BYU Football: Ranking the 5 Best Moments for the Cougars in 2014

BYU finished its regular season on a great note last week, notching a big road win over the University of California. But with the Miami Beach Bowl several weeks away, now is a great time to look back on the regular season.

There is no doubt that the Cougs experienced an interesting mix of great wins and devastating losses this season. But there were numerous memorable moments in each game that added up to a long list of highlights.

Which ones deserve to be a top-five moment of this Cougars season? Read on to find out.

There's no doubt that the game against Boise State wasn't something BYU wants to remember, but Fred Warner made part of the game memorable. At the beginning of the third quarter, he showed an impressive burst of athleticism and took an interception to the house.

BYU was trailing big, but the touchdown made the game seem within reach. Unfortunately, the Cougs didn't capitalize and lost the game, 55-30.

Not many Cougars fans have fond memories of the Utah State game, with an injury to Taysom Hill and an embarrassing loss looming fresh in their minds. But not many remember the opening drive of the game.

BYU came storming out of the gates, assembling its most efficient and impressive drive of the season. In just over a minute and in five plays, the Cougs marched 75 yards and scored the game's first points.

The drive was started by a 53-yard bomb to Jordan Leslie and finished with an incredible rushing touchdown from Hill. With a quick seven points on the scoreboard, BYU had momentum and looked like it would get a fairly easy victory.

Virginia hung with BYU for the better part of three quarters, but a huge play from Adam Hine put the Cavaliers away. With BYU clinching onto a one-possession lead in the fourth quarter, Hine took a kickoff 99 yards for the score and gave BYU some breathing room.

The Cougars went on to win, 41-33. It was the first kickoff return touchdown for BYU since 2011, when Cody Hoffman took one to the house against UCF. 

Thanks to a pair of huge touchdowns from Leslie, BYU managed to slip away from Cal last week. With touchdown receptions on back-to-back possessions, the transfer from UTEP earned the highlight of his Cougars career. 

Not only were the touchdowns huge, but Bronco Mendenhall considered the victory to be one of the best of his BYU career. Above all, the win gave the Cougs momentum going into the bowl game and cemented Leslie's place as a reliable receiver.

No moment all season was as big for BYU as Hill's hurdle against Texas. Not only was the play impressive—he literally jumped over a Longhorn defender en route to the end zone—but it opened the floodgates for BYU.

The Cougars' 28 points following Hill's touchdown to put the game away. The 41-7 victory was undoubtedly BYU's best of the season and will always be a memorable one for Cougars fans.