The bowl season is over and the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is still attracting attention.

In a blog by ESPN.com’s Andrea Adelson ("What we learned from non-AQ bowl season"), BYU’s 24-21 win over Tulsa was highlighted.  In addition, two BYU players were named to ESPN’s all-bowl team – offensive tackle Matt Reynolds and punter Riley Stephenson.

The BYU victory also earned the Cougars a No. 25 ranking in the USA Today poll as the Provo-based institution was the first school listed in "others receiving votes" in the Associated Press rankings. Another blog made a case for the Cougars to be included in the AP rankings as "BYU is one of only 11 programs nationally to be ranked in at least one of the two major polls during five of the last six seasons."  BYU also becomes the first Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl participant to be ranked in the top 25 in a final poll since Boise State (16th in AP and 15th in USA Today) and TCU (25th in AP and 24th in USA Today) in 2003.

With the outcome for the 2011 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl being decided in the final minute, the December 30 post-season contest was one of 18 bowl games this season with a victory margin by a touchdown or less.

BYU won the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl with 11 seconds remaining in the contest on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Riley Nelson to Cody Hoffman to cap a 12-play, 48-yard drive. Tulsa had taken a 21-17 lead with 10:42 left in the game on a 30-yard touchdown pass from G. J. Kinne to Bryan Burnham. After a six-play drive stalled on the Tulsa side of the 50, a BYU punt by Riley Stephenson pinned the Golden Hurricane at their own 1-yard line where the Cougars forced a punt to start their game-winning drive with 4:18 left in the contest.

Bowl results for the 2011-2012 post-season can be found at www.armedforcesbowl.com. After two years staging the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, the post-season game will return in 2012 to Fort Worth and the newly-renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium.

NOTE – The 12 schools that have competed in the first eight Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowls combined for a 95-59 record during the 2011-2012 season. Ten of the 12 schools competed in bowl games this year. BYU became the 13th school to compete in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl.

By Ryan Haddox

The line out of Las Vegas when the Armed Forces Bowl matchup was announced was a “Pick ‘Em”, or in Layman’s terms, a toss up. The game is one of the more evenly matched contests of the 2011 bowl season, pitting the 9-4 BYU Cougars against the 8-4 Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Both teams come to Dallas out of state, and ESPN color commentator and former Heisman trophy winner Andre Ware talked about what kind of experience it is to get to showcase this game in a football hotbed like Texas.

“It’s a good opportunity because it gives it some Texas flavor; you get to find out exactly what the state it is all about. So many people from outside of Texas have this preconceived notion about how the state actually is, so you get to spend some time and do it in a bowl setting, but as you get closer to game day, you start to get the thirst to play.”

While Ware acknowledged that it is a special experience for out of state kids to come play football down here, he also lauded quarterbacks G.J. Kinne and Riley Nelson, saying, “What you see on film is that they exude leadership, the guys around them are all ears, you can tell they have the full attention of their offensive unit. And especially with G.J., he means so much to Tulsa’s offense that they really have to have him play well, and so he takes that responsibility and leadership and he produces every week. On the other side, Riley Nelson, he took over about three games into the season and he really earned and played his way into that type of role as well.”

Ware’s keys to the game included that Tulsa get G.J. Kinne into a comfort zone early, saying “He’s gotta play well in order for them to have success, so they have to get him going.” As for BYU, he said, “its simple, BYU turned the ball over nine times in their last five games, so they have to take care of the football.”

For both schools, the advice needs to be heeded. Andre Ware played college football at its highest level in 1989, and the guy knows a thing or two about being successful at the college level.

By Diandra Marquez

What a great way to kick off this years Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl with the ninth annual VIP Party.

The Westcott Parking Lot near Gerald J. Ford Stadium on the SMU campus was full of activities for people of all ages. You could feel the level of pride in the air as different branches of the U.S. military came together and showed everyone how they served our country. There were many different activities for everyone to participate in and get a feel of what it took to be a soldier and to serve in the U.S. military. Located in the back corner of Adventure Land during the ninth annual Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bow, the elegant ESPN VIP Party event was another rousing success.

This event again provided the bowl’s special guests a place to mingle and talk about the upcoming game between BYU and Tulsa. The atmosphere of the party was accentuated with the sound of Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, one of the most revered entertainment groups among the USO and U.S. forces worldwide. This proved to be a great event leading toward an exciting game -  a 24-21 victory by BYU with the winning touchdown coming in the final 11 seconds of regulation.

By Tyler Scott

Fans were entertained by a plethora of activities at the Armed Forces Adventure Park Friday morning just hours before BYU and Tulsa took the field at SMU’s Ford Stadium in Dallas.

Set up just outside the football complexes on SMU’s campus, the Adventure Parkarea featured stations from all five branches of the United States Armed Forces. The Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard all made use of this great event to recruit future heroes to their respective branches.

Recruiting was only a small portion of the Adventure Park area, though. Fans were granted access to interact hands on with many very special aspects of the United States military. Many got to discover the rich traditions of the respective military branches by exploring large trailers filled with pictures and memorabilia. Others found a little competition in football tossing and military pull-up contests. Loud music, free food and prizes also accompanied the party. 

A BYU fan from Tulsa, Okla., was impressed with how the park highlighted the importance of bringing the fans from both teams together.

“[The Adventure Park] makes for a good, fun collegiate game experience. You know, you get together with two sides and enjoy each other even though you’re playing against each other,” Mark explained. “It makes the game exciting and meaningful.”

From exploring tanks and personnel carriers to riding in flight simulators to shaking hands with active heroes of the US Armed Services, the Adventure Park offered a unique opportunity for fans to not only interact with each other, but also with those who serve our country.

The Armed Forces Adventure Park emphasized the fact that the Armed Forces Bowl is much more than a bowl game.

By Ryan Haddox

When BYU finally made the decision to take its football team out of the Mountain West Conference in the summer of 2010 and on into the unknown land of conference independence, everyone had an opinion.

Some fans gleamed with excitement, some were fraught with uncertainty. The BYU board of trustees, the school administration, the coaching staff and everyone else in Provo had an opinion on what they were jumping into.

One perspective that got mildly over looked that summer is an important one, the player perspective. While a football game is a football game, going from playing for conference championships and standings is a different world than playing independent of a conference.

Senior left tackle Matt Reynolds acknowledged the difference in going from a conference schedule to an independent schedule, and said there was an adjustment.

“The biggest difference just comes from playing teams you’re not used to playing. When we were in the Mountain West, we played San Diego State, Air Force, and all those guys every year, and you get to know their offenses and defenses very well. You get to know the teams very well. Now the challenge is playing teams like Ole Miss, Texas, and every game kind of becomes a preseason game or a postseason game because you’re playing people that you’re just not used to playing. It’s been different.”

While playing a vastly different schedule certainly has had its affects on the Cougars, one would seem to think it would be a bit more difficult to get up for a game every week without any conference tie-ins, but Reynolds dispelled that, saying, “We want to play the best we can regardless of where it is, and I think it’s a bit more motivational if anything because we want to prove that we can play anyone outside of the Mountain West and win.”

While BYU certainly showed the country this year that it can hang with some of the big boys of college football, beating Ole Miss in Oxford and narrowly losing to Texas in Austin, all while posting 10 total wins, there is no doubt that the boys in Provo had an atypical season. With coach Bronco Mendenhall at the helm and solid senior leadership from guys like Matt Reynolds, BYU turned the uncertainty into a positive, and the future is bright for the Cougars.

By Tyler Scott

SMU’s Gerald J. Ford Stadium experienced an about-face transformation as BYU and Tulsa were set to face off in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on Friday Dec. 30 at 11 AM. 

The most noticeable changes to the stadium included the large Armed Forces Bowl logo badging covering the red SMU Mustang on the 50-yard line. Tulsa boasted it’s signature royal blue accompanied by white letters in the south end zone, as BYU displayed it’s own BYU blue with white “BYU” lettering in the north end zone.

Bell Helicopter, now in its ninth season as the bowl’s sponsor, made its mark on Ford Stadium by supplying large signs to cover the 8 foot brick wall behind each team’s bench. Signage with large Armed Forces Bowl logos also appeared on the home entrance of the stadium and wrapped each field goal post.

Signage and team badging were certainly not the extent of the setup. Bell Helicopter displayed three functioning military helicopters at the top of Gerald Ford’s distinctive south grass area. Lining the top of the grass were multiple independent mobile food vendors and advertising kiosks.

Flags honoring each branch of the United States Armed Forces flew behind the fans on sitting on the east side of the stadium. The three large flagpoles in the south end zone were draped with the American, Texas and POW-MIA flags respectively.

Bell Helicopter and the Armed Forces bowl staff performed quite a makeover at Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The staff will have to change gears next year as the bowl game will return to Fort Worth in TCU’s renovated Amon G. Carter Stadium after a two-year hiatus to Dallas and to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the rapidly-growing classic.

By Andrea Masenda

Halftime of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl Friday afternoon was jam-packed with cheer, patriotism, respect and ovations as the crowd honored service men and women in Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.

New recruits entering the United States Navy and Marines, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard took the field at halftime (each adorned in the t-shirt or uniform of the particular branch) and performed the oath of office into their respective branches of the military. 21-year-old new Coast Guard recruit Madeline Scott of
The Colony, Texas, was glad to have had the opportunity to receive a standing ovation from such a patriotic crowd.

“I was looking forward to being able to honor the United States by representing the Coast Guard. That’s probably the biggest thing that I was excited about,” said Scott.

The standing ovations did not end there. The crowd raved as Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta received the 2011 Great American Patriot Award and gave a speech thanking every member of not only the crowd but also of the United States military.

Wounded Warriors also received praise as they were recognized near the BYU end zone, and one military family was lucky enough to be given a new mortgage-free home through the operation known as Finally Home.

A native of Los Angeles, Calif., 17-year-old Navy recruit Loui Diaz felt that
halftime events focused on how the military unites American citizens with those
who serve.

“You don’t really get to see through the public eye who goes,” Diaz said. “You hear about them, but just the fact that they get to see us (being inducted) involves them more and helps them feel involved with their own country’s military, and I think it’s important for them to be able to see that.”

After paying tribute to the men and women of the Armed Forces, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane team took the field and as halftime activities concluded.

 “I hope the audience takes away that being in the military comes with a great sense of pride,” said Robert Auten, enlisted recruit and Technical Sgt. for the U.S. Air Force. “It takes a special young man or woman to stand up and say ‘I’m going to protect my country’ and when you see them stand out there, standing up straight with their chest out and a stern look on their face, you can’t help but feel a patriotism and be proud of such a decision.”

The aviators who participated in the pregame flyover were honored during the third quarter for their service and for helping set the stage for a day or recognition and remembrance for the military.

By Garrett McCormick

Following the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl and Brigham Young’s victory over Tulsa on Friday, Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band performed their last show of the year in honor of the veterans and wounded soldiers who have served our country.

The concert kicked off immediately after the bowl game’s conclusion, attracting a large crowd consisting of both civilians and military personnel alike.

Covering famous artists from Lynard Skynard to Evanescence to Adele, the Lt. Dan Band dedicated their show to the wounded warriors present within the audience. Many of the songs we meant to rouse audience participation in singing along with the lyrics, which was often the case.

Sinise is well known for his portrayal of Lt. Dan in “Forrest Gump,” the role after which the band is named. He and his band have performed over 30 shows a year for various military bases and charities to aid in assisting those soldiers who have made sacrifices for their country. The band has travelled all over the world, demonstrating their passion and respect for their cause in aiding the military servicemen and women.

During the show, one soldier from the crowd was pulled on stage and awarded two roundtrip tickets donated by American Airlines redeemable for anywhere in the United States as well as specified destinations outside of the country in honor of his service. Military helicopters would also fly overhead, and on one occasion those onboard leaned out the open side to wave to the applauding crowd.

Following the band’s performance of Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” dedicated in honor of the wounded soldiers present for the concert, the audience was asked to stand in honor of all soldiers who have served for the singing of “God Bless the USA,” originally by Lee Greenwood.

Once finished, Sinise was honored by Governor Rick Perry’s Chief of Staff Jeffrey Boyd by being named an honorary Admiral of the Texas Navy, an honor which can only be appointed by the governor of Texas.

“We’re famously proud of our veterans and our active duty servicemen and women, our National and State Guard and we’re very proud of the service people from the state of Texas,” said Boyd as he presented Sinise with the signed document granting him the honorary title. Boyd stated his pride in Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band for their hard work and dedication in service to those who serve our country.

Sinise also has a charity dedicated to giving back to the people who serve our country, which he urged the crowd to donate to. Donations can be made online at www.garysinisefoundation.org

By Troy Phillips

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DALLAS, Texas — This was Matt Reynolds’ fifth bowl game and 52nd start at Brigham Young. No wonder the senior left tackle is the Cougars’ top NFL prospect.

Clearly, he showed everyone how it’s done.

Reynolds landed the block of the bowl season to give BYU (10-3) a timely morale boost, and the Cougars rallied on Riley Nelson’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Cody Hoffman with 11 seconds to play for a 24-21 victory over Tulsa (8-5) in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Ford Stadium.

Nelson and Hoffman highlighted a desperate last drive for the independent Cougars after they fell behind in the fourth quarter for the second time in the game. Nelson’s 8-yard scamper on third and 6 with 49 seconds remaining set up the game-winner. He converted on fourth and 9 earlier on the drive with a 14-yard run.

Nelson’s finished BYU’s winning drive with some clutch trickery, faking a spike to fool Tulsa into thinking he was stopping the clock and then firing to Hoffman, whose man was out of position. The two connected on three TD passes.

“I had Cody’s eyes, and he stopped,” Nelson said. “I was able to put the ball on his back shoulder.”

Most of BYU’s last drive had Tulsa on its heels after it held Nelson in check most of the game.

“We had an opportunity a couple of times to stop them,” Tulsa coach Bill Blankenship said. “Riley Nelson made a heck of a run on either third or fourth down when we kind of had him wrapped up and he broke a tackle and got down…I just think they executed really well in a tough situation at the end. Really good teams do that.”

Tulsa’s G.J. Kinne lofted a towering 30-yard pass to Bryan Burnham in one corner of the end zone to give the Golden Hurricane its second lead, 21-17 with 10:42 remaining.

On that drive, the often-creative Kinne (17 of 31 for 214 yards and three touchdowns) converted a third-and-10, third-and-8 and third-and-12.

“We knew we would score [again],” BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “We had to be fierce competitors, and that made the difference.”

Earlier in the second half, Tulsa kicker Kevin Fitzpatrick missed a plenty-long, 46-yard field-goal attempt wide right, likely three points the Golden Hurricane could have used later.

BYU improved to 7-1 all-time against Tulsa. Hoffman and Tulsa’s Dexter McCoil, who picked off Nelson twice, were named their respective teams’ most outstanding players. Nelson threw three interceptions.

Tulsa reaped nothing from what should have been two first-half interceptions. One was nullified for offsides, and the other by McCoil led to a stalled-out drive at midfield. Otherwise, Tulsa’s 14-10 halftime cushion would have been wider.

For most of the half, Nelson’s throws were off-target. He was nearly picked off twice more, but his best throw came shortly before halftime on a highlight-reel moment and got BYU back into the game.

The left-handed Nelson rolled left, ran out of green turf along the the left sideline and fired back across his body to Hoffman near the goal line. Hoffman stretched out for a 17-yard touchdown to pull BYU within 14-10 at intermission.

How that BYU score unfolded took several moving parts, especially Reynolds. Nelson dropped back but moved left as the pocket collapsed on him. Reynolds had lost his footing — and helmet — against onrushing Tulsa defensive end Cory Dorris.

Reynolds got up, charged helmetless after Dorris and flattened him before he could do the same to Nelson (17 of 40 for 250 yards and three TDs). Reynolds couldn’t do everything: Tulsa’s Tyrunn Walker still wiped Nelson out of bounds on the throw.

The play gave BYU’s offense some redemption after Tulsa — despite not capitalizing on some gifts — led 14-3 on Kinne TD passes to Ricky Johnson (eight yards) and Clay Sears (14). Those scoring drives covered 76 and 86 yards, respectively.

Nelson’s second TD pass to Hoffman late in the third quarter gave BYU a 17-14 lead.

By Kenny Cox

DALLAS, Texas (December 30, 2011) – Following BYU’s 24-21 comeback victory in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Cougar fans have to be excited all three of BYU’s biggest playmakers are returning for the 2012 season.

“I still believe the reason we have success at BYU is the people I’m able to surround myself with and that’s players and coaches,” head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “While we still have room to grow and improve, and we can look forward to that, the future looks bright.”

Quarterback Riley Nelson, a junior, wide receiver Cody Hoffman and linebacker Kyle Van Noy, both sophomores,l were huge factors all year and made the plays necessary for the Cougars to win in the bowl game.

“When it comes down to it and (Nelson) needed to make plays, he helped our team win,” Mendenhall said. “That’s the resolve, that determine, is how all these guys train. It’s what we ask, what we expect and it’s fun to see.”

With all three coming back for the 2012 campaign, BYU looks to be in good shape. The Logan, Utah product finished the year completing 116 of 202 passes for 1,717 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a quarterback rating of 163.6, good for the seventh-best mark in BYU history for a single season. Nelson also added 392 rushing yards and one touchdown. The dual-threat quarterback will return for a senior season as a proven leader and signal caller.

Hoffman put together arguably the best season ever by a kick returner and one of the best as an all-purpose threat. Coming out of the small town of Crescent City, Calif., Hoffman set single-season records with 36 kick returns for 879 yards. He also took one kick 93 yards back for a touchdown. As a receiver, Hoffman was BYU’s go-to guy with a career and team-high 61 catches for 943 yards and 10 touchdowns. In two career-bowl games, Hoffman has 16 catches, 259 yards and six touchdowns to go along with eight kick returns for 166 yards.

For his career, he now has 103 catches for 1,470 yards and 17 touchdowns to go along with 50 kick returns for 1,259 yards and one touchdown. Hoffman is one of only two players at BYU to have over 1,000 career receiving yards and 1,000 career kick return yards.

Van Noy will return as a leader on a stout BYU defense that came into the bowl game No. 16 in the nation in total defense. From Reno, Nev., Van Noy was all over the field in 2011, becoming the only player in the country to record a stat in the following categories: tackles, tackle for loss, sack, pass breakup, interception, quarterback hurry, forced fumble, fumble recovery, punt block and recovery and defensive touchdown.

He finished 2011 with 68 tackles (50 solo), 15 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hurries, seven sacks, three interceptions, three pass breakups, three forces fumbles, one fumble recovery, one punt block and one touchdown.

“If you look with Cody and Kyle, these two have grown and matured a lot and have continued to produce on the field new and better ways each time we play. That is a great sign for our future.”

By Kenny Cox

Tyson Camp’s Video

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DALLAS – With no timeouts left and 11 seconds remaining in the game, Riley Nelson faked spiking the ball to stop the clock and instead threw to an open Cody Hoffman for the game-winning touchdown to give BYU a 24-21 win over Tulsa in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on Friday.
 
BYU faced a 4th-and-8 from the Tulsa 47-yard line with the clock ticking down near three minutes remaining in the game. After finding on one open downfield, Nelson scrambled 14 yards to convert the first down. BYU got the ball down to the 2-yard line before Nelson found Hoffman for his third touchdown catch of the game and the crafty score with 11 seconds left.
 
"I was really pleased with the way our team battled, the grit, the determination, especially in the second half," head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "We have a strong reputation of when games are close to find a way to win."
 
With the win, BYU (10-3) locked up its fifth 10-win season in the last six years and third bowl victory in a row, its first three-game bowl win streak in program history.
 
Hoffman, named the Armed Forces Bowl Most Outstanding Player for the Cougars finished with eight catches for 122 yards and a bowl-record three touchdowns.
 
BYU struggled on offense for much of the game with Nelson facing constant pressure and a running game that could never get going. The Cougars finished with 344 total yards and Nelson battled through a tough day, ompleting 17 of 40 passes for 250 yards and two interceptions, but adding three important touchdowns, including the game-winner.
 
"Nothing came easy for (Nelson) today," Mendenhall said.
 
Later on, Mendenhall added, "Yet when it came down to driving the team to win the game, including the instructions to down the ball, he fake downs it and throws a touchdown, he just wasn’t going to be denied helping our team win. That’s who he is. I was really impressed."
 
Despite the offensive issues, BYU’s defense was stout as usual, surrendering just 272 total yards and only 37 yards on the ground to a Golden Hurricane team that came into the game averaging over 200 rushing yards per game.
 
In response to BYU’s game plan for stopping the Tulsa rushing attack, linebacker Kyle Van Noy simply said, "Practice."
 
Van Noy made play after play on defense with 10 tackles to lead the Cougars, including five tackles for loss, two sacks and one quarterback hurry.
 
Special teams also played a huge role in the game. Punter Riley Stephenson had eight punts for 335 yards, including seven inside the 20-yard line and two punts over 50 yards. BYU’s special teams also recovered a muffed punt setting up one touchdown in the game.
 
Tulsa took a 14-3 lead in the second quarter with the help of wide receiver Bryan Burnham catching a 50-yard pass from G.J. Kinne to move downfield. Two plays later Kinne picked up his second touchdown pass of the game on a quick strike to tight end Clay Sears from 14 yards out.
 
With 25 seconds left on the clock in the second quarter, BYU deep snapper Reed Hornung ran down the field on punt coverage and caused Tulsa’s returner to muff the kick. The Cougars’ David Foote recovered it at the Golden Hurricane 17-yard line. On the ensuing play, Nelson scrambled to his left and received a big block from a helmetless Matt Reynolds and found Hoffman for a 17-yard touchdown pass. The score trimmed Tulsa’s lead to 14-10 at halftime.
 
"Man if your special teams gives you a gift like that you have to capitalize," Nelson said. "Like I said, if you’re not putting drives together, you got to find a way. Myself included."
 
After back-to-back tackles for loss, including a sack from Van Noy, the Golden Hurricane missed a 46-yard field goal attempt. BYU finally capitalized on its strong defense by putting together a 9-play, 71-yard touchdown drive. Nelson threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Hoffman again to put the Cougars in the lead for the first time at 17-14 with 1:41 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Tulsa answered with another touchdown drive of its own later on in the fourth quarter. Kinne hurled another pass over the top for a 30-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone to give the Golden Hurricane a 21-17 lead with 10:42 left.
 
BYU had Tulsa pinned up against the goal line and forced a punt but ran into the kicker to give the Golden Hurricane a new set of downs. The Cougars stopped the drive and punt returner JD Falslev still got BYU in good field position with a 22-yard return to the Tulsa 48-yard line with 4:18 remaining, setting up BYU’s game-winning drive. Falslev finished with three punt returns for 44 yards to go along with a pair of receptions for 31 yards.
 
The Cougars finished their first season as in independent winning 10 games and defeating teams from the SEC, Pac-12, C-USA and WAC while playing 11 games on the ESPN family of networks.