SPORTS WEEKEND : AROUND THE NATION : Feterik Passes for 500 Yards, BYU Wins

Kevin Feterik completed 39 of 59 passes for 500 yards and three touchdowns, the last a 38-yarder to Chris Hale with 1:16 to play, as Brigham Young beat Washington, 35-28, in a season opener Thursday night at Provo, Utah.

Hale, a freshman and son of BYU Athletic Director Val Hale, scored the winner on his first varsity catch.

The Cougars held off a final challenge after the Huskies reached the BYU 12. Marques Tuiasosopo was sacked by Byron Frisch with five seconds left, then threw out of the end zone on the game’s final play.

The victory spoiled Rick Neuheisel’s debut as coach of the Huskies, and afterward BYU students swarmed the field to celebrate.

Washington rallied from a 13-point deficit behind Tuiasosopo, who passed for two fourth-quarter touchdowns. The Huskies also intercepted a pass by Feterik, who otherwise looked nearly flawless in BYU’s new shotgun offense.

BYU led, 27-14, after freshman Luke Staley scored his second touchdown of the third quarter on an 11-yard run with 3:16 to play. At that point, the Washington offense had crossed midfield once.

Tuiasosopo led a 17-play, 88-yard drive, capped by his five-yard scoring run. The touchdown was set up when, with the Huskies at midfield, Tuiasosopo passed into the end zone and BYU’s Heishimu Robertson was called for interference.

On the ensuing series, Feterik’s pass to Ben Horton was intercepted by Anthony Vonture, who returned it 26 yards to the Cougar 11.

Less than two minutes later, Tuiasosopo ran left and scored untouched on an option keeper, giving the Huskies a 28-27 lead with 5:04 remaining.

That’s when Feterik assembled a drive to rival any of BYU’s storied quarterbacks, completing dump passes for 14- and 17-yard gains, then finding Horton on a 12-yard pass to midfield.

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Tailback Ronney Jenkins, a highly touted transfer from BYU, accumulated 204 total yards and scored two touchdowns in his debut and receiver Francis St. Paul caught six passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns as Northern Arizona routed Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, 55-21, at Flagstaff, Ariz. . . . Running back Ricky Williams of Texas Tech, who suffered a knee injury Monday night during the second quarter of a season-opening loss to Arizona State, will not play Saturday night against Louisiana Lafayette. . . . Receiver Sherrod Gideon and defensive back Leo Barnes of Southern Mississippi have been suspended for Saturday’s game against Northwestern Louisiana.