BYU and Air Force both have underrated defenses and there is also inclement weather expected in Provost today. The end result should be some sloppy offense, so play the Under this afternoon..
Max Hall looks to etch his name into the BYU record books when he leads the Cougars against the Falcons of the Air Force Academy.
Hall has a chance to set a school record for victories held currently held by Ty Detmer who notched 29 wins during his stint at Brigham Young. Hall tied Detmer’s mark last week with 314 yards and two touchdowns as BYU held off New Mexico 24-19. The competition gets much tougher today for Hall and the Cougars as they face an explosive Falcons squad.
Air Force (7-4, 5-2) and its option offense rank fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging just under 280 yards per game. The Falcons have won three straight and head coach Troy Calhoun is the first coach to lead the AFA to at least seven wins in his first three seasons.
Running backs Asher Clark and Jared Tew do the heavy lifting for the Air Force. The Falcons powerful one-two punch, have combined for 1,464 yards and 12 TDs. Both players are looking to make amends for a dreadful showing in last year’s loss to the Cougars in which Clark gained just 28 yards and Tew only 15 yards. Quarterback Tim Jefferson is more of a runner than a passer but his ability to throw makes the option that much tougher to defend.
The Falcons' defense, meanwhile, has forced 25 turnovers, putting the team in a tie for 12th in the nation in that category. They’re also rated ninth in scoring defense allowing just 13 points per game. However Air Force has given up an average of 41.0 points during their five-year losing streak against the Cougars.
BYU (8-2, 5-1) has an 8-2 record (or better) in four straight seasons including five consecutive victories over the Air Force. Hall has been a huge factor in the Cougars success. This season he’s completed 69% of his passes for 2,847 and 23 touchdowns. Running back Harvey Unga has rushed for 832 yards this year with ten touchdowns. In his career he’s gained 3,281 yards.
Defensively the Cougars have held their own and rank 15th in the nation against the run. Since the Falcons are the only team in the conference that runs the triple-option preparing for it is tough. The Air Force doesn’t line up three runners in the backfield like the wishbone, but there are three options, beginning with the fullback. The Falcons are hoping their tricky offense can chew up some yards and clock. The less that Hall and Unga are on the field the better the chance for an Air Force upset.
It’s worth noting that the Air Force has averaged 410 total yards in its last three games while the BYU's defense is holding opponents to a 3.3 rush average per carry this season.
Rain and possibly snow are in the Provo, Utah forecast today. The temperature at kickoff is expected to be 48 degrees. Without giving two much consideration to the weather, I think this one is staying under the total. BYU has proven in the past that they can be disciplined enough to handled the triple option. Air Force is getting a break with the weather negating a lot of the deep stuff that Hall is known for.
In what figures to be a close one, I like BYU to win and stay Under the total.
Free Pick: Air Force, BYU Under 46 (-110)