Everything came together for Ronney Jenkins Saturday against San Jose State. The sophomore running back was feeling healthy for the first time in weeks, and he was playing against a team ranked No. 109 in the nation against the run.
As a result, Jenkins tallied the second-best, all-time single-game rushing performance in Cougar history, rambling for 250 yards on 31 carries (an average of eight yards per attempt), including a 48-yard scamper. Just 23 yards stood between him and a record that has stood at BYU for 36 years.He also scored five touchdowns - four on the ground, one on a pass reception - tying a single-game school record set in 1981. It was the best individual rushing game since coach LaVell Edwards took the helm in 1972.
For good measure, Jenkins also caught three passes for 25 yards. He accounted for nearly half of BYU's 577 yards of total offense.
Still, the scrappy, upstart Spartans nearly ruined Jenkins' superb day. In the end, the Cougars outlasted San Jose State, 46-43.
That point wasn't lost on Jenkins, who has now rushed for 782 yards in 1998. "This win keeps us in the race for a championship," he said. "That's what's most important."
Without his nimble feet and fabulous feats, the Cougars might have lost this game.
"This is the first time I've seem him real healthy in quite a while," Edwards said. "He looked great all week in practice."
For Jenkins, it was redemption time. "I was disappointed with my play in past games. I think I should be doing a lot better," he said. "Coaches expect a lot and I have to give 'em something. I have to do something to help the team win."
Battling hamstring and hip injuries since two-a-days in August, Jenkins said he hadn't felt this good physically since the Arizona State game on Sept. 12, when he had a 171-yard outing.
But Saturday's game marked one of the top running performances in BYU history. The Cougar single-game rushing record is held by Eldon Fortie, who logged 272 yards against George Washington (the school, not the president) in 1962 in Provo. BYU lost that game, 13-12.
That was 36 years ago - Edwards' first season as an assistant at BYU.
Although Jenkins, who had 224 yards with four minutes still remaining in the third quarter, did not catch Fortie, he did pass Pete Van Valkenburg's 247 yards against Long Beach State in 1972. (Van Valkenburg led the nation in rushing that season.) Jeff Blanc had 215 at Wyoming in 1975. Jamal Willis tallied 204 against New Mexico in 1994 and John Ogden had 204 against Pacific in 1966.
In case you were wondering, former San Diego State star Marshall Faulk holds the Cougar Stadium rushing record, amassing 299 against BYU in 1992.
The touchdown record belongs to running back Eric Lane, who scored five times in 1979 against Utah State. Jenkins now has 11 TDs this season with four games remaining. He is threatening the school single-season touchdown mark held by Waymon Hamilton, who scored 16 in 1981.
Of course, Jenkins is no stranger to record-breaking. As a senior at Hueneme High in Oxnard, Calif., in 1995, he ran for 619 yards in a game, setting a national rushing record. He also scored seven touchdowns in that contest.
THE RETURN OF VYE: Backup San Jose State quarterback Brian Vye came back to the place where he began his collegiate career - BYU. He stood on the sidelines as he watched first-string QB Chris Kasteler complete 22 of 32 passes for 319 yards and a touchdown and nearly engineer an upset.
After the game, Vye, a senior, and Edwards met at midfield to engage in a pleasant chat.
"He had a short haircut and was clean-shaven. I told him if he would have looked like that while he was here, he might never have had to leave," Edwards joked.
BLOND IS BEAUTIFUL? It started last week with Rob Morris. The free-spirited linebacker and a couple of teammates on defense dyed their hair blond before the Hawaii game.
This week, several Cougars receivers got into the act, including Mike Rigell, Michael Westbrook and Margin Hooks.
Edwards didn't have an answer for it. "I don't know if someone has stock in Clairol or what," he said. "It's bizarre."
But Rigell said his hair-related hijinks are over. He lost a costly fumble on a kickoff return in the fourth quarter that kept San Jose State in the game. "I'm going back to my normal hair next week," he said.