Can No. 13 BYU keep it rolling? Will Isaac Wilson become a catalyst for Utah’s home-stretch turnaround? Does Utah State have a chance to slow down Bronco Mendenhall’s New Mexico offense in Logan?
Those burning questions will be answered before Sunday.
Mike Gundy is known for getting his Cowboys going late in the season after poor starts.
Is Provo the place to get his first league win?
Unlikely, since BYU (6-0, 3-0) has proven tough in night games at home. Gundy will likely be starting a different quarterback this week and his defense, which will be without two starters, has struggled to stop the run.
On the other hand, OSU’s Ollie Gordon II is the defending Doak Walker Award winner and, while he’s struggled to match last year’s form, he’s a dangerous back who must draw BYU’s attention.
Meanwhile, BYU’s defense is one of 15 teams in the country that has held opponents to under their season averages in yards per play. This game will feature two teams that are almost tied in national rankings in total offense, with OSU ranked 71st and BYU 72nd.
The difference, then, is defense. BYU ranks 24th in total defense with the No 1 pass efficiency defense and OSU is 129th in total defense. OSU is rumored to bench starting QB Alan Bowman for Garret Rangel.
Don’t know if changing QBs in Provo against Jay Hill works. We’ll find out, although OSU has had two weeks to zero in on the Cougars. Gundy is good at this.
In a strange football complexity, Kalani Sitake’s Cougars are winning games with the third-worst offense in the Big 12. They do so by making big defensive and special teams plays, gaining turnovers and delivering short fields to the offense. It’s become a trademark of sorts.
BYU’s defense has had great moments, but Sitake says they need to shore things up. Defense, however, is the reason the Cougars should win this key league matchup.
At Utah (4-2, 1-2), Wilson doesn’t need to put the Utes on his shoulders, but it would help if he avoids turnovers and manages the offense acutely and productively in the absence of Cam Rising. QBs, fair or not, are monumental instruments in how teams fare.
Is he capable? Yes. He’s talented and good enough. He needs confidence and TCU (3-3, 1-2) just might be the game to help him and his mates get past a two-game skid.
Wilson will face the nation’s No. 8 pass defense, and that poses a big challenge. He’ll need to get running back Micah Bernard (6.6 yards per carry) to help create balance.
In watching Cam Rising struggle against ASU, one wonders if a healthy Wilson could have rallied the Utes with some big completions to keep drives alive. Would he have avoided throwing three picks? That’s a guess, but he would have had a more stable foundation to launch passes and get some mustard on the ball.
Utah must be more efficient in the red zone, where everyone believed preseason the Utes would take care of business with talented tight ends and Bernard. But as it stands, Utah is averaging 26.9 points in Big 12 games while TCU averages 35.3. The Horned Frog’s will face the toughest defense so far in Utah, ranked just behind Iowa State and BYU in total defense.
One of the biggest reason’s Utah is favored is because TCU lost to Houston, one of the lower-tiered teams in the Big 12, 30-19.
In Logan, the Aggies have a formidable task in stopping New Mexico’s offense, which ranks 24th nationally and averages 35 points a game.
Defensively, the Lobos can be taken advantage of, but in a shootout, UNM holds an advantage with an explosive and balanced attack and dangerous quarterback. USU is ranked 131st in the country in scoring defense, allowing 42.8 points a game. UNM could drop 50 on the Aggies.
This week’s picks
- Oregon 41, Purdue 17
- BYU 28, Oklahoma State 24
- Nevada 28, Fresno State 21
- Miami 33, Louisville 28
- Cincinnati 28, Arizona State 21
- Kansas 21, Houston 17
- Texas Tech 37, Baylor 28
- Iowa State 34, UCF 21
- Kansas State 28, West Virginia 24
- Utah 21, TCU 17
- New Mexico 42, Utah State 24
- San Jose State 24, Wyoming 21
- Colorado State 27, Air Force 24
- UNVL 37, Oregon State 31
- Army 42, East Carolina 24
- Rutgers 24, UCLA 21
- Alabama 28, Tennessee 24
- Michigan 24, Illinois 21
Last week 11-4; 89-27 overall (.767)