Brigham Young Holds Off Washington, Heisman Hopeful Jake Locker

Jake Locker has received plenty of attention for his on-field ability this past offseason, being hyped as a Heisman Trophy candidate in every circle. He opened the 2010 season with a good game in Provo, Utah as his Washington Huskies visited soon-to-be independent Brigham Young.

Locker's final stat-line -- 20-of-38 for 278 yards and a touchdown, in addition to 31 rushing yards and a touchdown -- was certainly not bad, but it wasn't good enough as the BYU Cougars prevailed, 23-17.

A well-rounded team effort from the Cougars was enough, with junior running back JJ Di Luigi stepping into the role of playmaker now that Harvey Unga has left campus. Di Luigi rushed for 68 yards on just 13 attempts, while also catching four passes for 83 yards -- including the eventual game-winning 48-yard touchdown reception. On that particular play, Di Luigi went straight through the middle of the Washington zone defense and was unnoticed by all 11 Huskies defenders until it was too late. There was still 4:23 left in the third quarter after the ensuing extra point, but there would not be another point scored.

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A two-headed monster did the work for BYU at quarterback, as Riley Nelson (11-of-17, 132 yards, two TD, 39 yards rushing) and Jake Heaps (13-of-24, 132 yards) ran the offense well.

A final interesting tidbit from this well-played game: the discipline of each team was off the charts for an opening game, as there were no turnovers and just 10 total penalties.

Washington will look to get on track next week when it hosts Syracuse.

BYU will attempt to continue its winning ways in a visit to Mountain West foe Air Force.