Friday Flashback: Luke Staley vs. Utah 2001
by lars.ON on Jul 15, 2011 10:43 AM PDT
in Friday Flashback
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PrintIn 2001, Luke Staley won BYU's only Doak Walker award. He ushered in a decade that featured dominate running backs at BYU; namely Staley, Curtis Brown and Harvey Unga. Perhaps the greatest running back in BYU history (debate that if you want to in the comments below) Luke had an outstanding season in 2001, which was ultimately capped by this performance in the rivalry game. After a bye week BYU played Mississippi St, winning 12-0, but Staley suffered a season-ending injury. With one game left, against Hawaii, the BCS decided to prematurely eliminate BYU from BCS consideration. After having lost their star running back and a chance at the "big time" BYU sulked into Aloha Stadium and got destroyed. It was a magical season, dashed by two very unfortunate events. So let's look back with fondness at the last time we saw Luke Staley as he truly was, the most dominant running back in BYU history.
Share your thoughts and memories in the comments section below.
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Luke Staley is hands-down the best BYU running back ever
I was at every home game that season and I was constantly in awe of what he could do. When Staley got injured against Mississippi State I was devastated but still held on to hope that we could finish out the season with a win over Hawaii. I mean, come on, we had Brandon Doman, Reno Mahe, Doug Jolley, Brett Keisel, Aaron Francisco and more on that team that should have been able to carry us to undefeated glory. BYU came out so flat falling behind 21-10 after one quarter and it was apparent that Staley was the heart and soul of the team. Brandon Doman also got hurt in the Hawaii game so that was a big blow.
Long live Ninja!
Rise and shout the Cougars are out!!
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One of the top 5 RB's of that last decade in all of CFB
Dude had incredible speed and unbelievable power. I’m still in awe at his ability to just burst with speed at any moment. I see a lot of Stailey in Quezada.
This game is my second favorite in BYU history… BYU v Utah 2006 being #1 of course.
by vaughnzipper on Jul 16, 2011 7:19 AM PDT up reply actions
Edwards last game coaching against Utah is #1 on my list
That game and story lines involved was something you saw in movies
"I hate it! It looks like a stickup at 7-Eleven. Five guys standing there with their hands in the air."
Norm Sloan
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."
Weldon Drew
Luke is one of my favorite
BYU players. Probably because I was finally getting old enough to understand the nuances of the game around that age. I thought for sure he’d end up being an NFL star but watching him get hurt in that Miss game was just awful.
it’s too bad his career didn’t turn out like it should have.
For the Love of the Game
Stockton to Malone- The perfect combination!!
"I think he just said, 'Oh my Gosh,' or whatever they say in Provo."- ESPN talking about QB. Max Hall after BYU defeated third ranked Oklahoma (2009).
MonSTARZ forever!
I remember this game well....
I remember thinking utah really had no chane before it started. I got excited as the game wore on and my utes were up. When BYU came back, I was bummed, but I knew that BYU really was the better team.
In my opinion, that season (Crowton’s first) showed trouble ahead. As a poster mentioned, that BYU team was loaded. They dominated offensively, were below average defenisvely. But when you are winning, its easier to acecpt weaknesses (ie, my Utes in 2010, until TCU)
Obviously, it skewed things when Staley went down. Otherwise, that team probably would have gone to the BCS. Would have been interesting to see how they would have done against a real team………..
Affectionately known on Over the Monster as "Pete"
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by BigBenSportsGuy on Jul 18, 2011 7:11 AM PDT reply actions
whatever happened to luke staley? he was drafted i think by the detroit lions.
Public Enemy #1 and enjoying every minute of it.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Jul 20, 2011 4:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Yes he was drafted by the Lions but never got over injuries
Last I heard while trying to recover and make it in the NFL, he was selling cell phones at the Orem mall but that was years ago. I have no idea what he has been up to recently.
Long live Ninja!
Rise and shout the Cougars are out!!
Author on VanquishTheFoe.com
Follow me on Twitter: @wheatie_87
Ive heard a similar story
This interview with Cougar TV (BYUtv precursor?) answers the questions.
My old account was lars.ON but I change it to match my Twitter handle.
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The best BYU season for me was the 2001 season
It was great seeing that offense light up the scoreboard the way it did, especially how bad the 2000 season was. I still remember this game like it was yesterday.
Chilling with my cousins who are Ute fans and watching Luke stroll in with the game winning TD and the int in the end to seal the W and seeing the Ute fans in my living room gather up there things and leave all pissed off was priceless
"I hate it! It looks like a stickup at 7-Eleven. Five guys standing there with their hands in the air."
Norm Sloan
"We have a great bunch of outside shooters. Unfortunately, all our games are played indoors."
Weldon Drew
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