PROVO, UT -- In a wild offensive shootout, it was a defensive stand that was the deciding factor.

Thomas Jones ran for a career-high 210 yards and Jerton Evans' second interception of the game thwarted a late drive and allowed unranked Virginia to escape with a 45-40 victory over No. 19 Brigham Young.

Powered by quarterback Kevin Feterik, BYU (2-1) nearly erased a 21-0 first-quarter deficit in the waning moments. The Cougars converted a 4th-and-2 and were aided by a holding penalty inside Virginia territory that kept alive their final drive.

The Cougars had 1st-and-goal but were stymied on three straight plays by Virginia (2-1). On 4th-and-goal, Feterik fired wildly into the end zone and Evans, a defensive back, made a diving interception with less than two minutes remaining.

Aided by the superb effort from Jones, the Cavaliers were able to run out the clock.

Jones carried 35 times and surpassed his previous high of 207 yards against Georgia Tech on October 17, 1998. Jones entered the game ranked 11th in the nation with 410 yards in his first three games.

Dan Ellis threw three touchdown passes for the Cavaliers, who were playing their first game against a ranked opponent this season.

Feterik had another big game, completing 28-of-47 passes for 303 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions. The senior has thrown for 1,013 yards and seven touchdowns in three games this season.

BYU was playing for the first time on a Saturday after opening the with a pair of Thursday night victories.

Ahead 28-19 at halftime, the Cavaliers built on their lead just 48 seconds into the third quater when defensive back Tim Spruill scooped up a fumble and returned it 19 yards for a score.

Feterik started the Cougars' comeback just 32 seconds later, hooking up with Margin Hooks on a 30-yard TD pass that deflected off a Virginia defender. Todd Braverman answered that score with a 45-yard field goal to give the Cavs a 38-26 lead.

The Cougars' lefty quarterback helped his team close within five points midway through the quarter as he hit Ben Horton with a seven-yard score.

The teams combined for more than 900 total yards with BYU holding a 472-432 edge.

Ellis, a junior, quieted the crowd of 65,453 with a five-play, 70-yard drive that he capped with a four-yard toss to Billy Baber. That enabled Virginia to bring a 45-33 lead into the final period.

Ellis finished 14-of-18 for 190 yards and was intercepted once.

Feterik drilled a 19-yard pass to tight end Carlos Nuno with 10:56 left to account for the lone points of the fourth quarter.

The Cavs came out of the locker room and looked like they were going to blow BYU off the field, scoring 21 unanswered points in the first quarter.

Ellis hit Anthony Southern with a 15-yard TD pass and found Kevin Coffey for 25 yards before Jones rumbled 22 yards for a score.

The Cougars battled back and got on the board midway through the second quarter on Lucas Staley's two-yard run. The extra point failed and Jones ran 45 yards for a score on the ensuing drive to give Virginia a 28-6 cushion.

But Staley, who carried eight times for 79 yards, ran for another second TD, this time scampering 41 yards into the end zone. Again, the conversion failed.