PROVO--Before the season began, quarterback Kevin Feterik said he was counting on his receivers to make big plays. The comment raised some eyebrows, considering the BYU receiving corps was infamous for dropping balls last season.
But the Cougar pass-catchers have lived up to Feterik's expectations. During Saturday's 38-28 victory over Cal, they caught three touchdown tosses that gave BYU an early 21-0 advantage.Junior Jonathan Pittman, who hauled in three passes for 96 yards, scored a pair of TDs. His first score was the game's first when he turned a short reception into a 41-yard touchdown. In the second half, BYU was nursing a precarious 24-21 advantage when he caught a 44-yarder with 12 minutes remaining that gave the Cougars some much-needed breathing room. "I threw it up there for him and he made a great catch," Feterik said.
Margin Hooks led all BYU receivers with seven catches for 108 yards and a over-the-shoulder touchdown grab in the end zone.
Pittman, a former junior college All-American, dropped what could have been another touchdown in the third quarter while Hooks let another possible touchdown slip through his hands.
But Feterik isn't fretting about those missed opportunities. "We don't worry about that," he said. "Those guys make enough big plays. Drops don't bother us any more."
MORRIS OUT AGAIN: Rob Morris, still hampered by a lower abdominal strain, missed his third straight game. The injury could keep him out as many as six weeks, but he will try to play next week at New Mexico.
SPECIAL DELIVERY: BYU linebacker Jeff Holtry's wife, Jessica, gave birth to a seven-pound, five-ounce baby daughter, Samantha, at 1:45 a.m. Saturday. Mother and Samantha are fine and they watched BYU's victory from the hospital.
PAC-MEN: Now that BYU has played Cal for the first time, the only Pac-10 teams that the Cougars have never faced are Stanford and Southern Cal. Both the Cardinal and the Trojans are on BYU's future schedules. The Cougars will travel to Berkeley to meet the Golden Bears in 2001.
By the way, after losing nine straight games to Pac-10 teams from 1990-97, BYU has now won four of its last six against that conference. "It feels good to beat a Pac-10 team," Feterik said.
RETURN TO UTAH VALLEY: Cal coach Tom Holmoe wasn't the only one observing a homecoming of sorts Saturday night. Placekicker Mark Christian Jensen is a Pleasant Grove High School product. Jensen, a freshman, is also a returned LDS missionary. He handles kickoff and extra point duties for the Bears and booted four PATs against BYU.
OFFENSIVE WOES: As if things weren't bad enough for Cal, ranked 110th in total offense, Holmoe suspended top receiver Michael Ainsworth this week for breaking team rules and did not play against BYU. The freshman has caught 22 passes for 270 yards this season.
SACKFEST: For the second consecutive week, Feterik spent plenty of time on the turf. Cal sacked the senior QB six times. After the game, he had both elbows and his left knee heavily wrapped in ice. "I thought this week was bad. This was a nightmare," he said. "I got hit on almost every play."
Said Cougar center Jimmy Richards: "Kevin was on his back a few times. I'm disappointed we didn't give Kevin more time."
DELTHA FORCE: The Bears' all-purpose star, Deltha O'Neal, haunted BYU, especially in the first half. He intercepted Feterik twice, one of which he ran back for Cal's first touchdown, and the other he picked off in the BYU end zone. The senior speedster also set up the Bears' second score by returning a punt 31 yards to the BYU 30.
O'Neal, with almost 4,000 yards, is third on Cal's career all-purpose rushng list, behind Chuck Muncie and Russell White.
ON THE MARK: With a 24-yard field goal in the third quarter, kicker Owen Pochman tied a BYU record for most field goals. Pochman now has 34, pulling him even with Leonard Chitty (1986-87). The junior also holds the school record for most consecutive PATs, when he connected on 62 straight, a streak that ended last season.
"It's nice to have a chance to come in and make your mark on the football program," said Pochman, who also hit all five PAT attempts against Cal.
BOOK OF LUKE: Lucas Staley may only be a freshman, but he's already starting what could be an assault on the BYU record book. He scored his eighth touchdown of the season Saturday on a seven-yard run. The school record for career TDs is 40, which was set by Jamal Willis (1991-94).
HOMECOMING: As part of BYU's homecoming festivities, BYU volleyball coach Carl McGown participated in Lighting the Y and his team, which won the national championship last May, was honored on the field at halftime.