CSU Game is Pivotal for BYU

A BYU victory this weekend against Colorado State in Fort Collins would go a long way towards the Cougars securing a bowl bid.

At 4-5 the Cougars have three remaining games to get the two additional wins needed to reach bowl eligibility.

Given BYU’s sudden improvement on the offensive end in their 55-7 shellacking of UNLV, the Cougars would appear to be a lock at home in two weeks against a New Mexico team that was blown out by the Rebels 45-10 earlier this season.

And although TCU made Utah look like the most overrated team in America on Saturday, the Cougars certainly don’t want to venture into Rice-Eccles with bowl eligibility riding on the outcome of that game.

Hence this contest against Colorado State on Saturday becomes the biggest game of the season for BYU.

It’s also huge because if the Cougars can keep the momentum rolling against the Rams, this could become a pivotal stretch for the future of the program as well.

It can’t be overstated how important an extra three weeks of practice and the experience of going to a bowl game would be going into next season for this young BYU team.

Assuming the offense stays on track, there are a lot of very winnable games left on the schedule. And as it stands right now, wins at a currently struggling Texas and a 4-4 Oregon State are not out of the question either.

The Rams lost a hard-fought 24-19 game on Saturday at San Diego State.

Colorado State has struggled running the football this season. Against the Aztecs the Rams mustered just 31 yards on the ground. On Saturday they will face a BYU team that has been the best team in the country against the run over the past month, allowing less than 62 yards per game.

Overall the Cougars are giving up just 243 yards per game since Bronco took over the defense, which would be good enough for fourth in the nation right now. BYU is also among the national leaders against the pass, currently ranking 16th in the country in pass defense.

The reborn BYU defense should be able to lock down this Ram offense, stuffing the run and getting pressure on CSU true freshman quarterback Pete Thomas. Colorado State has given up 3.6 sacks per game, 118th in the country. They are also 117th in the country in tackles for loss allowed with 8.3 per game.

Thomas has actually played quite well for a true freshman this year, although like most quarterbacks, he will struggle if you get pressure on him. He has completed an impressive 66 percent of his passes for nearly 2300 yards. He has thrown 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, and is a capable scrambler who prefers to operate out of the pocket.

Defensively the Rams will provide a little stiffer test for the Cougar offense than it received from UNLV.

Under defensive coordinator Larry Kerr, the Rams like to do a lot of stunting and like to show a lot of different looks to opposing quarterbacks. Bronco Mendenhall said today that CSU’s style of play tends to lead to turnovers by opposing offenses.

CSU was able to stay in their game with San Diego State, and had a chance late in the game by creating five turnovers.

In order for the BYU offense to stay on a roll and be in a position to put the Rams away, the Cougars will need to protect the football.

On Saturday BYU played a turnover-free game against UNLV. BYU fans will remember that it was crucial turnovers by the Cougars in the Wyoming game two weeks ago that gave the Cowboys a chance to pull out that game late, and had BYU holding on for a 25-20 win in a game it dominated.

With the BYU offense having as many young players as they do in key skill positions, consistency is always a question.

It’s also worth noting that BYU has not won a game on the road this season. The three games that the Cougars have won since Bronco took over the defense have all been at home.

Bronco is 5-0 all-time against the Rams, but BYU had to hold on in their last trip to Fort Collins to come away with a wild 45-42 win.