BYU football: Loss in '96 still disappointing for Lewis

"For some reason, our focus was not what it needed to be. Our focus should have been on Washington — period," Lewis said. "We had a chance to be like the 1984 (BYU) team. When you go undefeated, you deserve it. I will always give that team credit. And I will always feel bad we came up short in Washington."

For the Huskies, memories of 1984 are somewhat painful. While BYU finished 13-0 and won the national championship, the team that finished No. 2 in the polls that season was Washington, which posted an 11-1 record, including an Orange Bowl victory over Oklahoma. The Huskies felt they had earned the national title that year, but voters awarded it to the Cougars.

The following season, in 1985, BYU pummeled Washington in Provo, 31-3, in the first meeting between the two schools.

Since then, the Huskies have pretty much controlled the series.

They trounced BYU in Seattle in 1986 (52-21), then won in 1996, in 1997 in Provo (42-20) and in 1998 in Seattle (20-10). The Cougars' only other win in the series came in Provo in 1999, when quarterback Kevin Feterik threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hale for the game-winner with 1:16 remaining.

That was the last time the two teams met.

If Lewis could impart any advice to the '08 Cougars, what would it be?

"I'd tell them to have laser-focus on winning the game, with no distractions," he said. "No matter how loud the crowd gets, no matter what the weather is, it doesn't matter. Just take care of business and win the game. It's a fun place to play. The stands are steep, so it feels like the crowd is right on top of you."

Lewis pauses to ask a question of his own. "When's the last time BYU won at Washington?"

The Cougars are 0-3 in Seattle, he was told.

"I hope they turn it around. I think they will," Lewis said. "I hope they don't take Washington lightly because they lost last week (at Oregon, 44-10). This BYU team has great confidence and great rhythm. They know what's at stake. I'm very excited for this team to go up there."

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E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com