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Cougars Shutout San Diego State Aztecs, 13-0
With his bleached-blond buzz cut and
wacky dance celebrations after big plays, Rob Morris isn't a typical BYU
player - and that's just fine with coach LaVell Edwards. The junior
linebacker made 10 unassisted tackles, including three for big losses, and
assisted on seven as Brigham Young blanked San Diego State 13-0 on a
wet, slippery Cougar Stadium field Thursday night. ''Rob Morris is just
an outstanding linebacker,'' said the soaked Edwards, who isn't known
wet or dry for effusive praise. ''There are very few linebackers out there
better than him. His tackling ... tonight was very crisp.''
With the win Thursday, BYU pulled into first place of the
WAC Pacific Division with a 4-1 record. San Diego State has an
identical 4-1 mark, but must now hope that BYU stumbles in one of its
last three games.
With a national television audience expecting offensive
fireworks, what it got instead Thursday night was an old-fashioned
defensive game. "Going into this game, you wouldn't have thought this
would be a defensive battle," coach Edwards said. BYU registered its
first shutout in almost two years, since a 49-0 drubbing of Rice in 1996.
The last time a team laid a goose egg on the Aztecs was BYU in 1985, a
28-0 decision at Cougar Stadium.
Before a national television
audience, Rob Morris proved why he is considered one of the best
linebackers in the West. All he did, besides dance disco and show off his
moon walk, was register 17 tackles (10 unassisted) and three tackles for
a loss. He also had a pass deflection. Morris finished with 38 defensive
points. But it was his reaction after making a big play that really made his
night unique. "I tried to do a dance move from every decade tonight,''
Morris said. ''I did Travolta for the '70s and the moonwalk for the '80s. I
did a little hip shake for the '90s. ... I was trying to hit every decade.
What happens is you're out there, and you start having fun.''
With just a minute and a half gone in the first
quarter, cornerback Brian Gray got the Cougars off to a tremendous
start, stealing a pass away from former junior college teammate Damon
Gourdine and running it in for a touchdown, the only one of the game.
"They had been pumping him up all week. So, with the fact that I played
with him junior college, I figured I could shut him down, because in
practice I always used to," Gray said. "(On that play) I figured it was a
slant, and when I looked up the quarterback looked dead at me and he
threw it to my hands and I went in with it. When I made the pick, I
figured it was my game today."
It would appear from the final statistics that the Cougar
offense had an off-night vs. San Diego State. And it did. It was held to
six points on two Owen Pochman field goals (46, 40), and managed just
236 yards of total offense and just one first down on 13 third-down plays
(San Diego State gained only 122 yards total offense, and converted on
just 1 of 14 third-down attempts). But despite his team's apparently
anemic effort, coach Edwards was surprisingly upbeat. "Even though we
didn't have a lot of yards, I'm not displeased with our offense," he said.
"We moved the ball in key situations."
Contributing to the lack of offense in Thursday's game
was a steady rain that began at halftime and lasted well after the game.
Even with the slippery conditions, there were no fumbles lost - though
there was a botched punt or two.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th f
sdsu 0 0 0 0 0
byu 10 3 0 0 13
aztecs 0
cougs 13 final
1st quarter
byu - Brian Gray 40-yard interception
(Pochman kick)
byu - Owen Pochman 45-yard field goal
2nd quarter
byu - Pochman 40-yard field goal
3rd quarter
no scoring
4th quarter
no scoring
San Diego St Byu
First downs 9 15
Rushed-yards 36-80 48-116
Passing yards 42 120
Sacked-yards lost 3-19 1-9
Return yards 11 41
Passes 6-21-1 12-17-0
Punts 8-43.9 5-41.2
Fumbles-lost 1-0 3-1
Penalties-yards 3-27 2-12
Time of possession 26:34 33:26
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING: San Diego St-J Lewis 13-59, Ned 12-31, Russell 9-4,
Harris 1-minus 1, Copeland 1-minus 13. Byu-Jenkins 22-59, Mahe
9-31, Cupp 3-20, Feterik 13-11, Hartsfield 1-minus 5.
PASSING: San Diego St-Russell 5-19-1-42, Harris 1-2-0-0.
Byu-Feterik 12-17-0-120.
RECEIVING: San Diego St-Reyes 2-14, Mahaffey 1-13, Ange 1-8,
Dam Gourdine 1-7, Ned 1-0. Byu-Hooks 4-34, Horton 4-33, Mahe
2-24, Nuno 1-20, Jenkins 1-9.
Att: 63,496
BYU - San Diego State Game Summary
(Source: Blue & White Sports Network)
1st Quarter:
San Diego State has the ball to begin the game. On third-and-six from the
30, Aztec QB Brian Russell is picked off by BYU's Brian Gray, who returns
the ball from the 39-yard line for the touchdown to put the Cougars up early.
SDSU can't answer and punts for the first time in the game. BYU then goes
on offense for the first time, and responds with a 45-yard Owen Pochman
field goal to extend their lead to 10-0. KEY PLAYS: Kevin Feterik to Margin
Hooks for 14-yards; Ronney Jenkins 9-yard run.
New Aztec QB Dusty Harris, in for a shaken-up Russell, can't move the
SDSU offense for a first down, and the Aztecs and forced to punt once again.
BYU once again gets into field goal range, but a sack forces Pochman to try
a 50-yard field goal. That attempt is just wide (off the upright) and SDSU
takes over late in the quarter.
2nd Quarter:
The Aztec once are stopped offensively and punt for the third time in the
game. BYU gets out to midfield, but on fourth down and less than a yard, the
Cougars elect to punt for the first time in the game. SDSU fails to get a first
down once again, and the Aztecs punt the ball back to BYU.
The Cougars march down field again, but come up short on a Feterik
scramble on third-and-long. That forces another Pochman field goal, this one
from 40-yards. KEY PLAYS: Feterik to Carlos Nuno for 20-yards; Junior
Mahe from Feterik for 16-yards.
San Diego State finally puts a good drive together, getting out to midfield
before a sack and a big holding penalty back them up unto a third-and-30
situation. The Aztecs can't convert and punt the ball away.
The Cougars then try to keep the ball on the ground, but are forced into a
punting situation deep in their own territory. SDSU has the rush on and
makes J.D. Hartsfield run out of bounds inside his own 15. That leaves the
Aztecs with the ball on the BYU 13 with 15 seconds left until the halftime.
SDSU can't capitalize, however, as QB Russell fumbles the ball and the
clock runs out.
3rd Quarter:
BYU has the ball to begin the third quarter. The Cougars get one first down,
but are forced to punt after that. SDSU gets out near midfield, but are forced
into a fourth down situation. A wet ball as the rain falls in Provo forces a bad
snap, and Aztec punter David Neal can't get the punt away. BYU takes over.
Behind the running of Ronney Jenkins, the Cougars set themselves up with a
first and goal. But again, BYU stalls out and Pochman must attempt another
field goal. He misses, however, from 27-yards out and BYU comes up
empty. SDSU can't go anywhere, however, and the Aztecs punt once again.
BYU answers with punt of their own.
Great defensive pressure once again forces the Aztecs to punt and BYU
takes over. The Cougars have the ball at the SDSU 39 as a wet and rainy
third quarter comes to an end.
4th Quarter:
On third down, Feterik fumbles and the ball is recovered by Rico Curtis for
the Aztecs, who take over near midfield. SDSU sputters again and the
Aztecs punt to the BYU 2-yard line. In the blistering rain, BYU can't go
anywhere and the Cougars punt back to the Aztecs, who have great field
position at the BYU 33.
Thanks to a 21-yard run by Jonas Lewis, the Aztecs have a first-and-goal
and the eight-yard line. SDSU are stopped three straight times and they
elect to go for it on fourth-and-eight. Russell's pass into the endzone is
knocked away by Brian Gray to force the change of possession.
BYU manages a couple of first downs, but the Cougars stall out at their own
30 and Hartsfield punts the ball back to San Diego State with five minutes
and change left in the game.
The Cougars get a huge break as Jesus Reyes appears to get a foot down in
the endzone for SDSU on third down and goal, but he's marked out of
bounds. On fourth down, the Cougar defense knocks the ball away and BYU
takes over at their own 20. The Cougars then run the clock out from there to
take the victory.
(Source: Blue & White Sports Network)
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