Utah State Aggies vs. BYU Cougars Preview and Pick – Point Spread

Utah State Aggies (1-2) 2-0 ATS, 2-0 O/U at No. 19 BYU Cougars (3-1) 3-1 ATS, 3-1 O/U Friday October 2, 2009 9:00 p.m. EST
By Wilson of Predictem.com

Point Spread: Utah State +24/BYU -24
Over/Under: 64

BYU redeemed themselves after their blowout loss at home last week to Florida State. The Cougars took full advantage of Colorado State’s mishaps and turned them into points. BYU hasn’t played outstanding lately and they had their fair share of poor play versus the Rams as well. But the Cougars managed to put away the Rams 42-23. Now they have a short week to prepare for in-state rival Utah State.

BYU QB Max Hall was satisfied with the win as threw for 241 yards on 18 of 29 and 2 touchdowns. Hall also had 2 INTs. Cougar’s running back Harvey Unga rushed for three touchdowns and 113 yards on 22 carries. BYU was 11 for 16 on third down conversions.

The major issue for the Cougars is their mental mistakes as they piled up a ton of penalties. BYU had 10 penalties for 117 yards! Certainly, the Aggies will look to exploit the potential mental lapses of the Cougars.

The Cougars opened the season with a huge win over then No. 3 Oklahoma 14-13 but have since been duped by Florida State and actually had to hold off CSU as they made a push in the second half.

Utah State comes into this Friday’s game after beating Southern Utah 53-34 in Logan this past Saturday. Aggies QB, Diondre Borel threw for 316 yards on 15 of 21 passing and 3 touchdowns. The Aggies put up 604 total offensive yards. Running back Robert Turbin had 104 yards on 17 carries and a touchdown.

The Aggies weren’t too impressive defensively as Southern Utah scored 34 points with 21 coming in the second quarter alone. Utah State Gave up 264 passing yards which will not help their cause this week if they intend on giving BYU a game.

BYU won the last meeting between these two in-state rivals 34-14. BYU is averaging 34.5 points per game and allowing 23.3 to their opponents. They have been more successful stopping the run as they have allowed 133 yards in rushing to 210 in passing.

Utah State is averaging 33.3 ppg and giving up 35.7 to the opposition. The Aggies are allowing 290 yards in passing and 196 on the ground. Utah State is no stranger to playing top caliber teams as they have already faced Texas AM and Utah.

The Aggies are 4-0 ATS in their last 5 games after a SU win; they are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games overall. They are also 9-3-1 ATS in their last 13 road games.

BYU is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games versus a WAC opponent. The Cougars are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Friday games. BYU is also 1-4 ATS versus a team with a losing record. BYU is 0-5 in their last 5 games in October.

The under is 5-1 at BYU in their last 6 games in October. The home team in this matchup is 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 meetings.

BYU should settle down and take care of business this Friday night but they will need to make some major strides in the penalty department. Max Hall is a quality QB who can lead the team with his decision making and playmaking ability.

The sportsbooks are opening this line at -24 in favor of the Cougars. BYU may have trouble covering that spread if they don’t clean up the penalties.

Wilson’s Pick: BYU 56, Utah State 10. Luck to ya.