As the game closes in, I have been thinking a lot about how BYU needs to play in order to come out of Rice Eccles with a win.  After watching film I am sure a win is possible as long as a few aspects of the game swing in our favor.

I have looked at every statistical category from TFLs allowed to Time of Possession to Punting and it all adds up to one very exciting, and very close game.  On paper the difference between BYU and Utah comes down to the decimal point, almost all the way across the board.  So what are the factors that will put BYU over Utah on the field?  I think this game is going to come down to 3 things, all controlled by the big boys in the trenches.

Watching the Air Force defense is like seeing a reflection of BYU’s defense. They are very similar in scheme, size and effort. Well, our defense might have a slight size and speed advantage.
They run a 3-4 with an outside linebacker putting his hand down every once in a while. They run a lot of twist stunts up front and blitz linebackers and safeties in key situations. Their pass rush, like ours, is most efficient if the DB’s provide adequate coverage to allow the lineman time to get a sack.  Besides Jake …

A lot has been posted this week about Air Force’s offense.  BYU will need to defend a good option offense while still recognizing the play action.  Their option style has changed since freshman Tim Jefferson has taken the reins. He has the ability to stretch the field and make sound decisions with the ball despite his inexperience.
Schematically the offense takes on some different dimensions with Jefferson in the game. He isn’t the tough runner that Carney was, but he instead excels when he is in open space or on the …

Due to injuries and early heart wrenching losses SDSU is very light up the middle. They have good sideline-to-sideline speed but have a hard time standing toe to toe with their opponents in the trenches. After some bad losses in recent weeks this SDSU team is coming into Provo with desperation in their eyes. If our offense or defense comes out and lays an egg on their first series it could end up being a long day. BYU instead must comes out and blast SDSU straight in the chest, they …

With the SDSU offense there are a few things that concern me and a few things give me a lot of hope. Let’s start with what concerns me. They have enough athletic ability to take a simple run or pass play and break it loose for a big gain. They also use the spread formation a lot because they have the speed and ability at the WR position.
Know that the bad news is out of the way here is the good news. Their offensive play calling always comes back to …

The Colorado State defense has been about as consistent as a defense could be, especially in limiting offense’s big play. They use well-schemed pressures and athletes in different positions in order to create mismatches. Sometimes their scheming works and sometimes it hurts them. Early this season the defense had to play a lot of snaps and learned quickly that if they don’t give up the big plays their team will have late opportunities to win the game. They are also a “bend, not break” type of defense.
Scheme:

I am going to be honest, whoever is Coaching the offense needs to spend a little time with the defensive side of the ball. It is no wonder that the previous UNVL games have been close -with the exception of the Utah game. In the three games that I watched I didn’t see one player or play stand out for positive reason. I don’t want to be all negative because they did beat Arizona State, but if ASU’s linemen were auditioning for the clown circus that night and well….they got …

UNLV is a much-improved team under the 4th year of Coach Sanford. Their execution has improved year to year and they are playing a lot harder.  Just a couple of years ago this team lacked the heart necessary to win close games. This year they have demonstrated both the play making ability and the desire needed to improve upon their previous years records.
Coach Sanford’s team does a lot of things that could potentially give our Cougars some problems.

AP Photo/Donna McWilliam

Well our defense better get ready to tighten their helmet straps and play the run. It isn’t that their offense is extremely diverse or even high powered, but their defense puts them in good situations and gives them the ability to stick to their run, run, run game plan. (Warning!! This post is not for the faint of heart. Are you fully invested?…..OK read on.)
Offensive Scheme:
They run a lot out of the spread formations. They run a lot of ride option plays and often align in an …

After watching the film I still believe that New Mexico was a great game to have prior to the TCU game. The defenses are similar and our offense will have realized they need to prepare better for blitzes and man to man pressure.
The TCU defense plays a manipulated 4-3, but instead of using a true defensive end, they use a smaller and faster player who can get a quick speed rush off the edge. They also use their strong safeties as both a strategic outside linebacker and a “rover” safety. …

As you gather with friends this evening and begin to talk about what BYU has to do to win, I hope you have 1. read my scouting reports 2. read the first look at TCU and 3. become familiar with the next few paragraphs.
This game is almost the perfect pre-TCU game BYU could have scheduled. In watching the film I have seen a lot of similarities between the teams and I think having UNM this week and a short week to prepare for TCU won’t be bad. Here are my …