Episode 46 – BYU Wins, Utah Rests, and the Jazz Split

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It was good to have Brigham Young University back on the field after their rescheduling bye. It was only the second home game for the Cougars since September 22^nd, and they hosted the bottom-dwelling Colorado State Rams. As predicted, suspected or hoped-for, BYU won by a large margin: 35-16. The Cougars are now undefeated in their past 12 conference games.

Max Hall saw a return to earlier excellence, which, according to Zach, was the second most important thing BYU had to accomplish this week (winning being the first, of course). The entire passing game was the most potent part of the Cougar offense, racking up 355 pass yards with two receivers going over 100 yards, and seven different receivers touching the ball. The running game was more subdued, perhaps by design, although five different players rushed for positive yards (the punter being one of them). The team rushed for around 100 yards total.

The defense looked good at times, like when they held CSU to one field goal for three first-half trips inside BYU’s 20 yard-line, but they were not impenetrable by any standard. The secondary was still a bit shaky, and if the Rams running backs could get beyond the defensive line, they usually picked up decent yardage. It is true that most of the scoring came against second string competition, but the level of effort from the first team may not have sufficed against a better team.

All in all, it was a good opportunity for BYU to get back on track for the concluding games of the season. They have a much more stringent test coming up Thursday, November 8^th against TCU, who is coming to Lavell Edwards Stadium following a 37-0 demolition of New Mexico. The short week for both teams should minimize the impact of strategic preparation, and the respective talent of each team will be exaggerated. Whether that translates to a BYU win will remain to be seen, although it should be a good opportunity to extend their streak.

Please check out the podcast for much more, including a preview of Utah vs. Wyoming, and some Utah Jazz Talk.

Our Top 3 in Utah for this week:

3. Jan Jorgensen

2. Deron Williams

1. Max Hall

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