Tweet
one of the few on byu
This is a premium analysis from Right Angle Sports: His plays are ranked 1 or 2 units
BYU (+22) at Boise State - 7:05pm Pacific (Friday)
I see value in this matchup. BYU is nowhere near as bad as the final scores of their last two games indicate. The Cougars beat Notre Dame in their season opener. In next game they led 10-0 at Stanford but then gave up a 99 yard kick off return and committed 7 turnovers in a 27 point loss. Second string QB Matt Berry started vs Stanford due to injury to starter John Beck but had to leave after just three plays with an injury. Third stringer Jason Beck (John's brother) got most of the action, but four QB's in all played. Last week BYU played #1 USC who is clearly a dominant college team right now. BYU actually scored first and held the Trojans scoreless until almost midway through the 2nd quarter. It was still a 21-10 game in the third quarter before USC reeled off 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter for a 42-10 win. BYU's -3 turnover ratio and lack of time of possession eventually wore the defense down but it was still a good showing in my book. BYU starting QB John Beck was able to start and finish a game for the first time all season. After a great start he suffered a shoulder injury vs Notre Dame and only played sparingly vs Stanford. He should continue to improve with more playing time and especially not facing a defense like USC's. The Cougars have many weapons on offense. WR Todd Watkins has played as advertised and has already caught 2 passes for 50 yards or more in his first three games. He is expected to see the ball more this week and BSU, like most teams, does not have an answer for him. The BYU running game has struggled mightily to start the season but the offensive line holds a 51 pound per man advantage on the Boise defensive line and they are eager to things on track. Defensively, coordinator Bronco Mendenhall knows the BSU system well. In last years loss, BYU held Boise to only 180 total yards through the first three quarters before the wheels came off. The unconventional 3-3-5 set may give inexperienced Boise QB some fits.
I am still not convinced that Boise is the same type of team they were last season. The Bronco's lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They beat up on a horrible Idaho team to start the season and then blew past a deflated Oregon State team after falling behind 14-0. The Beavers were drained coming off heartbreaking road loss at LSU and playing on a short week. Trailing 14-3, BSU used a 46 yard interception return for a TD to get back into the game and change all momentum. Last week, Boise (-28) trailed lowly UTEP for the better part of three quarters before finally taking control late. Sophomore QB Jared Zambrasky has been solid in his first three starts but appears prone to interceptions. He has thrown at least one in each game thus far, including two vs UTEP in last game, and had a least a few other throws that could have easily been picked off. BSU has still only played one quality opponent, and even that game has to have an asterisk next to it considering Oregon State's situation. This BYU defense will probably be BSU's stiffest test of the season thus far. Especially considering that the 3-3-5 set BYU runs can give young QB's nightmares. BSU three opponents thus far are a combined 1-7 vs I-A teams this year. BYU's three opponents this far are a combined 7-1.
Boise embarrassed BYU last year in Provo, winning 52-10. Believe it or not, Boise gained just 52 more yards than the Cougars but benefited from two bad punt snaps and an interception runback. The BYU QB situation was a mess that day as they had to play four different QB's due to injuries and finished the game with 4 interceptions total. While most people are expecting a similar result this year, I see BYU playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain. The Cougars have a real opportunity to turn their season around and all reports indicate they are confident and very much looking forward to this game. Expect the BYU defense to come up big and slow the Boise offense down somewhat. The BYU offense has many favorable matchups and will score enough points to keep them well within this big number.
BYU 1 UNIT
This is a premium analysis from Right Angle Sports: His plays are ranked 1 or 2 units
BYU (+22) at Boise State - 7:05pm Pacific (Friday)
I see value in this matchup. BYU is nowhere near as bad as the final scores of their last two games indicate. The Cougars beat Notre Dame in their season opener. In next game they led 10-0 at Stanford but then gave up a 99 yard kick off return and committed 7 turnovers in a 27 point loss. Second string QB Matt Berry started vs Stanford due to injury to starter John Beck but had to leave after just three plays with an injury. Third stringer Jason Beck (John's brother) got most of the action, but four QB's in all played. Last week BYU played #1 USC who is clearly a dominant college team right now. BYU actually scored first and held the Trojans scoreless until almost midway through the 2nd quarter. It was still a 21-10 game in the third quarter before USC reeled off 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter for a 42-10 win. BYU's -3 turnover ratio and lack of time of possession eventually wore the defense down but it was still a good showing in my book. BYU starting QB John Beck was able to start and finish a game for the first time all season. After a great start he suffered a shoulder injury vs Notre Dame and only played sparingly vs Stanford. He should continue to improve with more playing time and especially not facing a defense like USC's. The Cougars have many weapons on offense. WR Todd Watkins has played as advertised and has already caught 2 passes for 50 yards or more in his first three games. He is expected to see the ball more this week and BSU, like most teams, does not have an answer for him. The BYU running game has struggled mightily to start the season but the offensive line holds a 51 pound per man advantage on the Boise defensive line and they are eager to things on track. Defensively, coordinator Bronco Mendenhall knows the BSU system well. In last years loss, BYU held Boise to only 180 total yards through the first three quarters before the wheels came off. The unconventional 3-3-5 set may give inexperienced Boise QB some fits.
I am still not convinced that Boise is the same type of team they were last season. The Bronco's lost a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. They beat up on a horrible Idaho team to start the season and then blew past a deflated Oregon State team after falling behind 14-0. The Beavers were drained coming off heartbreaking road loss at LSU and playing on a short week. Trailing 14-3, BSU used a 46 yard interception return for a TD to get back into the game and change all momentum. Last week, Boise (-28) trailed lowly UTEP for the better part of three quarters before finally taking control late. Sophomore QB Jared Zambrasky has been solid in his first three starts but appears prone to interceptions. He has thrown at least one in each game thus far, including two vs UTEP in last game, and had a least a few other throws that could have easily been picked off. BSU has still only played one quality opponent, and even that game has to have an asterisk next to it considering Oregon State's situation. This BYU defense will probably be BSU's stiffest test of the season thus far. Especially considering that the 3-3-5 set BYU runs can give young QB's nightmares. BSU three opponents thus far are a combined 1-7 vs I-A teams this year. BYU's three opponents this far are a combined 7-1.
Boise embarrassed BYU last year in Provo, winning 52-10. Believe it or not, Boise gained just 52 more yards than the Cougars but benefited from two bad punt snaps and an interception runback. The BYU QB situation was a mess that day as they had to play four different QB's due to injuries and finished the game with 4 interceptions total. While most people are expecting a similar result this year, I see BYU playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain. The Cougars have a real opportunity to turn their season around and all reports indicate they are confident and very much looking forward to this game. Expect the BYU defense to come up big and slow the Boise offense down somewhat. The BYU offense has many favorable matchups and will score enough points to keep them well within this big number.
BYU 1 UNIT
Comment