Aggie football takes on BYU, No. 5 defense
When Utah State takes LaVell Edwards Field at Cougar Stadium, the Aggies will be looking for revenge from last season’s 27-24 loss to BYU in Provo.
Utah State head coach Gary Andersen said both teams are pretty good and the matchup should be good.
“Our kids will be excited about the opportunity to go and play,” he said. “I think we’ve played the last couple of years to put this game into a rivalry game. It’s not just an in-state game anymore and our kids are excited about the opportunity.”
The Cougars are coming off of a 47-0 shellacking of Hawaii at home. Bronco Mendenhall’s team lost the week before to Utah on a missed field goal.
Utah State safety and former BYU track star McKade Brady said USU needs to execute the game plan to have a good chance to win.
“It’s a tough place to play in,” Brady said. “Whenever you go down to Provo, they have really good fans and it’s loud. They do great job. They’re a physical team, they’re big. It’s going to be a hard game to win, but I think coaches always do a good job of putting us in a position to win the game, as long as we execute the game plan.”
Brigham Young has the nation’s fifth-best defense, although the Cougars – like the Aggies – have not faced a top-tier offense this season.
BYU has outscored opponents 149-50 this season and sits at a 3-2 record. The Cougars are undefeated at home.
Senior wide receiver Chuck Jacobs, who has 17 catches for three touchdowns this season, said the Aggies just need to execute their game plan to get the win.
“They have playmakers out there on the defensive side of the ball, so it is just like going against us and our defense,” Jacobs said. “We have a lot of playmakers out there as well. If we continue on working hard anything can happen.”
Offensively, the Cougars are led in part by freshman running back Jamaal Williams, who has three touchdowns and 238 yards. Backup quarterback Taysom Hill has seven total touchdowns.
BYU quarterback Riley Nelson is listed at the top of the depth chart, but due to an injury sustained against Weber State earlier this season – and Hill’s superior stats – the freshman may get the nod.
Brady said one key to the game was not dropping coverage when the BYU quarterback scrambles, whichever one it may be.
“He does a great job of keeping things alive with his feet,” Brady said of Nelson. “Keeping the run bottled up, they’ve been running the ball really well, especially in this last game.”
Friday may be the last time the two teams meet in the foreseeable future, as the current 2-for-1 deal is in its last year.
BYU leads the all-time series 44-34-3, but Utah State won two years ago in Logan and the Cougars won by only three last season.
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @Stuckiaggies