Coming into the week, BYU was looking to start fast and execute its game plan efficiently. Although this game against Utah State is a rivalry, the Aggies have had a very rocky start to the year and the Cougars wanted to take advantage. This was a chance for them to figure out some issues that have arisen at the line of scrimmage. Stopping the run has been an issue on the defensive side while establishing a rushing attack has been the offense’s problem. The rushing game did show some life in the second half against Wyoming with running back Miles Davis; could he be the answer to the running game struggles?
Could BYU piece together a dominating performance against an Aggie team that has been very disappointing this season?
No. 19 BYU vs. Utah State: Preview, predictions and betting lines
First half
The whole first half of play was not what the Cougars or their fans wanted to see. Utah State was able to expose the apparent run defense problems that BYU is having. The Aggies were able to run the ball very successfully in the first half while the Cougars went backward in their rushing attack, having -21 yards on the ground in the half.
This is the exact opposite of what BYU wanted to happen in this game. Utah State was the team that started fast in this one, scoring a touchdown on their first drive of the game. Quarterback Cooper Legas ran in the touchdown from 7 yards out after a 12-play drive where the Aggies gashed the Cougars on the ground.
BYU would answer, however, scoring quickly on a two-play drive. Jaren Hall found Keanu Hill for a 31-yard touchdown strike through the air. On the following Utah State drive, Cooper Legas threw an interception to Max Tooley who ran the ball back to the end zone from 34 yards out for a touchdown.
At this point, it felt like BYU had stolen the momentum that the Aggies gained from their first drive touchdown. This would not be the case, however, as the Utah State defense would step up and stop the BYU offense on back-to-back drives. The Aggies then tacked on a field goal from kicker Connor Coles who hit from 50 yards out.
Now trailing 14-10, Utah State’s defense would force a three-and-out and give the ball back to their offense. The Aggie offense would do their job tacking on another touchdown, this one a throw from Legas to Brian Cobbs from 14 yards out. The Aggies were shocking the Cougars, now leading by three points.
The following drive for BYU would result in a 45-yard field goal made by Jake Oldroyd, knotting the score at 17. The Cougars and their fans were not happy about their performance in the first half. They started slow again for the third straight week in what was supposed to be a point of emphasis in this game. BYU needed to come out with a big second half to escape this one with a win.
Week 4 Bowl Projections: Where will the Cougars, Utes, and Aggies go?
Second half
The Cougars played with much more urgency in the second half of play. After rushing for negative yards in the first half, BYU was able to establish a running game. They did so in a similar fashion to last week’s game against Wyoming, turning to running back Miles Davis. Davis did not have as many yards in this game as last week – totaling 39 yards – but he helped the momentum turn in BYU’s favor. This would also spring back Christopher Brooks into having a good game, adding 90 yards and a touchdown.
The first drive of the second half set the tone for the Cougars, as Jaren Hall found tight end Ethan Erickson from 14 yards out for the touchdown. Utah State would continue to show fight as they would add a 33-yard field goal from Connor Coles on their next drive.
BYU’s offense would not get discouraged as they went back out on the field and scored another touchdown. This one was an 8-yard reception by Kody Epps from Jaren Hall. This would put the Cougars up 31-20 midway through the third quarter. The defense would then force a punt from the Aggies but could not capitalize on their ensuing offensive drive as they missed a field goal attempt. Jake Oldroyd missed from 33 yards out, and he continues to struggle and there are now some serious questions at the kicker position.
The next offensive drive from BYU, however, would result in another touchdown. This touchdown came from a Chris Brooks rush from 18 yards out. The Cougars now held a comfortable 38-20 lead with around 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Utah State would add on a late touchdown pass from Legas to Cobbs, with Cobbs recording his second touchdown on the night. After a failed two-point conversion from the Aggies, the final score ended 38-26 in favor of the Cougars.
Key takeaways
The bad
My takeaways from this game are very similar to the ones I made last week. BYU is having a hard time starting the game strong right now, and they will need to get that figured out as they will face Notre Dame next week.
The line of scrimmage continues to be an area of major concern as the Cougars have been dominated physically through much of the last three games. This was supposed to be a strong suit of this team going into this season but that has been proven false at least to this point. With the next two games looking to be very difficult, they will need to be more physical and impose their will on both the offensive and defensive lines to win.
Another major issue still is the penalties that BYU is committing, this week they picked up 10 for 81 yards. That will need to be fixed going forward. This was mentioned previously, but the kicker position also needs to be assessed. Jake Oldroyd has been a very good kicker for BYU over the years but he seems to have lost his confidence and has missed too many field goals now. For this team to win the big games they have upcoming, they will need a reliable kicker to add some needed points onto the scoreboard.
The good
Jaren Hall continues to be the consistent bright spot for the team on a weekly basis. He has shown much composure throughout the year when his team is struggling and is showing his leadership skills.
Kody Epps has been another big highlight for the last few weeks and played very well against the Aggies and was critical to the second-half run the team made. Christopher Brooks was running more physically in this game and seemed to find the holes that the offensive line was creating for him, which is a good sign but it will need to continue. The team seemed to play with more passion during the second half, the level of physicality increased and the efficiency rose. BYU will need to find a way to start each game with this same level of passion instead of having to wait until after the halftime break to bring it out. Next week will be a tough test for the Cougars.
Even though Notre Dame has not had the start to the season they had hoped for, they are still a very talented team and will head into the game in Las Vegas looking to win. I am excited to see how BYU fairs against the Fighting Irish but they will need to start fast and avoid beating themselves. This team is experienced and has a lot of talent but it will be up to the coaches and leaders on the team to step up and help discipline this team.
Up next
BYU faces Notre Dame in a neutral site game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 8. The game will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MT and can be seen on NBC.
