Las Vegas » Ask BYU's Matt Bauman the differences between the football program in 2004, when he played as a walk-on linebacker under coach Gary Crowton, and now, and the senior from Salt Lake City says it would take him all day to describe them.

"It's hard to think of everything, but there are a lot," he said. "If I had to point out one thing, it would be unity. When I was a freshman, I felt like I didn't even know who was on the field on the offensive side of the ball."

Coach Bronco Mendenhall, hired to replace Crowton after the 2004 season, is the major reason for the change, obviously. But the seniors who will play their final games when the No. 15 Cougars meet No. 16 Oregon State on Tuesday in the Las Vegas Bowl (6 p.m., ESPN) had an awful lot to do with it, too.

"We are the winningest class in BYU history," said tight end Dennis Pitta. "And that speaks for itself. So hopefully that is our legacy. We did our job, we took care of business, and we won a lot of football games."

Not all of the seniors were there in 2004 when the Cougars went 5-6.

Pitta, Bauman and safety Scott Johnson played a year before serving a church mission. But the others who joined along the way have heard the horror stories -- like how the discipline was lacking and there was little, if any, structure and accountability.

"Guys know what their assignments are now, what is expected of them," Bauman said. "That's a big thing."

Since 2006, this group has gone 42-9, the only group in BYU history to have won at least 10 games for four straight seasons.

"When you consider that they have won 10 games four years in a row [it is impressive]. When you start to talk about things that have never been done at BYU, I think that is when people should stop and reflect and say, 'wow, that is an amazing thing those seniors have done,'" Mendenhall said.

Defensive end Jan Jorgensen has started in all 51 games (he went on a church mission before beginning his career, as did fellow senior defensive end Brett Denney and tight end Andrew George) and has started in more winning games (42) than any player ever at BYU.

"It is pretty cool to be able to say you were part of that," Jorgensen said.

Quarterback Max Hall redshirted at Arizona State in 2004, the last season in which BYU did not go to a bowl game, then was the scout team quarterback in 2006 as John Beck led the Cougars to a 11-2 record and 38-8 Las Vegas Bowl win over Oregon.

"This group of seniors has been incredibly tight and unified," he said. "We have played hard, and we have played for each other. So when the games are over, we have no regrets. We can look each other in the eye and then move on."

They are part of the most-decorated senior class in school history: Hall has more wins, 31, than any other BYU quarterback; Pitta has the most catches.

"When I came back from my mission, it was a different mindset," Pitta said. "It was about winning at that point. I quickly learned what it took to be a winner, something that I don't think I learned my freshman year.

"So I think coach Mendenhall has done a great job with the program, and instilling that sense of pride, and the winning mindset. And it is something I have been able to learn, and that us seniors have been able to accomplish in our few years here."

drew@sltrib.com