PROVO, Utah -- Kevin Feterik threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns and Junior Mahe ran for two scores as Brigham Young trounced UNLV 38-14 on Saturday. Feterik also may have won the Cougars' quarterback derby by default after Drew Miller left the game with a separated shoulder. Feterik led the Cougars on three scoring drives in the second half that put the game away.
UNLV was almost completely unable to move the ball against the Cougars. Brigham Young (3-3, 1-1 Western Athletic Conference) held the Rebels (0-6, 0-2 WAC) to 13 yards of offense and one first down in the first three quarters.
Solid defense and special teams play kept the Rebels in the game early. UNLV set up one touchdown with a blocked punt and scored on a fumble return.
The Rebels lost their 11th straight game, one short of a school record, and dropped their 24th straight road game. Coach Jeff Horton is 2-25 away from Las Vegas since taking the UNLV job in 1994.
BYU snapped a three-game WAC losing streak and remained undefeated at home this season. Margin Hooks' 83-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the Cougars' longest play from scrimmage this year.
Sam Brandon blocked a BYU punt with 2:20 to play in the first half and gave UNLV the ball at the Brigham Young 6. James Wofford scored on the next play to cut BYU's lead to 14-7.
Seconds later, a bizarre sequence gave the Rebels the tying touchdown and sent the Cougar Stadium crowd of 61,774 into a momentary panic.
Miller fumbled when sacked by Greg Gales, but BYU lineman Matt Johnson caught the ball on the fly and, apparently thinking Miller had thrown a pass and the play was dead, made no move to advance it or even down the ball.
Defensive lineman Justin Conway, who seemed to be the only player on the field who realized the ball was still live, swatted the ball out of Johnson's hands, picked it up and ran 24 yards for the game-tying score.
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING: Nev Las Vegas-Hankins 11-48, Wofford 11-31, Footman
7-23, Reed 8-minus 25. Byu-Jenkins 22-85, Mahe 7-46, Hooks
2-25, Feterik 3-9, Cupp 2-5, Snowden 2-4, Doman 2-minus 3,
Miller 3-minus 35.
PASSING: Nev Las Vegas-Reed 5-20-1-21. Byu-Feterik 17-28-0-319,
Miller 3-8-1-14, Doman 1-2-1-30.
RECEIVING: Nev Las Vegas-Ware 2-9, James 1-5, Wofford 1-4,
Baker 1-3. Byu-Hooks 5-125, Horton 5-109, Jenkins 4-54, Rigell
2-41, Ofahengauo 1-18, Nuno 1-6, Cupp 1-6, Mahe 1-3, Sitake 1-1.
Att: 61,774
1st Quarter:
BYU gets out across midfield, but the Cougars are forced to punt
there. UNLV goes three-and-out on their first series. After a Rebel
punt, the Cougars go to work and get the scoreboard first. Ronney
Jenkins dives into the endzone from 2-yards out to give BYU the
lead. KEY PLAYS: A reverse to freshman QB Brandon Doman, who
throws back to a wide-open Jenkins for 39-yards; Feterik to Tevita
Ofahengauge for 19-yards.
After another UNLV three-and-out series, BYU extends the lead with
a second touchdown drive. Freshman Junior Mahe runs in from
2-yards out to extend the lead to 14-0. KEY PLAYS: Jenkins
16-yard run; Feterik to Jenkins for 16-yards; Feterik to Ben Horton
for 22-yards.
The Rebels still can't get anything going offensively and have one
more three-and-out series. BYU has the ball and is driving to end
the quarter.
2nd Quarter:
The BYU drive stalls out at the UNLV 40, and the Cougars are
forced to punt. The Rebels still struggle and punt once again after
failing to get a first down. Drew Miller comes in at quarterback for
BYU, but the Cougars punt also. UNLV answers with a first down,
but the Rebels still punt eventually.
BYU responds with another punt of their own as the 2nd Quarter
punting war continues. The Rebels, woeful on offense, punt once
again. UNLV finally gets a break when Drew Miller's pass is tipped
and picked off by the Rebels Greg Gales for the turnover. UNLV is
stopped again and the Rebels punt.
The Cougars are forced into a punting situation, but J.D. Hartsfield's
punt is blocked by the Rebels' Mark Hays and UNLV recovers on
the BYU 6. On the next play, UNLV's James Wofford crawls into the
endzone from 6-yards out for the score.
After the kickoff, one of the strangest plays in college football
history unfolds. On second down, BYU's Miller is hit right as he
releases the ball. The ball is picked up by Cougar offensive lineman
Matt Johnson, who thinking the play is dead, drops the ball on the
ground. With no word from the officials yet, UNLV lineman Justin
Conway picks up the ball and rumbles into the endzone for what is
ruled a Rebel touchdown.
After Drew Miller goes out when an injury, Kevin Feterik comes back
and leads the Cougars down the field just before halftime. BYU gets
the Rebel 16 before they run out of time and are forced to settle for a
34-yard Owen Pochman field goal.
3rd Quarter:
UNLV punts to begin the third quarter. BYU goes three-and-out also
and returns the favor with a punt. UNLV answers with their own punt.
After that, BYU finally gets things going again, as Junior Mahe goes
in for his second score of the game from 3-yards out. KEY PLAYS:
Feterik to Horton for 19-yards; Jenkins with a 28-yard run; Feterik to
Margin Hooks for 14-yards. UNLV gets the ball back, but is forced
to punt once again. The Cougars respond immediately as Feterik
finds Hooks for a 83-yard touchdown on BYU's first play.
The Rebels can't answer and punt once again.
4th Quarter:
On the second play of the quarter, Feterik and Jenkins mishandle
the exchange. The ball is picked up by UNLV's Greg Gales and the
Rebels take over. UNLV punts yet again, however.
The Cougars come back with another score, this one from Feterik to
freshman Mike Rigell, covering 30 yards. The play was set up by a
45-yard pass to Horton from Feterik. It was a 4-play, 75-yard drive.
UNLV then puts together their best drive of the game, but it falls
short as BYU's Jason Walker picks off UNLV's Chad Reed in the
endzone. It's the fifth interception of the year for Walker. The ball
was tipped to Walker by BYU's Brian Gray. The Cougars stall out
on offense and punt the ball back to the Rebels. The favor is
returned, however, as UNLV punts also.
Brandon Doman comes in at quarterback for the Cougars, but on
third-and-long throws the interception to UNLV's Kawika Batoon.
The Rebels keep the ball on the ground to run the clock out from
there.
(Source: Blue & White Sports Network).
