The question mark became an exclamation point. Period.
Going into Saturday's Pigskin Classic against 13th-ranked Texas A&M, most questions about the BYU football team centered around its patchwork-quality offensive line.Sure, the line returned '95 starters Larry Moore and James Johnson, but both were being relocated to new positions - Moore from guard to center and Johnson from tackle to guard. Injuries had allowed junior guard Matt Cox to step in and start a couple of '95 games, but that was essentially the extent of his experience. And reporting in at the tackle positions were a fresh-faced pair of 6-foot-7 bookends: sophomore Eric Bateman and redshirt freshman John Tait.
Add to that the fact that the new-look unit was to face the vaunted, sack-happy Wrecking Crew, the Aggies' powerhouse defense that takes pride in its annual ranking nationally in top defensive categories.
However, the result didn't match anyone's expectations.
The Cougar offensive line allowed quarterback Steve Sarkisian plenty of time and elbow room to amass 536 aerial yards on 33-of-44 passing (six touchdowns, one interception) in BYU's 41-37 victory at Cougar Stadium. Plus, Sarkisian was sacked only twice - both times late in the game, once on a blindside cornerback blitz.
Afterward, the linemen were receiving plenty of accolades - ranging from verbal salutes from teammates to autograph requests and high-fives from the fans, whose postgame stampede onto the field was reminiscent of BYU's season-opening upset of top-ranked Miami in 1990.
"They dominated," said Sarkisian succinctly of his five starting frontmen. "And they dominated against one of the best defensive fronts in the country."
Why, the line even earned the trademark "very pleased" postgame commendation from Y. head coach LaVell Edwards. "One of our real concerns coming in was our inexperience at the tackle spots . . . As I said all along, it's a talented group - it's just going to take some time to get experience."
And the line got plenty of experience - and national-broadcast exposure - all in the first game.
"We didn't make the mistakes that normally happen in a first game," said Johnson, a 6-foot-7, 305-pound senior. "We gave Steve the time - he did a great job and the receivers got open."
Moore, who earned all-conference honors last year at guard, said he himself had early doubts as to the Cougars' new line. "It wasn't really expressed, but personally I felt it. But I also felt that we had some good players."
The key, said the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Moore, was preparation for the Aggies. "And we've been preparing for this game ever since we heard about it."
Bateman agreed, pointing to the tutelage of Cougar offensive coordinator and line mentor Roger French. "He's the man - he gets all the credit. The difference between a minimal team and an excellent team is Coach French's technique."
Technique and confidence, which the Cougars put on display against the Aggies.
"Everybody said we were the question mark, but we knew we could do it," said the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Cox. "We had the confidence. It was all right here - all in the heart."