The status of one of college football’s most dynamic players remains a mystery for Friday night’s battle in Provo between Utah State and BYU. The Aggies are likely to go with Darrell Garretson again this week while Chuckie Keeton recovers from his latest injury setback. The Cougars planned for both quarterbacks with their additional prep time. Utah State lost at Arkansas State in their last week, so they’re certainly eager to get back on the field and bounce back from a rather stunning defeat.
Utah State vs. BYU College Football Preview
Date/Time: Friday October 3, 10:15 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
College Football Betting Odds from WagerWeb
College Football Betting Favorite: BYU -20
Total: 51.5
Matt Wells is finding out the hard way about life as a college football coach in year two. The Aggies are 0-4 against the spread and Wells is just 1-5 ATS as an underdog. Bronco Mendenhall is up to 65-51-1 against the number and clearly has a lot more head coaching experience than his counterpart in this matchup. BYU is in no danger of losing here, which will push their straight up home record to 49-9 under Mendenhall, but they are just 27-21 ATS as home chalk.
Utah State Aggies:
Neither Darrell Garretson nor Chuckie Keeton has put up impressive stat lines this season. Between the two, they have a 57.4 percent completion rate with a 5/6 TD/INT ratio. The team lost its top two receivers from last season and starting running back Joey DeMartino and the offense has suffered as a result of a perfect storm of losses. Not only that, but only one starter on the offensive line returned. With a scuffling offense, the defense has played admirably, but Tennessee, Wake Forest, Idaho State, and Arkansas State are hardly going to light up the scoreboard. A lot of sophomores and Wells recruits are getting their first taste of substantial playing time this season and it has shown in the results. Keeton was hurt in the first quarter of this game last season, a 31-14 Utah State loss, in a game that saw the Aggies laying six points.
BYU Cougars:
Brigham Young University has seen its share of great players and Taysom Hill is putting himself up with some tremendous company. Between throwing and running, Hill has accounted for 1,304 yards and 13 touchdowns to date this season and the Cougars are 4-0. Jamaal Williams has run for nearly 100 yards per game since serving a one-game suspension for an Honor Code violation and UTEP transfer Jordan Leslie leads the team with 19 catches for 227 yards. The Cougars have not played at full strength yet due to injuries and suspensions on offense, yet they have scored 37.5 points per game and have an average margin of victory of 18.8 points per game. The defense has shown some weaknesses over the last two weeks with 58 points allowed to Houston and Virginia, but the extra time off has allowed Mendenhall and his staff a chance to correct some of those issues.
Free Pick: BYU -20
The Aggies were favored in this game last season and the two teams are apparently in vastly different places this season. Utah State lost a lot from last season’s team, specifically in the trenches with just three of their eight starting linemen back. Against a physical team like BYU, weakness in the trenches is a death sentence and the Aggies are going to be severely outmanned at the line of scrimmage. The Cougars should be able to name their score regardless of which QB plays for the Aggies.
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