TWO IN A ROW VS. BYU A TALL ORDER
Aztecs have yet to accomplish feat in 37 previous games
P ROVO , Uta h
Tonight will mark the 38th football meeting between San Diego State and BYU.
SDSU has never beaten the Cougars two games in a row while compiling an 828-1 all-time record in the series.
A second straight win is the aim of the Aztecs, who defeated BYU 13-3 last year in what turned out to be their last game at SDCCU Stadium.
Making it two in a row will be a daunting task.
SDSU (4-3) comes into the game as a 161⁄ 2- point underdog against the No. 18 Cougars (9-1).
It is the f irst time the Aztecs have not been favored this season and the largest point spread against them since they were a twotouchdown underdog in the 2018 season opener at Stanford (and lost by three
TDs).
Here are five things to watch:
1. Zach Wilson, BYU QB
BYU quarterback Zach Wilson has been among the nation’s most prolif ic passers, throwing for nearly 300 yards a game with 27 touchdowns and only three interceptions.
Wilson got his yards in last year’s game — 316 of them — but the Aztecs kept him out of the end zone and picked off a pair of passes.
“Bend but don’t break,” SDSU cornerback Darren Hall said. “He’s a good quarterback, but we just can’t let them score. That’s our philosophy.”
Hall cited Wilson’s arm strength and ability to move
FROM D1 in the pocket as two secrets to his success.
Also that Wilson “has some savvy.”
“We did some good things, but we couldn’t score,” Wilson said. “That’s the focus. High execution and get the ball into the end zone, not settle for f ield goals.”
2. Jordon Brookshire, SDSU QB
For the f irst time in four weeks, SDSU head coach Brady Hoke publicly named a starting quarterback before kickoff.
It is junior Jordon Brookshire, who makes his second straight star t. He was 14-for-24 passing for 130 yards and one touchdown in last week’s 29-17 win over Colorado State. Brookshire also was SDSU’s leading rusher, carrying 23 times for 38 yards (35 more yards in gains were wiped out mostly by three sacks).
“I think he felt more conf ident as the game (went on), which you would expect,” Hoke said.
Brookshire was better against the Rams than he was a week earlier at Colorado, when both he and Carson Baker were used against the Buffaloes.
He will need to be even better against BYU.
Brookshire guided the
Aztecs to only two sustained drives — of 12 plays and 15 plays, respectively — against Colorado State.
One of the keys to Coastal Carolina’s 22-17 victory over BYU last week was the Chanticleers held onto the ball for nearly 38 of the game’s 60 minutes. That kept it away from a BYU offense averaging 44.5 points a game.
Ball control will be essential for SDSU as well.
If Brookshire struggles at all, Hoke suggested Lucas Johnson (hamstring) could be ready to return to the field.
“As (the game) proceeds, if needed, there’s no doubt that Lucas will have the opportunity,” Hoke said.
3. Cougar letdown?
The Coastal Carolina loss put an end to the Cougars’ dreams of an unbeaten season and dashed any hopes BYU had of a New Year’s Six bowl berth.
BYU has been assured by broadcast partner ESPN that it will be playing in a bowl game somewhere.
That makes this a pride game more than anything against the Aztecs.
Could that take the edge off for the Cougars? Not as far as BYU head coach Kilani Sitake sees it.
“Losses hur t, and they’re supposed to,” Sitake said. “You work hard and you care so much. Our guys are very competitive, but it’s something that you can react to and respond to in a positive way. ...
“You lost the game, but you can’t let that affect the next performance.
“This is our chance to respond from a result that didn’t go our way. Now this is the true test that comes out to see what we’re made of.”
4. BYU defense
The Cougars have limited opponents to 14.7 points a game, which ranks four th among the nation’s 126 FBS teams.
Given SDSU’s offensive challenges this season — the Aztecs rank 84th in scoring offense with 25.1 points a game — that does not bode well.
BYU has been especially strong against the run, ranking 15th in the country in allowing 107.6 yards a game.
Rushing has been SDSU’s biggest streng th, but that was before star ting running back Greg Bell sprained his right ankle in the opening series against Nevada.
SDSU was third in the nation with 280.3 yards a game going into the Nevada game. The
Aztecs are 21st in the nation now at 203.7 yards a game.
Bell carried one time for four yards last week against Colorado State, apparently reinjuring his ankle, and his availability for this game remains in question.
5. Weather
Some 1-3 inches of snow is in the forecast. It is expected to arrive in the morning, however, so temperatures in the teens could be the biggest concern come kickoff.
If the storm is delayed or hangs around, then things could get interesting.
One school of thought in weather games is that running teams have more success than passing teams because of ball security and offensive players have an advantage over defenders because they know where they’re headed on the field.
If cold is the primary weather condition, then it’s probably a push.
BYU is more acclimated to the cold, but SDSU has not been bothered by it.
This is expected to be the coldest kickoff for SDSU since winning the 2016 Mountain West championship game in 18degree weather at Wyoming.