The edge
- CATS MUST RUN WITH DOGS: BYU's inability to run the ball against Washington has spelled doom. In their past two meetings, the Huskies have held the Cougars to 16 yards rushing on 52 attempts. With Ronney Jenkins coming off a career-high 171-yard performance against Arizona State, BYU appears capable of reversing the trend. If not, the Cougars will rely on a passing attack that has completed just 25 passes for 174 yards this season - obviously, well below BYU standards.
- BEWILDER BROCK: Washington quarterback Brock Huard was sacked only once in the Huskies' season-opener at Arizona State. And to make matters more challenging for the Cougars, he enters the BYU game with a streak of 82 pass attempts without an interception. With little experience in the backfield to hand-off to, Huard will likely throw the ball often. He attempted 47 passes against the Sun Devils. Thus, it's critical the Cougars apply plenty of pressure.
- IN THE TRENCHES: BYU's lines were praised for their performance in last week's 26-6 upset of Arizona State. Washington, meanwhile, all but played the Sun Devils to a standstill. The Cougars could set the tone by dominating the line of scrimmage early. Defensive lineman Daren Yancey said it could determine the outcome. With eight returning starters on defense, BYU can chase Washington's Huard with plenty of experience.
Keys to Victory
Quarterbacks
Washington's Brock Huard is a legitmate All-America candidate. The junior completed 27 passes 318 yards in opener. BYU's Kevin Feterik has 25 completions and 348 yards over two games. Edge: Washington
Running backs
BYU tailback Ronney Jenkins is coming off a career-high 171 yard performance against ASU. That's 58 more than Washington had as a team against Sun Devils. Edge: BYU
Receivers
All six of Washington's receivers who played against ASU caught passes. In
contrast, Ben Horton was the only BYU receiver with a reception. Edge: Washington
Offensive, defensive lines
The Cougars dominated the trenches against ASU, while the Huskies - at best - played the Sun Devils to a standstill. BYU's lines also benefit from two games of experience. Edge: BYU
Linebackers
Washington's strong suit on defense with 1997 leading tackler Lester Towns on the inside. Veterans Rob Morris and Brad Martin give BYU its muscle. Edge: Even
Defensive backs
Tale of the tape: Arizona State passing. The Sun Devils threw for 286 yards against the Cougars and 302 vs. the Huskies. Slight edge: BYU
Special teams
It's hard to ignore accomplishments of BYU kicker Owen Pochman. He has made seven consecutive field goals and 34 straight PATs. Edge: BYU
Intangibles
Washington leads the all-time series 3-1 . . . The Huskies have won 12 consecutive home openers . . . A sellout crowd of 72,500 is expected. BYU has never won in Seattle. Edge: Washington
Overall
Washington's had little trouble with BYU in recent years. In each of the past three meetings, the Huskies rolled up more than 400 yards of offense to post victories. Edge: Washington
BYU Cougars
Two-deep offense
QB 7 Kevin Feterik 6-1 195 Jr.
12 Drew Miller 6-0 200 So.
RB 16 Ronney Jenkins 5-11 170 So.
20 Junior Mahe 5-11 180 Fr.
FB 34 Kalani Sitake 6-1 250 So.
26 Aaron Cup 5-11 230 Sr.
WR 14 Margin Hooks 5-10 190 So.
88 Ben Horton 5-11 175 So.
WR 17 Aaron Roderick 5-9 165 Sr.
8 Mich. Westbrook 5-7 175 Fr.
TE 91 T. Ofahengaue 6-3 245 So.
96 Carlos Nuno 6-4 246 Jr.
LT 75 John Tait 6-7 290 Jr.
69 A. McCubbins 6-4 295 Jr.
LG 71 John Skiba 6-2 285 Jr.
55 Hanale Vincent 6-4 300 Fr.
C 66 Jimmy Richards 6-3 305 So.
68 Jason Scukanec 6-2 275 Fr.
RG 62 Matt Johnson 6-4 325 Jr.
61 Kam Valgardson 6-4 270 So.
RT 70 Joe Wong 6-6 315 Sr.
76 Ford Poston 6-6 290 Jr.
Two-deep defense
LE 72 Hans Olsen 6-4 280 So.
56 Ed Kehl 6-4 300 Sr.
LT 97 Daren Yancey 6-6 285 Sr.
58 Chris Hoke 6-3 280 So.
RT 98 Issiah Magalei 6-2 285 Sr.
94 Ifo Pili 6-3 305 Fr.
RE 93 Byron Frish 6-5 260 Jr.
99 Setema Gali Jr. 6-4 245 So.
WLB 10 Brad Martin 6-1 240 Sr.
51 Josh Lowe 6-2 230 So.
MLB 44 Rob Morris 6-2 250 Jr.
49 Jeff Ellis 6-1 225 Sr.
SLB 54 Derik Stevenson 6-4 240 Sr.
47 Justin Ena 6-3 245 Fr.
LCB 5 Brian Gray 6-2 205 Jr.
28 Rob Warcup 5-9 160 Jr.
RCB 19 Hesh. Robertson 5-9 180 So.
36 Doug Henstrom 6-2 185 Jr.
SS 4 Chris Ellison 5-10 185 Sr.
13 Tyler Nelson 6-3 215 Jr.
WS 2 Jason Walker 6-1 195 Sr.
9 Jason Anderson 6-1 190 Fr.
Specialists
PK 29 Owen Pochman 6-0 165 So.
P 27 J.D. Hartsfield 5-10 170 Sr.
PR 17 Aaron Roderick 5-9 165 Sr.
KR 16 Ronney Jenkins 5-11 170 So.
KR 88 Ben Horton 5-11 175 So.
Statistics
Individual leaders
Passing Cmp.-Att. Yds. TDs Int.
Feterik 25-50 348 2 1
Rushing No. Yds. Ave. TDs
Jenkins 26 182 5.1 1
Mahe 13 81 6.2 1
Receiving No. Yds Ave. TDs
Jenkins 6 66 11.0 0
Hooks 4 65 16.3 0
Scoring TDs PAT FG Pts.
Pochman 0 6 5 21
6 players 1 0 0 6
Team comparisions
... BYU WASH
Total offense 330.0 431.0
Total defense 325.0 465.0
Scoring offense 25.5 42.0
Scoring defense 22.0 38.0
Rushing offense 159.5 113.0
Rushing defense 82.5 163.0
Passing offense 174.0 318.0
Passing defense 241.0 302.0
Takeaway/giveaway +2 +1
BYU's 1998 season
L 38-31 at Alabama (0-1)
W 26-6 Arizona State (1-1)
Sept. 19 at Washington 1:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 Murray State noon
Oct. 3 at Fresno State 8 p.m.
Oct. 10 UNLV noon
Oct. 17 at Hawaii 10 p.m.
Oct. 24 San Jose State noon
Oct. 29 San Diego State 6 p.m.
Nov. 7 New Mexico noon
Nov. 14 at Texas El Paso 3 p.m.
Nov. 21 at Utah 1 p.m.
BYU offense
With 171 yards from Ronney Jenkins and 57 more by freshman Junior Mahe, the Cougars proved they could run the ball against Arizona State. Doing it against Washington, however, could be a different story. The Cougars managed just two yards on 25 carries in last season's 42-20 loss to the Huskies.
Should it happen again, BYU will have to rely on a passing game that has yet to establish itself in 1998. Quarterback Kevin Feterik completed just 6 of 20 passes against Arizona State. The problem, though, may be BYU's receiving corps. Ben Horton was the only wide receiver with a reception against the Sun Devils. The Cougars compensated for the lack of passing by not turning the ball over. And it didn't hurt that the defense was in rare form, either.
BYU defense
After giving up 38 points in the season opener at Alabama, the Cougars were downright stingy against Arizona State. The Sun Devils didn't score until the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. BYU's defense wound up recovering two fumbles, intercepting a pass and blocking a PAT. As usual, middle linebacker Rob Morris led the charge with 13 tackles. Safety Jason Walker and defensive end Byron Frisch also had good outings. Walker picked off a pass, deflected another and caused a fumble, while Frisch paced the defensive front. The junior teamed with Chris Hoke, Hans Olsen, Ifo Pili, Daren Yancey, Issiah Magaeli and Ryan Denney for 21/2 sacks, three hurries and 14 tackles. Outside linebacker Brad Martin had six tackles despite playing with seven stitches in his forehead. He was injured in a car accident last Friday.
BYU special teams
Streak is the word here. Sophomore kicker Owen Pochman is on a roll with seven consecutive field goal attempts and 34 extra point kicks finding their way safely between the uprights. Against ASU, Pochman connected on kicks of 34, 41, 33 and 38 yards and made two PATs. As far as special teams defense is concerned, the story is defense. BYU limited ASU to a grand total of eight yards on three punt returns and average of 14 yards on kickoffs. Punter J.D. Hartsfield averaged only 34.3 yards over seven kicks against the Sun Devils, but he did have one travel 49 yards.
Washington Huskies
Two-deep offense
QB 7 Brock Huard 6-5 225 Jr.
11 M. Tuiasosopo 6-2 215 So.
TB 32 Maurice Shaw 6-0 215 Jr.
18 Jason Harris 6-0 210 Sr.
HB 80 Dane Looker 6-1 190 Jr.
21 Joe Jarzynka 5-7 175 Jr.
SE 4 Ja'War. Hooker 5-11 165 So.
84 Todd Elstrom 6-3 190 Fr.
FL 9 Gerald Harris 6-1 190 So.
43 Mijo Austin 6-1 185 So.
TE 5 Reggie Davis 6-3 230 Sr.
81 Anthony Mizin 6-4 255 Jr.
WT 68 Elliot Silvers 6-6 300 So.
79 Joe Collier 6-7 270 Fr.
WG 67 Tony Coats 6-7 310 Sr.
54 Matt Fraize 6-4 300 So
C 51 Brad Hutt 6-3 285 Sr.
70 Ben Dadletz 6-2 310 Sr.
SG 79 Chad Ward 6-5 315 So.
60 Dominic Daste 6-3 320 So.
ST 75 Aaron Dalan 6-7 325 Sr.
55 Rock Nelson 6-5 290 Fr.
Two-deep defense
SLB 4 Jerem. Pharms 6-1 235 So.
53 Odell George 6-2 227 So.
DE 99 Josh Smith 6-4 255 Sr.
90 Nick Feigner 6-4 255 Fr.
DT 78 Mac Tuiaea 6-6 290 Jr.
93 T. Mulitauaopele 6-5 320 Jr.
NT 95 Jabari Issa 6-6 295 Jr.
76 Ryan Julian 6-6 275 So.
ILB 27 Marq. Hairston 6-2 235 Jr.
35 Derek Noble 6-2 215 Fr.
ILB 17 Lester Towns 6-3 240 Jr.
42 Jeff Johnson 6-2 225 Jr.
WLB 23 Todd Johnson 6-2 225 Sr.
24 Derrell Daniels 6-1 215 So.
ROV 8 Nigel Burton 5-9 180 Sr.
3 Rend. Edwards 6-2 195 Jr.
FS 13 Brendan Jones 5-11 190 Sr.
5 Hakim Akbar 6-1 195 Fr.
CB 1 Jermaine Smith 5-11 195 Jr.
11 Wondame Davis 5-11 170 Fr.
FS 10 Toure Butler 5-9 160 So.
12 Omare Lowe 6-0 190 Fr.
Specialists
PK 14 Jim Skurski 5-11 190 Fr.
P 16 Ryan Fleming 6-3 180 Jr.
PR 10 Toure Butler 5-9 160 So.
KR 4 Ja'War. Hooker 5-11 165 So.
KR 21 Joe Jarzynka 5-7 175 Jr.
Statistics
Individual leaders
Passing Cmp.-Att. Yds. TDs Int.
Huard 27-47 381 4 0
Rushing No. Yds. Ave. TDs
Shaw 15 58 3.9 0
J. Harris 5 38 7.6 1
Receiving No. Yds Ave. TDs
Looker 11 108 9.8 2
Davis 5 110 22.0 2
G. Harris 4 30 7.5 0
Total off. Plays Run. Pass Total Ave.
Huard 51 -16 318 302 302.0
Scoring TDS PAT FGS PTS
Looker 2 0 0 12
Davis 2 0 0 12
Team comparisons
... BYU UW
3rd-down conversion 10-29 8-15
Defensive 3rd-down 15-30 12-19
4th-down conversion 5-6 2-3
Defensive 4th-down 1-5 2-3
Net punting yards 35.2 40.5
Turnover conversion 4-5 3-3
Red zone conversion 7-7 5-8
Washington's
1998 season
W 42-38 Arizona State (1-0)
Sept. 19 Brigham Young 1:30 p.m.
Sept. 26 at Nebraska 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 Arizona 8 p.m.
Oct. 10 Utah State 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 17 California 4:30 p.m.
Oct. 24 Oregon State 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 31 at Southern Cal 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 7 at Oregon 2 p.m.
Nov. 14 UCLA 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 21 at Washington St. 3 p.m.
Washington offense
Two words: Brock Huard. The junior quarterback opened the season with a performance that netted Pac-10 Player of the Week honors and recognition from USA Today. Huard set career highs by completing 27 of 47 passes for 318 yards and four touchdowns. The final scoring strike was a 63-yarder to Reggie Davis on fourth-and-17 with 28 seconds remaining as the Huskies nipped Arizona State, 42-38 on Sept. 5. Void of a running back in the tradition of Napoleon Kaufman, Corey Dillon and Rashaan Sheehee, the Huskies went to the air against ASU. And all six Washington receivers who saw action caught passes. Junior Dane Looker paced the effort with 11 receptions. Freshman tailback Willie Hurst, who missed Washington's opener because of a broken thumb, is expected to play. It remains to be seen if it will balance UW's attack.
Washington defense
Like BYU, the Huskies gave up 38 points in their season opener. Washington's defense, however, was a lot more generous in terms of yardage. Against ASU, the Dawgs gave up 465 yards - 163 rushing and 302 passing. And though not impressive, it was enough to get the job done. It was the first time Washington had ever prevailed after giving up that many points. Linebackers Todd Johnson and Jeff Johnson, who combined for 25 tackles in the opener, are determined to keep the Cougars' offense in check. Washington has been successful stopping BYU in the past. The Huskies have held the Cougars to just 16 yards in meetings over the past two seasons. Inside linebacker Lester Towns, who as a sophomore led Washington with 89 tackles a year ago, is the most formidable returnee.
Washington special teams
Kickoff returner Ja'Warren Hook, an NCAA indoor sprinting champion, is a dangerous threat. He took a kick back 61 yards in the ASU game. The Huskies returned four kickoffs against the Sun Devils and averaged 28.8 yards. Defensively, Washington surrendered an average of 33 yards on punt returns and 23.9 on kickoffs. Punter Ryan Fleming was called into action four times and averaged 43.8 yards per kick. The Huskies have yet to attempt a field goal this season, but redshirt freshman Jim Skurski has proven capable on PATs. He enters the BYU game having made all six of his kicks.