2014 BYU Football Opponent Tracker: Week 2

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’s 2014 strength of schedule is. 

UConn (1-1) – 19-16 Win vs. Stony Brook

The Huskies got the win, but it was an ugly, unimpressive victory. For much of the game, UConn trailing FCS Stony Brook. It’s good that they were able to squeeze out the victory, but this UConn team doesn’t look like they will do BYU any favors this year.

Texas (1-1) – 7-41 Loss vs. BYU 

Sep 6, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong reacts against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. BYU beat Texas 41-7. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

BYU was the first real test for the Longhorns and they failed miserably. Hopefully they are able to get some players healthy soon and their guys that are suspend will get back into Charlie Strong’s good graces because this team needs some help. They take on Brett Hundley and the struggling UCLA Bruins next week with a chance to make a huge statement and rebound from the drubbing against the Cougars.

Houston (1-1) – 47-0 Win vs. Grambling State

The Coogs put up a lot of points against lowly Grambling State, but they will have a huge test this week as they head to Provo. A win over Grambling State doesn’t concern me at all. They were just 4-14 on 3rd down conversions and nobody really stood out as a real threat to beat BYU. Robertson Daniel will have his hands full with Deontay Greenberry this week, but beyond that, I’m not worried about Houston.

Virginia (1-1) – 45-13 Win vs. Richmond

Another BYU opponent beat up on a far inferior opponent this week. No single player had jaw dropping numbers, but the Cavaliers were able to get a lot of guys experience and hopefully instill some confidence in the locker room. Virginia will have a big opportunity to impress some people this week when host Louisville. A win over the Cardinals would not only help boost BYU’s strength of schedule, but it should also allow BYU to move up in the Top 25 rankings next week. Go Hoos!

Utah State (1-1) –40-20 Win vs. Idaho State

The Aggies got the win, but they have to be disappointed with their performance. They simply looked bad. They gave up over 300 yards through the air and over 100 yards on the ground. Chuckie Keeton was a dismal 13-30 for 116 yards and an interception and no touchdowns. The Aggies did put up an impressive 311 yards on the ground, but overall, the offense seemed stagnant and the defense seemed like it is really going to miss Kyler Fackrell. The Aggies host Wake Forest this week and will have a chance to impress some people.

UCF (0-1) – Bye 

This is a big week for Central Florida. They will travel to Missouri to take on the SEC and the #20 Tigers this week. An upset on Saturday would help a team that barely lost to Penn State last week bounce back in a great way. That game will definitely be worth watching.

Nevada (2-0) – 24-13 Win vs. Washington State

Sep 5, 2014; Reno, NV, USA; Nevada Wolf Pack place kicker Brent Zuzo (40) kicks the final score late into the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at MacKay Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports. Nevada won 24-13.

Nevada was impressive this week. No, Washington State isn’t Oregon (or even Washington, for that matter) but they are still a PAC-12 team with a high powered offense. A Nevada win wasn’t as surprising to me as the way Nevada won. They help Connor Halliday and the Mike Leach offense to just 13 points. The Wolfpack miss the days of Colin Kaepernick, but it looks like Cody Fajardo has his team trending in the right direction. Great win for Nevada. They have a shot at another PAC-12 upset on Saturday when they travel to Arizona to take on the Wildcats.

Boise State (1-1) –  37-24 Win  vs. Colorado State

This game featured a lot of offense from both sides of the ball. Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson threw for 434 yards and did his best to keep the Rams in the game, but in the end, Boise State flexed their muscles and proved to be too much. Grant Hendrick threw for an impressive 352 yards but was outdone by tailback Jay Ajayi who ran for 219 yards on his own. Hendrick and Ajayi look to be a dymanic duo. This was a good win, but Boise still has some kinks to figure out. They travel to UConn next week so we’ll get a chance to see how their game compares to BYU last week.

Middle Tennessee State (1-1) – 24-35 Loss at Minnesota

Middle Tennessee out up an impressive fight after falling behind 28-0 in the first half, but ultimately were out matched the entire game. This is a team on the rise that should compete in Conference USA, but don’t expect them to turn any heads and present a real challenge for BYU this season. They are trending in the right direction, but aren’t there yet.

UNLV (1-1) – 13-12 Win vs. Northern Colorado

Yikes, this was worse than UConn’s win over Stony Brook. UNLV looked bad throughout the entire game but looked especially bad in the second half when they only managed three points against the Big Sky foe. UNLV takes on Northern Illinois next week. They better come to play or they are going to get embarrassed by the MAC power.

Savannah State (0-2) – 9-83 Loss at Georgia Southern

I had a thought this morning when I saw this score, “Do you think Bronco Mendenhall will just let Christian Stewart start this game for Senior Day and tell Tayson Hill to sit on the bench?”

California (2-0) 55-14 Win vs. Sacramento State

The Golden Bears beat up on the Big Sky, but they did look rather impressive. Cal has a bye this upcoming week, but will begin conference play after that and we should get a better feel for how good this team is then.

Overall opponent’s record: 12-11

There were a lot of FCS teams on the opponent’s schedules this week, but at least that makes the overall record more impressive than last week’s 4-8. I think we’ll learn a lot more about this schedule in the next couple of weeks. I am still confident that it will be better than many gave it credit for heading into the season.