Logan • Not counting the opener against a lower-level team that was supposed to be a breeze but wasn’t, Sept. 29 was seen by many as the day second-year coach Kalani Sitake’s BYU Cougars would catch a scheduling break after the gauntlet of LSU, Utah and Wisconsin.
Sure, Utah State was expected to put up the usual tough fight, but nothing like the challenge of facing three nationally ranked Power Five programs in a row.
Well, things have changed.
Although downtrodden BYU (1-3) is somehow favored by a couple of points in Friday’s 6 p.m. showdown at Maverik Stadium, USU suddenly looks formidable and entirely capable of prolonging the Cougars’ misery. The Aggies (2-2) roll into the competition for the Old Wagon Wheel trophy with all kinds of momentum thanks to a 61-10 demolition of San Jose State last Saturday.
The Aggies have all but said this is their Super Bowl.
“It is a fun week here at Utah State for our players, for our coaches, for our fans and alumni,” USU coach Matt Wells said. “It is a big rivalry for us. It gets our guys excited. The stadium will be electric Friday night. I know the students are all fired up.”
Meanwhile, the Cougars seemingly are heading in the opposite direction. They haven’t played since losing 40-6 to Wisconsin 13 days ago, but any advantage a bye week may have given them probably was nullified by the confidence USU garnered with the breakout win in Silicon Valley after suffering blowout losses at the hands of those same Badgers (59-10) and the ACC’s Wake Forest (46-10).
BYU AT UTAH STATE <br>At Maverik Stadium, Logan <br>Kickoff • 6 p.m. <br>TV • CBS Sports Network <br>BYU radio • 1160 AM,102.7 FM, Sirius XM 143 <br>USU radio • 1280 AM, 97.5 FM, 92.3 FM (Logan) <br>Records • BYU 1-3, USU 2-2 <br>Series history • BYU leads 48-35-3 <br>Last meeting • BYU won 28-10 (Nov. 26, 2016) <br>About the Cougars • They will wear royal blue jersey tops because USU is having a home “whiteout” and will wear white jersey tops. … They have played the sixth-toughest schedule in college football this season, according to USA Today’s Jeff Sagarin. … They are 8-2 against USU in the last 10 matchups and have won two straight in Logan. … They are 128th in total offense (221.8 ypg) and 129th in scoring offense (9.8 ppg). <br>About the Aggies • They are coming off a 61-10 win at San Jose State in which QB Kent Myers accounted for 265 yards and tied a career-high with four touchdowns. … They lead the nation in blocked kicks, having blocked a punt in each of their last three games. … They are 18-17-2 all-time against BYU in Logan. … All five of their offensive linemen are first-time starters this season,including two who started their careers at BYU — center Quin Ficklin and left tackle Roman Andrus.
The Cougars say a players-only meeting in the stands at LaVell Edwards Stadium two days after the Wisconsin debacle served to refocus their efforts and commitment and lift their enthusiasm, but talk is cheap and nothing comes easy to a team likely playing without its starting quarterback, Tanner Mangum.
Another sobering fact: A loss to a team they historically have dominated likely will mean a 1-6 start, regardless of when Mangum returns because up next are Boise State and Mississippi State.
Disaster could be looming.
“We are going to see a lot of improvement from that [meeting]. We already have,” Sitake promised Monday, focusing on program improvement and downplaying what a loss in Logan could mean moving forward.
The Cougars say all the right things about USU being a fierce rival, but bringing the same passion to Logan they displayed against No. 1 rival Utah on Sept. 9 at home will be crucial, safety Zayne Anderson acknowledged.
“We are taking it just like the University of Utah [game],” said Anderson, who is from Stansbury Park. “They are an in-state school. They are blue-collar kids, and they have a chip on their shoulder, and so do we.”
Senior linebacker Fred Warner, who called the players-only meeting with his fellow team captains, said he prepares the same way every week, “whether we are playing Wisconsin or Utah State.”
BYU has the preparation edge, although players mostly ran practices during the bye week and the full game plan for the Aggies wasn’t installed until earlier this week. Both teams were ripped by Wisconsin, although USU reached the end zone in Madison and was more competitive in the first half.
“You flip on the tape of the BYU-Wisconsin game, and you’re like, ‘Oh yeah, they’re still good,’” Wells said about BYU.
Sitake was similarly complimentary of Utah State and senior quarterback Kent Myers, who was phenomenal against the Spartans and gives the Aggies a clear advantage in the QB department over BYU, which will start sophomore Beau Hoge for the second straight game.
“A lot of attention will be focused on this game,” Sitake said. “We are just looking forward to playing our best game. Utah State did a great job this last weekend. It is going to be tough going into Logan, but we are looking forward to the challenge.”
One that appears to be a lot more difficult than it was a few weeks ago, thanks to the recent performances of both teams.