Huskies Waste Little Time UW Whips Byu With Six Long But Quick Drives

The fourth-ranked Washington Huskies unveiled their short-attention-span offense Saturday, burying 19th-ranked BYU under an avalanche of big plays while silencing a Cougar Stadium crowd of 65,978.

The 42-20 season-opening victory included 171 rushing yards from tailback Rashaan Shehee, 163 receiving yards from split end Jerome Pathon and an 18-for-23 passing performance from quarterback Brock Huard.

Remarkably, the Huskies’ average scoring drive covered 62.8 yards in just 4.5 plays.

“We expected to have a big-play offense,” said coach Jim Lambright, who upped his record in season-openers to 3-2. “I think you saw the change from a team that counted last year tremendously on the run, to this year having the quarterback that can stand in there and put the ball on the money and make tremendously big plays.”

Lambright would get no argument from BYU cornerback Ben Cook, who tried to slow down Pathon but ended up serving as his personal usher.

“I felt like we were on an island. It felt like we were out there for three days,” said Cook, who was burned for gains of 27, 35 and 46 yards.

Huard finished with 285 yards passing, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Washington’s defense was also dominant, holding BYU to 2 yards rushing - 12 fewer than the Cougars managed during last year’s 29-17 loss in Seattle.

The Huskies also turned Paul Shoemaker’s first collegiate start into an exercise in survival. Shoemaker was effective only on the game’s opening drive, an 80-yard aberration that gave BYU its only lead, 7-0.

Washington’s defense was penalized twice for being offsides on the drive, which included a 43-yard completion on a fake end-around.

“I think we were just so excited and everybody’s blood was pumping so fast that it was just hard to concentrate on that first drive,” said defensive end Chris Campbell, who recorded two of Washington’s three sacks.

Shoemaker’s backup, Kevin Feterik, passed for 216 yards and two touchdowns, but not before the Huskies had built a 28-7 lead.

Before the game, Lambright was concerned about surviving in the altitude (4,500 feet) and heat (mid-80s) of Provo. Afterward, those concerns were almost forgotten.

“This is a great start,” Lambright beamed. “This is exactly what we needed - to play an opponent like BYU, to go home with a big win and put 40 points on the board.”

Three first-half plays, one by Shehee and two by Pathon, turned the game squarely in Washington’s favor.

The first was Shehee’s 65-yard run on the Huskies’ fourth play from scrimmage. He was caught at the 1-yard-line, but the Huskies had provided an answer to BYU’s opening drive.

“I just went behind the two All-Americans, Benji (Olson) and Olin (Kreutz), and I figured they’d take me to the promised land,” Shehee said.

Backup tailback Maurice Shaw scored on the next play, tying the game 7-7.

Pathon’s pivotal plays came during the half’s final 88 seconds, after Shehee’s 2-yard TD run had stretched Washington’s lead to 14-7.

The first came on a daring 40-yard punt return that put Washington at BYU’s 40-yard-line with 1:28 left in the half. The second came three plays later, when Pathon beat Cook deep for a 35-yard gain to BYU’s 1.

Huard found Fred Coleman in the end zone on the next play, and Washington suddenly led 21-7.

BYU coach LaVell Edwards accurately called that sequence a “killer.”

Washington’s momentum carried through halftime, with Shehee gaining 75 yards on the second play of the third quarter. He was caught short of the goal-line once again, and Shaw cleaned up with a 3-yard scoring run for a 28-7 Husky lead.

BYU fumbled on its next possession, setting up Washington at the Cougars’ 41-yard-line. Huard needed only three plays to make it 35-7, ultimately finding Shehee over the middle for a 23-yard touchdown.

At that point, the 10th-largest crowd in the history of Cougar Stadium possessed all the enthusiasm of a Monday morning study session in nearby Lee Library.

“I love it when all of a sudden there’s a big cheer because the home team made a first down,” Lambright said.

Washington 42, Brigham Young 20

Washington 7 14 14 7 - 42

Brigham Young 7 0 0 13 - 20

BYU-Shoemaker 1 run (Pochman kick) WASH-Shaw 1 run (Jones kick) WASH-Shehee 2 run (Jones kick) WASH-Coleman 6 pass from Huard (Jones kick) WASH-Shaw 2 run (Jones kick) WASH-Shehee 23 pass from Huard (Jones kick) BYU-Roderick 62 pass from Feterik (kick blocked) WASH-Coleman 27 pass from Huard (Jones kick) BYU-Cahoon 34 pass from Feterik (Pochman kick) A-65,978.

WASH BYU First downs 19 14 Rushes-yards 40-289 25-2 Passing 288 306 Comp-Att-Int 19-24-0 20-33-0 Return Yards 95 63 Punts-Avg. 4-40 8-47 Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1 Penalties-Yards 8-53 8-59 Time of Possession 31:07 28:53

RUSHING-WASH, Shehee 12-171, Shaw 12-49, Harris 12-47, Coleman 1-18, Conniff 1-3, Huard 2-1; BYU, Snowden 5-11, McKenzie 10-9, Sitake 3-6, Shoemaker 3-1, Feterik 4-(minus) 25.

PASSING-WASH, Huard 18-23-0 285, Tyuiasopo 1-1-0; BYU, Shoemaker 7-13-0 90, Feterik 13-20-0 216.

RECEIVING-WASH, Pathon 7-163, Coleman 5-65, Cleeland 3-26, Shehee 1-23, Harris 1-8, DeSaussure 1-3, Shaw 1-0; BYU, Cahoon 6-106, Johnson 4-76, Roderick 1-62, McKenzie 3-37, Cupp 4-33, Hooks 1-0, Snowden 1-(minus) 8.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo