other college powerhouses — except Washington — suffering at least two losses.

Edwards mentioned that BYU's championship squad had recently been tabulated by modern-day BCS formulas.

"Our undefeated team in 1984 certainly wouldn't have been in the mix," he said. "I'm thankful we didn't have the BCS in those days."


E-mail: taylor@desnews.com

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