|
|
Liberty Bowl 1998
Tulane 41 BYU 27
|
|
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (CNN/SI) -- All year long, Tulane was just
considered a novelty. They just kept on winning games but playing a weak
schedule. By the end of the season, only national champions Tennessee
could share something with the Green Wave, a perfect season.
However, Tulane didn't do it under the national spotlight in the
Fiesta Bowl. In fact, it didn't even wait for the ball to drop in New
York's Times Sqaure to finish a perfect season. Michael Jordan returned
an interception 79 yards for a touchdown and Shaun King threw for two
TDs and ran for one as Tulane beat Brigham Young 41-27 in the Liberty
Bowl, clinching the Green Wave's best season ever at 12-0.
A Green Wave player held up a small sign with the words "NATIONAL
CHAMPS" after the game, and linebacker Brian Timmons couldn't agree
more.
"We're 12-0," Timmons said. "They can't take that away from us. We
feel in our hearts we are the true national champions."
Tulane came in as one of only two undefeated teams in Division I-A,
with Tennessee. But the Green Wave, with its Conference USA schedule,
wasn't part of the Bowl Championship Series. So the Green Wave had
something to prove, and got the chance against Brigham Young (9-5),
making its 22nd bowl appearance in 28 years.
King shredded a defense that ranked fifth nationally, going 23-of-38
for 276 yards and rushing 16 times for 109 yards as Tulane went one
better than an 11-1 record in 1931. It was the Green Wave's first bowl
victory since the 1970 Liberty Bowl, improving the school's bowl record
to 3-6.
"Hopefully, we answered some of our doubters," King said. "Any time
you go undefeated, you should be ranked in the top five."
BYU coach LaVell Edwards, whose Cougars wound up ranked fifth in 1996
despite a 14-1 record, refused to be drawn into talk of whether or not
Tulane deserves to be considered for the national title.
"The fact is they're undefeated, one of only two teams that have
accomplished that," he said. "It's no small task to go undefeated, and
they did it. You just have to give them credit."
New coach Chris Scelfo wound up a winner in his coaching debut in
place of Tommy Bowden, who left a month ago for Clemson. Scelfo handled
the game with help from five assistants, including offensive coordinator
Rich Rodriguez, who will join Bowden at Clemson.
Before Bowden's arrival in 1997, the Green Wave had won only 11 games
in five years and hadn't had a winning record in 16 years. Tulane
completed its miraculous turnaround without him.
Tulane's defense never let Brigham Young get on track with an offense
hampered by the loss of tailback Ronney Jenkins, expelled last week for
an honor code violation.
Edwards said he didn't know what caused his Cougars to play so Flat,
and that their 20-13 loss to Air Force in the Western Athletic
Conference title game may have taken too much out of them.
Tulane started slowly, and it looked like BYU would take advantage.
Kevin Feterik found Brian Horton in the left corner of the end zone for
an 11-yard TD on BYU's second possession. But a celebration penalty
backed the Cougars' Owen Pochman for a 35-yard extra point attempt that
was blocked.
The Cougars had a chance to add to the lead when Jordan put Tulane
ahead to stay near the end of the first quarter. He stepped in front of
Feterik's pass to Mike Rigell at the Tulane 21 and ran up the left
sideline, cutting back at the BYU 15 to score untouched on the 79-yard
return for a 10-3 lead. His return was the longest in Liberty Bowl
history, topping the 70-yarder by Mississippi's Robert Bailey in 1968.
"The touchdown off the intercepted pass was very huge," Edwards said.
"Up to that point, we were moving the ball well and doing some good
things."
Tulane finally got its offense going in the second quarter as King
keyed a six-play drive with a 47-yard pass to Kerwin Cook despite double
coverage. King scored three plays later on a 3-yard draw for a 17-6
lead. He also tossed TD passes of 60 yards to Cook and 13 yards to
Jamaican Dartez in the third quarter. Brad Palazzo added his second field goal of the half, a 23-yarder, just before halftime for a 20-6 lead. |
|
|
|
|
|
Shawn King took Tulane to 12-0. |
|
|
|
|
|
Feterik and BYU were stifled by the Wave defense. |
|
|
|
|
|
Kerwin Cook hauls in 47 yard pass. |
|
|
|
 |
|
Bowden coached the Wave to an undefeated season, but Scelfo won the Liberty Bowl. |
|
|
Attendance- 35,513 BYU- Horton 11 pass from Feterik
(kick failed) Second Quarter TU- King 3 run (Palazzo
kick) Third Quarter TU- Cook 60 pass from King
(Palazzo kick) Fourth Quarter BYU- Cupp 3 run (Pochman
kick)
Individual Statistics Rushing BYU- Mahe 16-70 Passing BYU- Feterik 27-44-267 TU- King 23-38-276
Receiving BYU- Horton 6-67, Sitake 5-77, Mahe 5-30, Cupp |
|
|
|
|
The Cougars scored on their second possession and had only 168 yards
offense through three quarters. They didn't get inside the Tulane 20
again until the fourth quarter, when they scored three times to close
the final margin. 
