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PROVO — The Cougars will have to have short-term memories as they prepare for their matchup with the Huskies in Week 5.
The Cougars went into Ann Arbor with the expectations of coming away with the win and showing the country they belong with the "Big Boys." Instead, Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines came in with a perfect game plan and executed it exceptionally. The Cougars fell, and fell hard, 31-0 in the Big House.
The Huskies come into Week 5, like the Cougars, losing their last two games after winning their first two. Last week, the Huskies fell to the Navy Midshipmen 28-18. The key game for the Huskies was Week 3 where they held the Missouri Tigers to nine points. The Tigers won the game 9-6, but it showed that the Huskies' defense is pretty good.
Heading into their Friday night game, here are the key stats heading into UConn vs. BYU:
UConn is 21st in the FBS in total defense
The Missouri game was huge for the Huskie defense. The Midshipmen were the first team to put up more than 20 points against the Huskies. They are only giving up 295 total yards/game and a solid 4.9 yards/play. To put that in context, there are only three teams in the FBS that are averaging less than 295 total yards/game (UCF, Utah State and San Diego State).
The Cougars, as expected, saw a drop off in their total offense after their debacle at Michigan. The Cougars' total offense is ranked 107th in the FBS, averaging a shade over 350 total yards/game and 5.0 yards/play. The Cougars will need to be more effective offensively to put pressure on the Huskie offense.
Adam Hine has three times more rushing yards (312) than all other BYU rushers combined
The Cougars have a potential problem brewing for Week 5. Hine left in the first half against the Wolverines with an injury. Hine has been, by far, the most effective runner out of the backfield for the Cougars, with 282 more rushing yards than the next non-Taysom Hill rusher. Bronco Mendenhall said Hine is "possible" to play against the Huskies.
Freshman running back Francis Bernard made his debut and made the most of his four carries, gaining 30 yards, 13 of which came on his first career carry. Algernon Brown, also "possible" for the UConn game, has only 23 yards rushing and Nate Carter has 22. If Hine is unable to go, expect to see more of the freshman.
Only 2 BYU wide receivers have caught touchdown passes this seasonandthe Cougars only recorded 55 passing yards against Michigan
Coming into the season, the BYU passing game was regarded as both prolific and explosive. Even with the loss of Hill, the expectations were still high after freshman quarterback Tanner Mangum turned the world upside down with his heroic long balls. The Cougar receivers boast both elite height and athleticism. Why isn't it all coming together?
A lot of the blame goes on offensive coordinator Robert Anae for his conservative approach and resistant attitude towards changing his game plan. Mangum's freshman growing pains are also part of the problem. But the receivers are the ones who need to step up. Mitch Mathews, regarded as the best BYU receiver coming into the season, caught one pass for 4 yards against the Wolverines. Being a 6-foot-6 giant, Mathews needs to impose his size on opposing corners. He needs to demand the ball and make plays. Mathews, and the rest of the BYU receiving corps, need to make Mangum's job easier, not the other way around.
UConn is sixth in FBS in pass defense, allowing only 124.8 pass yards/game. This will be the key matchup heading into the game Friday; the BYU passing offense vs. the UConn pass defense.
BYU has caused 8 turnovers, turned the ball over 4 times
The Huskies have forced two fumbles and intercepted three passes. The Cougars have forced one fumble and intercepted seven passes. The turnover margin will be very important in this game. The Huskies, despite a top 25 defense, don't force a lot of turnovers. BYU, a bottom 50 defense, knows how to force turnovers.
Mangum has thrown four interceptions in his three starts and the BYU offense has yet to lose a fumble this season. Huskie quarterback Bryant Shirreffs has only thrown one interception this season. The BYU secondary will be on the hunt to up that number on Friday. Nathan Harker is a sports writing intern currently enrolled at Brigham Young University majoring in broadcast journalism. Nathan can be reached at nathan.harker32@gmail.com or via Twitter @nharker3207.
