Two contrasting styles will be on display when run-oriented Virginia faces off against run-and-gun Brigham Young at 9 p.m. tomorrow in Provo, Utah.
Virginia (2-1, 1-1 ACC) will attempt to slow No. 17 BYU (2-0) and their high octane offense, led by senior signal caller Kevin Feterik.
Feterik provides the fuel for the nation's No. 1 ranked offense. In the Cougar's first game this season against Washington, Feterik threw for 501 yards and engineered a fourth quarter comeback.
"The secondary's gonna have to have to step up," defensive back Jermaine Lauzon said. Feterik "passed for 820 yards the last two games. I think that speaks for itself. I know they're gonna go to the air."
Feterik's favorite target is senior receiver Margin Hook, who has 13 receptions for 212 yards after just two games.
The Cougars employ several four and five-wideout sets. This poses a problem because cornerbacks Antwan Harris and Dwayne Stukes are both listed as questionable for tomorrow night. If neither suits up, the young Cav secondary will face an even more challenging situation.
"They're either gonna have a field day or it's going to be a shootout," Harris said.
The defensive line is equally banged up, with Travis Griffith out for the year, and Monsanto Pope on the shelf. Still Maurice Anderson, who remains questionable with a sprained knee, and Roanoke, Va., native Boo Battle will look to apply heat to Feterik.
"We're going to work the pass rush a little bit more," Anderson said. "The BYU quarterback, he's more of a pocket passer. We'll have a good chance of getting some pressure on him."
The Cavaliers will need another big performance out of Thomas Jones following his monster night against Wake Forest.
"We have to keep the ball in our hands and control the game," fourth-year center John St. Clair said. "We've gotta run the ball first. If we give Thomas even half a decent block, he'll hit the hole."
"Our goal is to score points and keep the other offense off the field," Cav fullback Anthony Southern said.
The Cougars are hoping linebacker Rob Morris -- who suffered an abdominal strain against Colorado State -- will suit up. Morris, last season's WAC Pacific Division defensive player of the year, will be essential in trying to limit Jones.
In addition to injuries and facing a top-flight quarterback, Virginia will also have to deal with 65,000 screaming Cougar fans and the high elevation.
"I don't think it'll be really tough," St. Clair said. "It's a long trip. That could play against us. If we play our game, we'll get the crowd out of it."
The Cavaliers realize the importance of this early season matchup and their opportunity to move back into the top 25.
"This week was like [before] North Carolina," first-year safety Chris Williams said. "Everybody wasn't playing around, everybody was focused." "There's more pressure on us," St. Clair said. "We need to win and keep winning. We can't afford to lose any more games"
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