The way the BYU football staff has been scrambling to put together a defense this week, you'd think they weren't playing a team they'd beaten 10 times in a row.
Not that history means anything, to a team that has lost its last three games in devastating fashion."I know they (the Cougars) are licking their chops, figuring they've got somebody they can beat," said Utah State coach Charlie Weatherbie.
To the 4-3 Cougars, though, 2-5 Utah State might just as well be Fresno State. There are some similarities. The Aggies throw the ball well, throw more than they run, and even may have discovered a running game to complement all that passing.
And, the way the Cougars have played recently, it's likely that someone on the USU offense - if not the entire unit - will have a career day when the teams meet at Romney Stadium at noon.
"We need to keep working our way through our problems and find a way to get it done," said BYU coach LaVell Edwards.
As of midweek, BYU defensive coordinator Ken Schmidt had made several changes to try to get it done, specifically to compensate for the loss of outside linebackers Todd Herget (shoulder stinger) and Nathan Hall (heart problems).
Schmidt said he moved safety Frank Christianson to weakside linebacker and defensive end Travis Hall to strongside linebacker. Jack Damuni would then replace Christianson, with sophomore Matt Redden or Brian Hughes filling in for Hall.
Another player who might figure into the mix is linebacker Royal Chamberlain. A big (6-foot-4) junior, Chamberlain was listed as second string at strongside backer at the start of fall practice, but he's been hampered by neck problems incurred in an offseason car accident. Chamberlain practiced this week, and Schmidt expected him to be available.
Last week, the guys listed as backups at the outside linebacker positions were senior Ted Dawson and sophomore Dennis Simmons. Dawson saw extensive playing time against Fresno State and played decently; Simmons, who the Cougs are trying to convert from safety, wasn't strong enough to handle linebacker duties during the one series he was in against the Bulldogs.
Schmidt said the main motivation behind this week's changes is the conviction that they must put pressure on Aggie quarterback Anthony Calvillo.
"They throw probably 60 percent of the time," Schmidt said. "That's the thing we have to slow down."
BYU hasn't been too effective at slowing down passing attacks lately. They've totaled 13 quarterback sacks, spread out over nine players, and there are three WAC teams who have a pair of players that have accounted for that many.
Without that pressure up front, opposing quarterbacks have been able to pick apart a Cougar secondary that has been, well, vulnerable.
Surprisingly enough, the Cougs have been even more vulnerable to the run, giving up 254.1 yards per game (and 5.7 yards per carry), which ranks them 102nd in the nation.
On the other hand, the Aggies have had problems of their own when facing offenses similar to BYU's. Fresno State scored a 30-14 victory over Utah State in Fresno, and Nevada beat the Ags in a shootout, 48-44.
Statwise, these teams are amazingly similar across the board. The Cougs have averaged two yards more total offense per game than the Aggies. Both teams rank last in their conference in total defense. The big difference: BYU has been hurt more on the ground, USU more through the air.
This game has the potential to be a shootout, but Weatherbie hopes that doesn't happen. "We haven't won too many of those track meets lately," he said.
The game will be televised live on Channel 14.
GAME NOTES: If Calvillo were in the WAC and had the same pass efficiency, he'd rank 8th . . . Utah State's secondary has intercepted 13 passes; BYU has intercepted two.