Nov. 6, 1999
By BERNIE WILSON
AP Sports Writer
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Defensive tackle Hans Olsen - a nephew of Merlin Olsen - returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown and Kevin Feterik threw for two touchdowns as No. 15 Brigham Young beat San Diego State 30-7 Saturday night.
Mountain West Conference leader BYU (8-1, 5-0) spotted SDSU a 7-0 lead. The Cougars won their sixth straight overall and fifth straight against the Aztecs (3-6, 1-4). BYU's defense, ranked 11th nationally, came up big for a second straight year against SDSU, forcing five turnovers that led to 10 points and getting six sacks.
The big play came when linebacker Rob Morris sacked Jack Hawley and forced a fumble, which the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Olsen picked up and returned down the left sideline for a 20-7 lead with 13:11 left in the third quarter. It was Olsen's first career TD.
Morris recovered a fumble in the second quarter, setting up the first of three field goals by Owen Pochman, a 23-yarder.
Olsen and Morris each had 1 1/2 sacks. Last year, Morris had 10 unassisted tackles in BYU's 13-0 win over San Diego State.
Feterik threw a 20-yard pass to Luke Staley for BYU's first score and a 15-yarder to Margin Hooks for its final score. He was 21-of-32 for 261 yards, with two interceptions. BYU gained only 30 rushing yards.
This was BYU's first visit to San Diego since 1993, when it beat San Diego State 45-44, then returned for its 11th Holiday Bowl appearance, losing to Ohio State.
BYU started slowly, with just one first down and 33 yards in the first quarter. San Diego State took a 7-0 lead on Hawley's 9-yard run with 3:22 left in the quarter, capping a drive set up by Bishop Miller's interception.
BYU tied it on Feterik's screen pass to Staley with 8:08 left in the first half.
Morris' recovery of Larry Ned's fumble, forced by Byron Frisch, was the third turnover in as many plays, giving the Cougars the ball on the SDSU 8. BYU had to settle for Pochman's 23-yard field goal, even though it had first-and-goal from the 2 following Aazaar Abdul-Rahim's pass interference penalty in the end zone.
After San Diego State's Nate Tandberg missed a 50-yard field goal try, Feterik's passing set up Pochman's 27-yard field goal as time expired for a 13-7 halftime lead. Feterik completed four straight passes for 65 yards before getting shaken up and leaving for one play.
Pochman kicked a 42-yard field goal late in the third quarter, and Hooks' TD catch came midway through the fourth.
Hawley, benched in favor of Lon Sheriff after Olsen's fumble return, was 9-of-20 for 98 yards, with one interception.