Unga 'psyched' before, after big game

PROVO — Harvey Unga fought through a few hours of fitful sleep early Saturday morning, nervous about BYU's season opener against Arizona that afternoon.

"I had dream after dream after dream of this game," said the redshirt freshman running back, who peppered backfield mate and roommate Fui Vakapuna with questions until 1:30 a.m. and couldn't sleep after 5 o'clock.

Anxious about facing Arizona's touted defense, "I was psyching myself out," he admitted.

By Saturday afternoon, it was Unga giving Arizona nightmares, rushing for 67 yards and a touchdown and catching nine passes for 127 yards and another score in BYU's 20-7 victory.

Saluting his experienced offensive line — "I owe everything to them, the greatest line in the nation," he said — Unga said pregame chats with teammates put him back in a positive mindset.

"It brought a comfort to me. I felt somewhat invincible out there."

And he brought comfort to a Cougar backfield led debuting QB Max Hall, with 2006 starting back Manase Tonga suspended for the opener and fellow '06 starter Vakapuna playing tentative as he continues to mend.

Unga ended up accounting for 194 of BYU's 392 yards of total offense — results the Cougars were accustomed to seeing during fall camp.

"If you were to bring in our defensive players and asked if they were surprised, they would say 'no,"' said BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall.

"Harvey Unga is exceptional. He is very poised for a young player, and he is very skilled out of the backfield. He runs with both speed and power."

Unga hooked up with Hall for the Cougars' first score, taking a third-down pass on the left flat and juking past two Wildcats for a 27-yard touchdown reception in the opening quarter.

With BYU facing third-and-5 at its own 20 in the third, Unga snagged a pass over the middle and seemed to be stopped, only to roll over the would-be tackler, regain his feet and ramble for a 48-yard gain.

"That was a huge play on that third and long," said UA coach Mike Stoops. "We thought we had them stopped, and that kid made a nice effort staying alive."

Said Unga of the play similar to Vakapuna's pile-roll TD run at Colorado State last season: "I felt him rolling under me, my knees never hit the ground, I didn't hear a whistle, so I got up and did something."

Late in the fourth quarter, Unga added an 11-yard rushing TD.

Consider the prospects of a backfield featuring a young Unga, a restored Vakapuna and a reinstated Tonga. "That combination is going to be a nice supporting cast to Max, especially considering them as receivers outside," said Mendenhall, adding that while Unga's role may be diminished in future games, "he is anxious to play whatever role he is assigned."

Unga agreed. "Whatever coach throws at me, I'm going to take it and run with it."

Just like he did with the ball Saturday against Arizona.

---

E-mail: taylor@desnews.com