2014 BYU Football Opponent Tracker: Week 3
By Jeff Hansen
A one-stop article so you can check in and see how BYU 2014 opponents fared in last week’s action. Keep up-to-date to see exactly how strong BYU football’s 2014 strength of schedule is.
UConn (1-2) – 21-38 Loss vs. Boise State
Sep 13, 2014; East Hartford, CT, USA; Boise State Broncos cornerback Donte Deayon (5) strips the ball from Connecticut Huskies wide receiver Geremy Davis (85) and runs for a touchdown during the second half at Rentschler Field. Boise State Broncos defeated the Connecticut Huskies 38-21. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
This was UConn’s most impressive game so far. The Huskies had the ball in the fourth with a chance to score and take the lead so the game was a little closer than the score indicates. Having watched the game, however, it never felt like Boise State was worried about potentially giving the game away. But, hopefully there is hope that UConn can make a run in AAC play this year.
Texas (1-2) – 17-20 Loss vs. #12 UCLA
Texas had chances to win this game, but ultimately they fell short. Brett Hundley exited the game due to injury but Texas was unable to finish off the Bruins and allowed a late g0-ahead score that ultimately led to their demise. Still, the fact that Texas was competitive against UCLA (who has been very underwhelming this year) on national TV I think that they did BYU some favors. The Longhorn defense looked much better against UCLA. Hopefully Texas can rebound this week against Kansas and then pull off some upsets against Baylor or Oklahoma after that.
Houston (1-2) – 25-33 Loss at BYU
Houston made the game against BYU closer than it should have been for BYU fans, but, a loss is a loss. Houston takes on UNLV this week in what should result in a win for Houston to pull that back to .500 for the year.
Virginia (2-1) – 23-21 Win vs. #21 Louisville
Virginia did BYU the biggest favor this weekend. A big win over a ranked opponent in Louisville makes BYU’s schedule a little bit stronger than it was a few weeks ago. I don’t really know what to expect from this Virginia team. They look much better than they did a year ago, but they haven’t looked overwhelming in any way. I think their most impressive performance was a loss against UCLA to open the season. That UCLA team, however, went into Texas and beat the same Texas team that BYU ran off the field by just three points. All in all, Virginia appears to be improved, but it’s still to be seen how much improved they really are.
Utah State (2-1) –36-24 Win vs. Wake Forest
I have a hard time cheering for the Aggies in any situation, but this was a good win for them and one I was happy to see. Anytime an ACC school loses to a non-Power Five team, I’m a happy guy. Most concerning about the game for the Aggies are reports that Chuckie Keeton left the locker room on crutches. If USU loses Keeton, it greatly hurts their chances of making a run in the Mountain West. We’ll be keeping close tabs on the Aggies in the coming days.
UCF (0-2) – 10-38 Loss at #20 Missouri
Sep 13, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; UCF Knights quarterback Justin Holman (13) throws a pass during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field. The Tigers won 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
This was a big opportunity for the Knights to improve BYU’s strength of schedule but Mizzou proved to be too much. The game was close for the first three quarters before the Tigers pulled away with it late. UCF has had a close loss to Penn State and a close-ish loss to Missouri to start the year. They’ll get a W on the board this week when they take on the powerhouse Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman.
Nevada (2-1) – 28-35 Loss at Arizona
Nevada is a sneaky good team this year. They were a dreadful team a year ago but have been impressive to start the year. It was a close game for Nevada for most of the game, but Arizona’s playmakers pulled away. Nevada starts conference play this week when they take on San Jose State. If they can beat San Jose State and Boise State the next week then the game when they travel to Provo could end up on ESPN.
Boise State (2-1) – 38-21 Win at UConn
Boise State doesn’t look like the Boise State of old, but they still look like they will be a quality opponent. As was stated earlier, their win over UConn was not as impressive as the score would indicate, but it also never felt like it was in doubt either. Boise takes on UL-Lafayette this week and the schedule eases into Mountain West Conference play. Boise State should start racking up the wins now.
Middle Tennessee State (2-1) – 50-47 Win vs Western Kentucky
It took overtime, but the Blue Raiders were able to squeak out a win this week against Western Kentucky. Middle Tennessee isn’t going to boost BYU’s strength of schedule, but they are on their way to bowl eligibility and that never hurts a team’s strength of schedule.This week, MTSU will take on a Memphis team that played well on the road against UCLA.
UNLV (1-2) – 34-48 Loss vs. Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois is not what they were last year with Jordan Lynch, but they are still a quality team and have a good name in college football. A win would have been helpful for the Rebels,but they fell short. This team is not a good football team. I think Houston will take them to the woodshed this week.
Savannah State (0-3) – 42-28 Loss vs Fort Valley State
Leave a comment below if you knew there was a school named Fort Valley State. If you’re headed to the comment section, you’re lying. And this team beat Savannah State. This may be the worst FCS school in the country.
California (2-0) Bye
Cal looks to be improved this year but will have their biggest test of the season this week when they travel to play Arizona. Arizona looks like a good team in the PAC-12 South so it will be a big opportunity for Cal to make some noise in conference play.
Overall opponent’s record: 16-18
It was a good week for BYU opponents. A couple quality wins and a handful of good losses. I’m anticipating that the overall opponent record will jump over the .500 mark next week.