PROVO — The BYU football team had a memorable opening game in Lincoln, Nebraska, as the Cougars pulled out a miraculous 33-28 win against the Huskers.

Where does this win rank among head coach Bronco Mendenhall's greatest victories? Here is my list.

Honorable mention: 2009 vs. No. 18 Oregon State

After a thrilling victory against archrival Utah, the Cougars made a mostly annual trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. The matchup that year was against Oregon State, which came into the game ranked No. 18 in the nation. The Cougars thoroughly dominated the game and came away with a 44-20 victory. The win was arguably the most dominant BYU performance against a ranked team in the Bronco Mendenhall era.

Honorable mention: 2009 vs. No. 21 Utah

For the first time in what seemed like forever, the game between Utah and BYU in 2009 did not have any implications about who would win the Mountain West. Even so, the rivalry game always causes a lot of passion and intense play and 2009 was no different. The Cougars were obliterated by the Utes in 2008 and were looking for revenge. In a sloppy game, BYU came out the victors as Max Hall found Andrew George in overtime for a 26-23 win. Unfortunately, Hall's post-game rant about his hatred for the Utes overshadowed the game. Much to the chagrin of BYU fans, 2009 marks the last time the Cougs beat their rival from the north.

Honorable mention: 2014 @ Texas

In 2013, BYU embarrassed Texas in Provo as Taysom Hill burst onto the national scene with his unique blend of speed and power. The Longhorns had the game against the Y. circled on their 2014 calendars and were looking for payback. The end result of the game, however, was another embarrassment to the team as Hill again picked apart the defense to the tune of three rushing touchdowns. The Cougars wound up beating the Longhorns 41-7. Texas would go on to have a mediocre year but the dominance of the Y. over a Power 5 conference team was nothing to sneeze at.

No. 5 best win during Mendenhall era: 2015 @ Nebraska

No player on the BYU football team had been born the last time the Cornhuskers had lost their opening home game. Behind the play of senior Taysom Hill, the Cougars jumped out to a 24-14 halftime lead. However, earlier in the game, Hill was seen limping after a touchdown run and was taken into the locker room. Hill would come back but appeared to have lost some of his mobility. After a hard hit on a third down scramble in the second half, Hill would leave the game for good. In the meantime, the Cornhuskers had built a 28-24 lead. Enter freshman Tanner Mangum. Mangum, fresh off an LDS Church mission in July, came in and picked apart the Nebraska defense. He pulled the Cougars within striking distance at 28-27. With only 48 seconds left on the clock, Mangum orchestrated a drive to the Nebraska 42-yard line. With the clock at one second, Mangum rolled right and heaved a Hail Mary that was miraculously caught by a swarmed Mitch Mathews in the end zone. This victory may move up higher on the list depending on what the Cornhuskers do the rest of the season.

No. 4 best win during Mendenhall era: 2013 vs. No. 15 Texas

The 2013 Texas Longhorns team came into Provo with a lot of hype. Some national pundits were predicting that 2013 would be the season where the team out of Austin was again going to be relevant on the national scene. The Cougars were coming off an ugly loss to the Virginia Cavaliers, a team that would not beat another FBS school that year. All signs pointed to the Longhorns winning in a rout. The exact opposite happened as the Y. won 40-21. The nation was introduced to Taysom Hill on that night at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Hill would end up running for 259 yards and three touchdowns. The Cougars so thoroughly embarrassed Texas' defense that their defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, was fired the next day.

No. 3 best win during Mendenhall era: 2006 @ Utah

By all accounts, 2006 was not a particularly memorable year for Utah's football team. The Utes only posited an 8-5 record in their second season under coach Kyle Whittingham. This victory by the Cougars was special for different reasons. The Utes had taken the last four games in the series and looked to be on the verge of taking yet another one. With his team down 31-27, BYU quarterback John Beck scrambled for what seemed like forever while looking for an open wide receiver while the clock ran out. Somehow, Cougar tight end Johnny Harline got free in the west side of the end zone. Beck threw against his body while he was about to get hit and barely got enough on the ball for a BYU touchdown. The game became an instant classic for Cougar fans everywhere.

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In bittersweet moment, BYU's Mangum prepared to answer call at Nebraska

Tanner Mangum's story didn't start at Memorial Stadium where his last-second 45-yard Hail Mary pass connected with Mitch Mathews to lead BYU to a 33-28 victory over the Huskers on Saturday. But that's as good a place as any to begin it.

No. 2 best win during Mendenhall era: 2006 @ No. 17 TCU

The Cougars came into Fort Worth against the No. 17 TCU Horned Frogs looking for payback. BYU had gone up big against TCU in 2005 only to squander their lead and lose in overtime on a botched PAT. The Horned Frogs had the nation's longest win streak, however, and Cougar quarterback John Beck came into the game with two sprained ankles. The Cougars thoroughly dominated the Horned Frogs behind an incredible performance by Beck and won 31-17. The win catapulted the team to a terrific 2006 campaign.

No. 1 best win during Mendenhall era: 2009 vs. No. 3 Oklahoma

Oklahoma came into the game with plenty of buzz. The team had played in the national championship game the year before and was returning Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford. The Cougars had also been given some love by national pundits and were ranked 20th in the nation. Despite this, no one outside of Provo believed the Y had any chance of pulling out a victory. The Cougars shut down Sam Bradford in the first half before he was forced out of the game by a Coleby Clawson hit. At the half, BYU was down 10-7 but an excited Max Hall was caught on camera assuring his team, "We're going to win." In the final minutes of the game, Hall led a furious march into Oklahoma territory that ended with him finding a wide open McKay Jacobson in the back of the end zone to make the score 14-13 in BYU's favor. The Cougs' defense held strong to ensure the victory, giving Mendenhall his first and only victory against a top 10 team. Dylan Cannon is a regular KSL.com contributor and can be reached at DylanCannon86@gmail.com or via Twitter @DylanCannon11.

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