Far West Roundup : Lindsley Makes Impressive Debut as BYU Quarterback in 52-0 Rout of Utah State

After a slow start, Steve Lindsley’s debut as Brigham Young’s starting quarterback had his coach breathing easier.

Lindsley threw for 369 yards and two touchdowns Saturday as the 18th-ranked Cougars beat Utah State, 52-0, at Provo, Utah, coming within seven points of the most lopsided shutout in school history. Last year, BYU beat Wyoming, 59-0.

The season opener for both schools featured Lindsley’s first game as a replacement for departed Robbie Bosco and, Coach LaVell Edwards hopes, the latest in a string of standout quarterbacks. Lindsley, a 24-year-old senior, completed 24 of 37 attempts.

“I felt very good about Steve’s performance, which was as good for a first start as you will see from a quarterback,” Edwards said.

Lindsley, who threw two interceptions in a shaky first quarter, broke open a 3-0 game seconds before halftime with a two-yard scoring toss to Chuck Cutler. He also completed a 24-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bellini.

BYU scored 42 points in the second half.

Air Force 23, Texas-El Paso 21--Mike Johnson kicked a 44-yard field goal with one second left to give the Falcons a Western Athletic Conference victory at El Paso, Tex.

Senior halfback Marc Munafo led the Falcons’ wishbone attack with 120 yards in 17 carries. Air Force raised is 2-0, both wins coming in conference play. The Miners are 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the WAC.

Eastern Washington 21, Boise St. 19--Mark Cordes of Eastern Washington intercepted five passes at Spokane, tying an NCAA Division I-AA record. His five interceptions equaled the single-game record set by Karl Johnson of Jackson State in 1982 and tied by Michael Richardson of Northwest Louisiana in 1983.