With the matchup between Utah State and BYU just a day away, many publications have released their game previews, including Athlon Sports and Fansided's Saturday Blitz.
In his preview for Athlon Sports, Mitch Harper picked out three things to watch before giving his analysis and prediction.
One of those things to watch is BYU's quarterback situation, where he says, "The thought around Provo right now is that sophomore quarterback Beau Hoge will get his second start. Hoge showed off both his rocket of an arm and ability to run at times against the Badgers’ stiff defense. But ultimately, BYU was outclassed by a better Wisconsin squad."
He then talks about how the game is a rivalry before analyzing the game.
"When making preseason predictions in August, this game looked like an easy one on the slate for BYU. Now, with a 1-3 record this is a must-win and a toss-up at best," Harper wrote. "I expect BYU’s offense to improve this week against Utah State, but my question is how big of an improvement do the Cougars make?"
He then predicted that the Aggies would come away with a 28-17 win.
Zach Bigalke of Saturday Blitz also gave his prediction for the game, including some specifics that he sees happening on the field in Logan on Friday.
"Despite showing improvement in his mobility, Mangum is going to sit another game out as Hoge gets his second career start," wrote Bigalke. "The Aggies won’t be as tough as Wisconsin, but they will nevertheless make life difficult for the Cougars quarterback. Hoge will finish under 200 passing yards and have at least one interception and one strip-sack fumble."
He also predicts a Utah State win, 20-17.
Other links
- Nick Emery looking for a bounce-back season
- Utah moves up in S.I.'s power rankings
- BYU still ranked in the bottom 25
- Development is key for Utah Valley transfers
And finally...ESPN looked at the pleasant surprises for the college football teams ranked in the top 25, and the one for the Utah Utes is Darren Carrington.
Speaking of Utah's star receiver, Edward Aschoff wrote, "We knew that former Oregon receiver Darren Carrington was good, but the speed at which he has integrated himself into Utah's offense has been pretty impressive. Carrington arrived at Utah over the summer after being dismissed from Oregon, but he has already grabbed a team-high 30 catches for 485 yards and four touchdowns.