#78 - 9/12/98 - Ronney Jenkins Carries the Cougars to Victory with 214 Yards: BYU 26, #14 Arizona State 6:

 The Cougars were swamped in their season opener against the Crimson Tide. As the Cougars (0-1) prepared for game 2 against the #14 Arizona State Sun Devils (0-1), things weren’t looking any brighter. Despite beating the Sun Devils the previous year, 13-10, the Cougars were only 6-20 all-time against their former conference rivals. This year’s Sun Devils were led by RB JR Redmond, who had racked up 1,051 yards from scrimmage in 1997.

ASU received the kickoff. On the first play from scrimmage, the Cougars appeared to strip the ball away from the defender, but the play was called dead. After an ASU punt, the Cougars drove 52 yards on their initial possession, penetrating the Blue Zone on a 25-yard completion from QB Kevin Feterik to RB Kalani Sitake. Owen Pochman booted a 34-yard field goal to give BYU a 3-0 lead. The Cougar D did the rest, forcing punts on each of the Sun Devils’ first four possessions. Unfortunately, the ASU Defense perked up, forcing the Cougars to punt on each of their next 3 possessions too.

Early in the second, following a missed FGA by the Sun Devils, the Cougars faced a second-and-10 from their own 26. *Kevin Feterik dropped back and turned to his right to avoid the pass rush. Feterik then spotted WR Ben Horton running a pattern toward the right sideline with a defender hot on his heels. As he zipped the ball to Horton, the defender leaped in front of the receiver in an attempt to intercept the pass, but the ball slipped through his hands and into Horton’s. Horton slowed as he secured the bobbled ball at the Cougar 40, and turned upfield. With a Sun Devil pursuing him, and two others moving into position to cut him off, Horton juked left at the ASU 35, dropping one defender as he tried to adjust and causing another to turn sharply as he overshot the mark. The third defender dove at the 20, trying to make a shoestring tackle as Horton turned to avoid a latecomer, but missed. This fourth defender also went sprawling in his wake as Horton turned left again to avoid the final Sun Devil who was still in front of him. This final defender almost nabbed Horton as he cruised over the goal line and into the end zone for a 74-yard TD reception (#76). After another failed FGA by ASU, the Cougars advanced 57 yards on their next possession, thanks to an impressive 33-yard rush by Jenkins, to get back into FG range. Pochman’s 41-yarder sailed true, putting BYU up by 13. Near the end of the half, the Sun Devils fumbled the ball deep in their own territory, and the Cougars recovered. Despite losing some ground, they were still within FG range, and Pochman snuck it through the uprights for a 33-yard FG with two ticks remaining in the half to give the Cougars a 16-0 halftime lead.

Ben Horton
Courtesy of BYU Photo

Midway through the third, Ronney Jenkins featured heavily in a 73-yard Cougar drive, rushing for 50 yards and making a reception for 18 more. When they reached the ASU 2, Jenkins plowed his way over the line for a 2-yard TD rush. When ASU tried to respond, a 46-yard reception turned into a fumble, which Tyler Nelson recovered at the BYU 46. After three, BYU led 23-0.

Early in the fourth, the Cougars drove into FG range again. Pochman’s 38-yarder split the uprights to put them up by 26 with under a quarter to play. In three quarters of play, the Sun Devils were still scoreless, having managed only one drive of more than 34 yards. Finally, in the fourth, they put together an 80-yard scoring drive. QB Ryan Kealy found Lenzie Jackson with a 15-yard TD pass to finally put ASU on the board, but the extra point attempt was blocked. When the backups came in, the Cougars’ Junior Mahe gave Cougar fans a preview at what he was capable of with an impressive 57-yard rush that featured a few sharp cuts to avoid tacklers and add on yardage. When Jason Walker intercepted Kealy midway through the fourth, the game was effectively over. The Cougs were able to run down the clock for a 26-6 win.

Ronney Jenkins
Courtesy of BYU Photo

ASU’s star RB JR Redmond was stifled by the BYU’s defense, only netting 42 yards on 16 rushes for a paltry average of 2.6 yards per rush. Redmond would rebound, breaking the 1,000 yard mark again by season’s end. The unheralded Ronney Jenkins, on the other hand, ran the show, putting up 214 total yards. The Cougars also won the turnover battle 3-0 as they dropped the #14 team out of the polls. The Cougars would finish the regular season with a 9-3 record, 7-1 in conference, to win the 16-team WAC’s Pacific Division. They lost to Air Force in the WAC championship game, but accepted a bid to the Liberty Bowl, where they fell to #10 Tulane.

Game link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypLxEZB7gE0

*BYU Tv's Top 100 plays in BYU Football TV history (updated 12/12/20 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYzgPw-bQ_c)

 

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