NCAA Football Recap (BYU-SMU)
Posted: Sat September 27, 1997 at 8:45 p.m. EDT
Brian McKenzie's 15-yard touchdown run off right tackle in the
first overtime lifted Brigham Young to a 19-16
Western Athletic Conference victory over stubborn Southern
Methodist.
The Mustangs (1-3, 0-1 WAC) drove 43 yards in 10 plays to tie
the game 13-13 on Roy Rios' 27-yard field goal with 47 seconds
left in regulation. SMU got the first possession in overtime
and settled for Rios' 28-yard field goal after it moved 14 yards
to the BYU 11.
SMU started its overtime possession on the BYU 30 following a
penalty for a false start. Chris Sanders' 17-yard pass to Rafiq
Cooper gave the Mustangs a first down, but the drive stalled
after a two-yard gain and two incompletions.
"I don't know what I feel right now," said SMU coach Mike Cavan,
whose team suffered a 46-16 defeat to Navy last week. "I'm
disappointed. I'm not here to win moral victories versus ranked
teams."
BYU (2-1, 1-0) extended its NCAA record for not being shut out
to 278 consecutive games and has scored at least one touchdown
in 134 straight games. The touchdown streak was in jeopardy
through three quarters as the Cougars were limited to two field
goals by Owen Pochman.
"We've got to get more points, no question," BYU coach Lavell
Edwards said. "We need to get the ball in the end zone. I think
it will come. We've still got a lot of young guys. It's good to
get in these kind of situations and work it out. It seems like
each week there's something we've got to work out."
BYU ran threw plays on its overtime possession, with McKenzie
getting the call on each one. He gained five yards on a
2nd-and-5 at the SMU 20, then raced up the middle on the next
play to give the Cougars the win.
"We didn't expect them to run," SMU linebacker Luke Johnson
said. "They had some success with it, so I guess I shouldn't
have been surprised."
McKenzie finished with 98 yards on 21 carries. The 15-yard TD
run was his longest of the game, as BYU was limited to 71 yards
on the ground. Kevin Feterik was 20-of-32 for 216 yards and one
TD, overcoming five sacks.
Chris Sanders' five-yard touchdown pass to Jim Moore offset
Pochman's field goals of 47 and 41 yards and gave the Mustangs a
7-6 halftime lead. SMU increased its lead to 10-6 on the first
of Rios' three field goals, a 27-yarder 4:25 into the second
half.
The BYU offense finally got untracked as Feterik's 32-yard TD
pass to Margin Hooks gave the Cougars a 13-10 lead 2:27 into the
fourth quarter.
"I thought SMU did an outstanding job after their bad outing
last week," Edwards said. "But they came back and worked hard.
It didn't surprise me at all that this was a tough one like
this. SMU didn't surprise me at all."
SMU, which did not field a team in 1987 and 1988 after being hit
with the NCAA's "death penalty," was denied the 400th victory
in school history. The Mustangs, who have not had a winning
season since 1986, are 399-382-54 in 81 seasons.
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