BYU will sport new uniforms, tough schedule in ‘99

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Aug. 20, 1999 | 12:06 p.m.

BYU

Head coach: LaVell Edwards (243-91-3, 28th year)

1998 record: 9-5 (Tied for first, WAC Pacific Division)

Returning starters: 13

Guy they'll miss: Running back Ronney Jenkins

Player to watch: Linebacker Rob Morris

Key game: Sept. 16, Colorado State

Projection: 1st (MWC coaches' poll)

Is change a good thing?

The BYU Cougars certainly hope so because there will be a lot of changes this football season around Provo.

Besides the obvious switch to the Mountain West Conference -- the Cougars were charter members in the Western Athletic Conference when it started in 1962 -- BYU also decided to unveil new uniforms.

Those spiffy white helmets with the royal blue oval and white "Y" on the side have been replaced by dark blue helmets with a white "Y." And the home uniforms also feature the darker blue coloring with a design that conjures up thoughts of the World League, although they're supposed to resemble the uniforms of the Bronocs in some way.

"The helmets make the whole thing," said linebacker Rob Morris, a Butkus Award candidate. "Dark helmets are where it's at."

Especially when team sponsor Nike says so.

But some of the biggest changes will come on the field.

BYU's two top running backs -- explosive Ronney Jenkins (1,307 yards) and sophomore Junior Mahe (481 yards) -- are gone thanks to Honor Code violations. Jenkins has since transferred to Northern Arizona while Mahe is expected to attend junior college this year and eventually return to BYU.

That leaves head coach LaVell Edwards -- the one constant around Provo these days -- scrambling to find a top-notch running back to take the heat off veteran quarterback Kevin Feterik (6-0, 190), whose size and arm strength have been questioned since his high school days at Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School.

"You can't lose running backs the caliber of Ronney Jenkins and Junior Mahe and not be affected," Edwards said. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens at the running back spot."

It's possible that two highly-touted true freshmen, Lucas Staley and Fahu Tahi, will see major playing time this season.

And depth at wide receiver could be a problem.

Sophomore Michael Westbrook, expected to back up Margin Hooks at one wideout spot, is expected to be ruled academically ineligible this week while star walk-on Damion Segova, who turned down scholarship offers from Arizona State and Arizona, is expected to miss the first month with a left hamstring injury.

Still, don't feel too sorry for the Cougars, who have won 18 conference titles under Edwards and finished first or second an amazing 23 times in 27 years.

The hard-hitting Morris, who will be a first-round NFL draft choice after this season, anchors a defense that was fifth in the nation a year ago. And both starting cornerbacks, Brian Gray and Heshimu Robertson, are expected to play this year, although there was fear in the off-season that neither would return. Gray had academic problems while Robertson had a university Honor Code violation.

"Without them," cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchel said, "there is no way we can run the schemes we run."

Gray and Robertson are both excellent cover corners which frees linebackers such as Morris (147 tackles, 16 for losses) and safeties to blitz more freely.

No one can ever accuse Edwards of pulling a Bill Bayno and loading up his non-conference schedule with cream puffs. The Cougars have one of the nation's toughest schedules with Washington, Virginia and Pac-10 sleeper Cal all visiting Provo.

"It's certainly the best home schedule since I've been here," Edwards said.

BYU visits Sam Boyd Stadium on Oct. 23.

This is the second in a seven-part series previewing the Mountain West Conference. Monday: Colorado State