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BYU (9-2) at San Diego State
(4-7)
6:30 p.m.
Why
to Watch:
Even though the Cougars have
already clinched the Mountain
West title, they have a chance
to be the fifth team in the
league’s nine-year history to
post a perfect conference mark.
BYU has won eight straight and
is climbing in the rankings, and
a win could put them into the
top 15, heading into the bowl
season. San Diego State,
meanwhile, is hoping to win its
fifth straight Senior Day game
and is hoping the Cougars have a
letdown after their big win over
Utah last week.
Why
BYU Might Win:
The Cougars are bringing an
offense to San Diego that has
blossomed of late into a diverse
attack that doesn’t just rely on
the pass. Harvey Unga’s 141
yards rushing last week against
the Utes proved that. Unga has
1,050 yards on the year and is
the first BYU freshman to top
1,000 yards in a season. Not
that QB Max Hall is an
afterthought. He still threw for
269 yards against the Utes.
Expect the stout BYU rush
defense, ranked ninth
nationally, to stifle the shaky
Aztec attack, while Cougar pass
stoppers, led by sackmaster Jan
Jorgensen (two last week) go
after SDSU quarterback Kevin
O’Connell.
Why
San Diego State Might Win:
Yes, BYU wants to finish the MWC
campaign perfectly, but last
week’s emotional win over the
Cougs’ biggest rival may have
taken the team’s eye off the
ball. If that happens, O’Connell
could go nuts, as he did in last
week’s loss to TCU, when he ran
for 58 yards and a score and
threw for 366 yards and two
touchdowns. The senior will be
playing in his last game of the
year with a shot at 3,000 yards
passing (he has 2,775). He’ll
look primarily for big-play
wideout Brett Swain. The Aztec
defense has been generous
throughout the year, but not
through any fault of junior
linebacker Russell Allen, who
has 110 tackles.
Who
to Watch:
Through the first seven games of
the year, sophomore Austin
Collie had caught just 22 passes
and had been inconsistent
getting down the field. All of
that has changed over the last
four games, when Collie has
pulled in 25 balls, posted four
straight 100-yard games and
averaged 18.0 yards per
reception. Although Collie
missed the past two years on his
mission, his success could have
been predicted, since he caught
53 passes and scored eight times
in 2004 and was named MWC
Freshman of the Year.
What Will Happen: The Cougars may have a letdown, but it won’t be enough to fall into the
Aztecs’ trap.
CFN
Prediction:
BYU 33 …
San
Diego State
17 … Line: BYU -15
Must See Rating: (5
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