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POCATELLO, Idaho -- For the fourth time in history, the BYU Cougars will face off against the Idaho State Bengals.
The two teams first met in 1932 and last met in 1951, a 27-7 win for BYU. In fact Idaho State has never beaten the Cougars.
The Idaho State Bengals are led by first year coach Mike Kramer. Prior to Idaho State, Kramer had been the head coach of Eastern Washington, and Montana State, and as of most recent an assistant coach for Washington State University.
Since 1963 Idaho State has been a part of the Big Sky conference. The Bengals have won the Big Sky conference championship three times since then. Including in 1981 when then-head coach Dave Kragthorpe led them to a division 1-AA (now division FCS) national championship.
Currently the Bengals are 2-5 in division-FCS with blowout wins over Western State and Northern Colorado.
OFFENSE
It's no secret that the Bengals are a very one-sided in the way they run their offense. Overall for the season they have gained 480 yards on the ground compared to 2,371 yards through the air.
Junior quarterback Kevin Yost has thrown for 2,144 yards with a 64 percent completion rate, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Yost's go-to-guy for is clearly junior Rodrick Rumble. Rumble has caught 75 passes for 996 yards in just seven games this season and eight touchdowns. Per game, Rumble is averaging just over 140 yards and a touchdown.
Alongside Rumble, two other receivers have just broken the 300 yard mark. Junior tight end Josh Hill has caught the ball 36 times for 325 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide receiver Anthony Boyles compliments with 304 yards on 24 receptions and two touchdowns.
While Idaho State has a proficient passing attack, its ground game leaves a something to be desired. In seven games Idaho State has 163 rushing attempts, about 23 per game, that they average just over 68 yards per game. That's an average of less than nine yards per carry.
Freshman Jarrod Daniels is listed as a wide receiver on the roster, but leads the team in rushing yards with 111 on 17 attempts. But junior running back Jahmel Rover seems to be the bruiser with 53 yards on nine attempts and three touchdowns.
DEFENSE
Senior linebacker A.J. Storms leads the defense in tackles with 71, 4.5 which have been for a loss and 1.5 sacks. Along with the tackles, Storms tacks on an interception and two pass breakups as well.
Junior defensive lineman Jake Rouser is a sack machine getting to the quarterback 3.5 times this season with six quarterback hurries also.
Freshman defensive lineman Austin Graves compliments Rouser with 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 of those being sacks. Overall the Bengals defense has been very effective in getting to the quarterback acquiring 13 sacks for the season.
Idaho State has picked off their opponents quarterback seven times this season. Junior defensive back Donovan Henley has been successful with three interceptions for the season.
Freshman defensive back Ryan Coleman returned his one interception of the season 94 yards for a score.
However, all of this comes against similar FCS competition.
The Bengals run a very fast-paced offense running about 90 plays per game. About 70% of the time they're throwing the ball, and the majority of the passes go to Rumble.
It's expected we see Rumble get the ball plenty of times against the Cougars. If BYU is able to key in on Rumble, it shouldn't be too hard for them to hold Idaho State to a low score.
Email: onlinesports@ksl.com"
