Bryan Kehl stepped onto FedExField in Landover, Maryland, on Dec. 30, 2012 in the final game of the NFL’s regular season with everything on the line — and everybody watching on Sunday Night Football.
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A win for Washington against rival Dallas would give Kehl and his teammates the NFC East division title and the last playoff spot. The moment was huge and the fact that it was against the despised Cowboys made it even bigger.
“It was a pretty electric atmosphere,” Kehl told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show, noting that of all 72 games he played as a professional, Washington’s 28-18 victory that night was his favorite, but it still held nothing on the annual BYU-Utah game. “When I look back at everything I did and the moments on the field, it’s really hard to beat that rivalry game, especially my last two years in the way we won those games.”
Kehl, a former Brighton High star, had ten tackles and a sack in BYU’s 33-31 victory at Rice Eccles Stadium in 2006. He and the defense had a great view from the sideline of John Beck’s touchdown pass to Jonny Harline on the game’s final play.
A year later, Kehl had four tackles and a sack during the Cougars 17-10 come-from-behind win in Provo. Once again, he witnessed another iconic last-minute moment when on fourth-and-18, Max Hall connected with Austin Collie for 49-yards to keep the game-winning touchdown drive alive.
“It’s hard to beat that as a kid from Salt Lake growing up wearing BYU stuff in a sea of red in Salt Lake County schools during a time in the 90’s when Utah was surging,” Kehl said. “It just created such a pinnacle (moment) for that game.”
College vs. NFL
“The top guys at BYU are pulling in more than I made in my sixth year in the NFL,” Kehl said. “It’s definitely different.”
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“In college, there might have been two times that I got knocked down. You are kind of an elite player in college and then you go to the NFL, and anybody can knock you down,” Kehl said. “There is a sense of opportunity but also liability with the NFL. Every time you step in between those lines, there are trained killers looking for you and they are coming for you. There is so much hype and adrenaline. I miss it like crazy.”
Big plans
Kehl was the only Cougar selected in the 2008 NFL Draft when the Giants picked him in the fourth round. A recent report by CBS Sports suggested BYU’s 2026 roster could put up to ten players in next year’s draft.
“It’s incredible. I hope it’s true. I hope we have that many. It’s great for the program. It’s great for recruiting,” Kehl said. “It’s great for the trajectory of where we are trying to get and that’s what takes you to the next level of getting into the playoffs, competing in the playoffs and winning a national championship. To me, that’s the goal.”
The Cougars are a combined 23-4 over the last two seasons and are projected to contend again for the Big 12 Championship. Kehl is hoping to go a few steps further and win it all.
“It’s been done before and who is to say that we can’t do it again,” he said. “The process is getting the players that can compete with the big boys and it’s having enough NFL guys on your roster. Kudos to (head coach) Kalani (Sitake). What he’s done down there is incredible to see. I love it.”
Kehl’s Preseason Big 12 Top 5
- BYU
- Texas Tech
- Houston
- Arizona
- TCU
Kehl on the Cougars: “They have all the pieces coming back, a young quarterback who is a phenom that has incredible situational awareness and ball security; they have the best running back in the conference coming back; they have talent on the outside; they are loaded on defense; they have my teammate and co-captain (Kelly Poppinga) as their defensive coordinator. We’ve been hosed by the powers that be the last two years and this is our year.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com
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