BYU football: Loss in '96 still disappointing for Lewis

PROVO — Twelve years later, the memories, and wounds, are still fresh.

Former BYU tight end Chad Lewis remembers all-too-well walking off the field at Husky Stadium after a devastating 29-17 defeat at Washington in 1996.

"It was painful. I could tell it was going to be a special year, and to come out of Washington with a loss was so bitter," he recalled this week. "We let one slip away from us. It was such a disappointing feeling. I wanted to start the game over again."

Lewis, who went on to enjoy an All-Pro NFL career, can relate to the challenge this year's BYU squad is facing Saturday when the Cougars visit Washington. His is a cautionary tale because there are some similarities between the '96 and '08 Cougar teams and the circumstances surrounding the trips to Washington.

On Sept. 14, 1996, the Cougars ventured to Seattle with a 2-0 record and a No. 14 national ranking. BYU was looking to make a statement on the road and hoping for an undefeated season and a berth in a Bowl Alliance (a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series) postseason game. There was even some talk about a possible national championship.

In 2008, the Cougars are 1-0 and ranked No. 15, looking to make a statement on the road. BYU has hopes of an undefeated season and a BCS bowl bid.

Lewis' team lost the battle in Seattle, which turned out to be the final loss of his collegiate career. Washington scored two touchdowns in the first quarter, and BYU spent the rest of the day trying to catch up in front of a loud crowd of 70,000 fans. Cougar quarterback Steve Sarkisian was sacked eight times for minus-42 yards and Husky running back Rashaan Shehee rushed for 131 yards and scored two TDs.

The following Monday, the Cougars dropped out of the national polls. But they rebounded by winning 12 straight games to finish the season.

BYU won the Western Athletic Conference championship, played in (and won) the program's first and only New Year's Day bowl game (the Cotton Bowl), claimed an NCAA single-season record 14 victories and finished No. 5 in the final polls.

"It helped us to refocus as a team," Lewis said of the early-season Washington loss. "We decided to dig in and take one game at a time from there on out. It was a great lesson."

Yet Lewis can't help but wonder, what if the Cougars would have won at Washington? That setback prevented them from achieving a perfect season and playing in the lucrative Fiesta Bowl that season.