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PROVO — Coming off a bitter loss to rival Utah, the Cougars are using the short week to prepare for an upset-minded Middle Tennessee State team. The Blue Raiders come into Provo Friday night with a 3-1 record and they have the Cougars full attention.
"They look like a tough team. They look like they're going to give us a good run for the money, but if we go out there and do what we need to do, we're going to have a lot of fun" said BYU running back Adam Hine.
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Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae addressed the challenges the Blue Raiders present, "They appear to be a smaller school on paper, but they have really good team speed and are very capable. On defense, they do a lot of different things, so our guys have had to prepare for a bunch of different looks; man, zone coverage, and different fronts as well. "
When asked about how Middle Tennessee compares to Utah and Texas' defenses, "On film, they're not as big. On film, they look just as fast. We expect a fast opponent and that's what we're preparing for."
Hine agreed saying that "their defense is similar to what Utah ran against us." Quarterback Taysom Hill feels the Cougars attitude of getting up for and playing a lesser known team after facing 3 BCS conference opponents to start the season is not a worry. "I would feel comfortable speaking for the team; we're all competitors, and we all want to win. Like offensively, we feel we have something to prove. Whether we play MTSU, Utah or Texas, we're going to show up."
They appear to be a smaller school on paper, but they have really good team speed and are very capable. On defense, they do a lot of different things, so our guys have had to prepare for a bunch of different looks; man, zone coverage, and different fronts as well.
–Robert Anae
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While the Cougars are preparing for the Blue Raiders speed, Coach Anae, Hine, and Hill are all expecting improvements from the offense and special teams this week. "I'm looking for consistency no matter who we play" said Anae. "If we can go out there and be consistent, move the ball and punch it in the end zone, that's what I'm looking to develop and get better with."
Hill shared his feelings on the offense as well. "We're still in the process of finding out who we really are offensively. There's a lot of commotion, but hey, we're 3 games into the season and we still have a lot of football left to be played and so we'll continue to find out where the best matchups are and it's an ongoing experience." Hill also talked about how the team has focused on blue zone work "this week a lot. We have different blue zone or red zone packages and various things. That is definitely an emphasis this week going into Middle Tennessee State."
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Middle Tennessee State comes into Provo sporting a 3-1 record with wins over Western Carolina, Memphis, Florida Atlantic and a loss at North Carolina. The Blue Raiders look to replicate last year's road success when they went into Georgia Tech and beat the Yellow Jackets 49-28 on their home field.
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Cougar Fans are encouraged to "Wear White" to Friday's game for this year's annual "white out" game. Kickoff is at 7 pm with pregame on KSL Newsradio 102.7 FM/1160 AM at 5 pm.
Also, tune into "BYU Football with Bronco Mendenhall" show on Wednesday night at 7 pm from the President's Loge at LaVell Edwards Stadium, also on KSL Newsradio.
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Reggie Lewis is a KSL Newsradio BYU intern.
