Throughout the 2007 season BYU kickoffs were moments that made fans hold their breath. Even the team went in to games with moments of trepidations.

"I was on the kickoff team last year and we knew every time we had to make a play," said Cougar junior linebacker Matt Bauman.

During the entire year, a total of two of the 79 kicks turned into touchbacks -- a terrible ratio even with the kickoffs taking place from the 30-yard line.

Thus the arrival of super-footed freshman Justin Sorenson from Bingham High came as a great relief. The newcomer didn't take long to prove his worth to the team in Saturday afternoon's 41-17 victory over Northern Iowa, smashing his first two kicks deep into the end zone for touchbacks to tie last year's mark in less than a quarter of action.

By the end of the game, the freshman had made five of his seven kickoffs unreturnable while the two that were brought out landed five and three yards deep in the end zone.

"His worth was demonstrated today," said BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall. "Starting at the 20-yard line meant they had to go all the way down the field."

The defense couldn't have been more pleased to have the Panthers backed up time after time.

"It was awesome," Bauman said. "Our goal last year was to stop them before the 25. To get them at the 20 or inside of that is great for us."

But as positive as the kickoffs turned out to be -- the best field position Northern Iowa got from a return was the 24-yard line -- the special teams had a dark cloud as well.

Sophomore kicker Mitch Payne had an extra point blocked, a couple of punts were misjudged and the team committed a couple of penalties.

Perhaps no one embodied the special teams performance more than freshman returner O'Neill Chambers.

He had a couple of nice returns where he displayed his athleticism but he also made some questionable choices including fair-catching a punt at his own 5-yard line, a play that set up a fumble for a touchdown for Northern Iowa a few plays later.

"We saw some explosiveness but also some volatility," Mendenhall said. "But I think the special teams play was indicative of our entire performance. We had good plays and mistakes but we did enough to win the game."

• Fui grades out: BYU senior running back Fui Vakapuna and his exuberant play was sidelined due to some academic issues.

Mendenhall said that the senior had taken some extra time to finish some summer courses and thus wasn't academically eligible until Friday afternoon.

"Playing a game at LaVell Edwards Stadium is a privilege and we have a policy that players need to have done everything else right to earn that," the Cougar coach said. "Since he wasn't eligible until Friday, he didn't practice and I have a policy that if you don't practice, you don't play."

Mendenhall said he was looking forward to having Vakapuna available next week at Washington.

• Flag honors double: For the past few years, Cougar players have been honored by their teammates by being elected to carry the flag and lead the team onto the field.

In Saturday's opener, astute fans probably noted that not one but two flags came out of the tunnel as the players entered the field, one moving more slowly than the other carried by BYU coaching legend LaVell Edwards and his son Jimmy.

Mendenhall explained that the idea was generated last year on Alumni Day.

"I didn't think we were doing enough to honor former players," he explained. "All of the former players signed the flag and then we left it up to them who would carry it onto the field. They selected Coach Edwards and it was great to have him and his son here."

The man who the stadium is named after jogged on the field carrying the first flag with his son before BYU senior David Tafuna carried out the other flag as the players streamed onto the field behind him.

"I don't know if the crowd noticed Coach Edwards but it's not really for them," Mendenhall said. "This was for us and the players."

• Panther bag of tricks comes up big: With the Cougar defense doing a good job keeping the visitors from moving the football, UNI turned to its gadget plays to get things going.

"We pretty much knew that would be open because we watched film on them and another team ran the same play and the guy was wide open," said Panther freshman wide receiver Josh Collins. "Vic (Williams) has a good arm so he just threw it. I caught it and took off."

That play turned out to be the only offensive touchdown of the game for Northern Iowa.

• Notes: Seven Cougar true freshmen saw action in the contest: Chambers, Sorenson, Shiloah Te'o, Mike Alisa, Daniel Sorenson, Iona Pritchard and Jerry Bruner. Nine redshirt freshmen participated in the game ... BYU kicked off to start the game ... The announced attendance was a sellout at 64,108 but a number of seats in the center of the east stands were vacant ... BYU redshirt freshman running back Bryan Kariya rushed for his first career touchdown as a Cougar on a 14-yard run in the fourth quarter that capped the scoring for the contest ... BYU captains were quarterback Max Hall, guard Travis Bright, linebacker David Nixon and defensive end Jan Jorgensen ... Game-time temperature was 93 degrees.

• Jared Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.