BYU Football Countdown: Player 85 – One year wonder
By Adam Gibby
Brandon Doman – Quarterback – 1998-2001
Brandon Doman is often ranked as a top ten quarterback for BYU, but that is not the case for this list. I don’t have my full list of players in front of me, but if I remember right, Doman is ranked No. 13 for BYU quarterbacks for this list.
Doman only really played for one season, the magical 2001 season alongside BYU running back Luke Staley. It is sort of a question as to why Doman only played for one season when the players in front of him were Charlie Petersen, Kevin Feterick and Drew Miller. None of those players were awful, going a combined 23-15 but they also weren’t players like Steve Young or Ty Detmer.
The only reasonable reason why Doman was the backup during the 6-6 2000 season is that he hadn’t emerged yet, sort of like John Doss and the 800 meter run. He did play the last few games of the 2000 season and beat Utah, but his real playing time didn’t come until 2001. Once his senior season came he had a season that could be compared to some of the quarterbacks that you will see in the 20’s and 30’s on this list.
Rankings
Impact C-
I say it just about every day, but when you only play one or two seasons, your impact is going to be limited, even if that season the team goes 12-2 including a 11-0 start to the season. But starting 11-0 definitely helps to give some impact points if you are the quarterback. In 2000, the Cougars scored 45 points or more six times. Since November 28, 2015 the Cougars have scored 45 points or more six times, showing exactly how special that season was. Something else that hurts Doman’s case is Luke Staley who was in his senior season and was the biggest impact player on the team and one of the biggest impact players in the country.
Statistics C
With a limited sample size of playing one season plus a few as a junior, the grade takes a bit of a hit. Three empty or close to empty seasons while on a team is not a good statistic to have. His senior season however had some really good stats including 31 TD passes on only 13 INT’s, 3,644 passing yards, 460 rushing yards, and a QB Rating of 150.38. Doman did have 17 fumbles, losing seven of them which isn’t all that good, but when you take in the 39 touchdowns he either threw or ran for, that is almost forgivable.
Memorable Moments A
Doman’s last three wins all came by one score. Before that however, Doman led a huge comeback against UNLV when with just over 2:00 minutes left in the game, he led a 91 yard drive that saw him throw for 59 yards and rush 22 yards for the go ahead touchdown in just 1:10. Later that season, Doman helped lead one of the greatest comebacks ever in the Holy War. With just 5:47 remaining in the game and down 21-10, the Cougars found themselves 92 yards away from the endzone and needing two quick scores. Over the next three minutes, Doman would throw 5/6 for 86 yards a touchdown. Unfortunately for Doman in this ranking, it was Luke Staley who stole the show with a converted two point conversion and the famous 30 yard go ahead touchdown.
The most memorable moment for Doman however was the 4th and 10 conversion that the Cougars faced in 2000 against Utah trailing 26-27. Doman threw up a prayer and found Jonathan Pittman for a 47 yard completion. The next play Doman and Pittman connect once again for 28 yards. A few plays later Doman would complete the comeback on a 10 yard diving QB keeper. The win sent Lavell Edwards out of Provo as a winner. This was the moment that Doman became a hero for BYU.
Again, Doman could have a real argument to be ranked a top 25 player ever for BYU. But for this ranking system, there are so many aspects that are brought in and the top 25 just have overall better rankings. As far as memorable moments goes however, Doman is a top 25 player that we will remember and at the end of the day, isn’t that what we care about most?
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Come back tomorrow as we unveil player No. 85 on the list! If you have missed any of our other articles check them out below.