No. 13 BYU (4-0) at Utah State (3-1)
- Kickoff: Friday, 7 p.m. MDT
- Venue: Maverik Stadium (25,100 capacity)
- TV: CBS Sports Network
- Livestream: CBSSports.com
- Radio: KSL 1160 AM, KZNS 1280 AM/97.5 FM
- Series: BYU leads the all-time series 49-37-3 and won the last meeting in 2019, though Utah State won back-to-back games in 2017 and 2018.
- Weather: Partly cloudy with temperatures in the mid 60s at kickoff.
THE TRENDS
For BYU: The Cougars have a top 15 ranking at stake and enter the USU game with a 4-0 record for just the sixth time in history, per CougarStats. BYU went 4-1 in those previous meetings. The Cougars are playing their first Friday game of the season and have won their past four games played on Friday.
For Utah State: The Aggies lost their first game last week, when Boise State overwhelmed them in Logan. The Aggies are hosting the Cougars for the second straight time — the 2020 game between the two schools, scheduled to be played in Provo, was canceled due to the pandemic.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The Aggies’ offense carried them to three wins to start the season, utilizing a blend of up-tempo attack, big plays and a solid rush attack to beat Washington State, North Dakota and Air Force while averaging 41 points per game. Utah State’s offense stumbled last week, though, particularly in the red zone. The Aggies couldn’t turn yards into points against Boise State, and the Broncos capitalized on those mistakes.

BYU’s defense is coming off a rough outing as well. While the Cougars edged South Florida, the Bulls’ offense scored three second-half touchdowns and kept the BYU defense on the field much of the final 30 minutes. This came after the Cougars didn’t allow more than 17 points to any of their first three opponents, all from the Pac-12.
Both the Utah State offense and BYU defense will be looking for a bit of redemption this week in one of the key matchups of the night.

KEY PLAYER
Jaren Hall, QB, BYU: Hall started at quarterback for BYU the last time these two teams played, in 2019, and completed 12 of 16 passes for 214 yards while rushing for 54 yards and two touchdowns before leaving at halftime with a concussion in the Cougars’ eventual 42-14 win. Hall missed last week’s game because of injury but could be back against the Aggies. If he can’t go again, BYU would turn to Baylor Romney, who threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns in the win over South Florida.
QUOTABLE
“That Wagon Wheel is heavy. We are just going to go out and play the game. I want my guys to be more focused on playing the game, rather than what trophy we could get after.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake
“They present a million problems — clearly the best built football team we have played. It will just ramp it up another notch this week.” — Utah State coach Blake Anderson
NEXT UP
The Cougars host Boise State in an afternoon kick on Oct. 9. The Aggies have a bye.
BYU SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 — BYU 24, Arizona 16
Sept. 11 — BYU 26, Utah 17
Sept. 18 — BYU 27, Arizona State 17
Sept. 25 — BYU 35, USF 27
Oct. 1 — at Utah State (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Oct. 9 — vs. Boise State (1:30 p.m., ABC or ESPN)
Oct. 16 — at Baylor
Oct. 23 — at Washington State
Oct. 30 — vs. Virginia
Nov. 6 — vs. Idaho State (1 p.m., BYUtv)
Nov. 13 — BYE
Nov. 20 — at Georgia Southern (2 p.m., TV TBD)
Nov. 27 — at USC
All times MT
UTAH STATE SCHEDULE
Sept. 4 — Utah State 26, Washington State 23
Sept. 10 — Utah State 48, North Dakota 24
Sept. 18 — Utah State 49, Air Force 45
Sept. 25 — Boise State 27, Utah State 3
Oct. 1 — BYU (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Oct. 9 — BYE
Oct. 16 — at UNLV (5 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Oct. 22 — Colorado State (7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Oct. 30 — Hawaii (1 p.m., Spectrum Sports)
Nov. 6 — at New Mexico State
Nov. 13 — at San Jose State (TBD, Fox Sports)
Nov. 20 — Wyoming (6 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Nov. 26 — at New Mexico (11 a.m., FS1)
All times MT