As the No. 23 BYU Cougars (4-0) welcome the West Virginia Mountaineers (2-3) to LaVell Edwards Stadium, this could be the game BYU fans have been anticipating.
This could be the game when BYU's offense finally explodes.
BYU's fairly "meh" offense thus far
While BYU is undefeated, the team's offense has been pretty "meh" thus far. Not good. Not bad. Just fine. In fairness to offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick, some of this has been by design. BYU is breaking in a true freshman quarterback in Bear Bachmeier, which by necessity simplifies the playbook. Thus far, Roderick, Bachmeier, and BYU's entire offense have done what has been asked of them in keeping the Cougars undefeated.
But BYU is largely winning on the strength of its defense.
After annihilating Portland State 69-0 in Week 1, here's how many points BYU's offense has scored in each of its last three games:
27 points vs. Stanford
27 points vs. ECU
24 points vs. Colorado
BYU averaged 26 points per game against Stanford, ECU, and Colorado. Again, that's fine. Not great. Not bad. Just fine.
In order for the Cougars to remain among the tops of the Big 12, the offense is going to need to be able to find another gear and generate some explosive outings. BYU's defensive coordinator Jay Hill is a certified football wizard, but his defense can't be counted on to be borderline flawless every time it takes the field.
This week's game against West Virginia could be the opportunity for the Cougars offense to show some genuine explosiveness.
West Virginia's ailing defense
To put it bluntly, the Mountaineers defense is struggling right now.
West Virginia's defense is surrendering 26.6 points per game through five outings, which ranks 13th in the 16-team Big 12. Now, giving up 26.6 points per game doesn't sound all that bad at first blush, but it's less about the rolled-up number and more about the opponent and recent trends. The Mountaineers opened the season with a 45-3 drubbing of Robert Morris but followed that up with a shocking 17-10 loss to Ohio.
Not Ohio State. Ohio.
After those two non-Power Four matchups to open the season, here is how many points the Mountaineers defense has surrendered in their last three games against more talented offenses:
24 points vs. Pitt
34 points vs. Kansas
48 points vs. Utah
West Virginia's defense has given up 35.3 points per game on average over their last three outings, all versus Power Four opponents. While Aaron Roderick likely won't open up the entire playbook against the Mountaineers (he'll save that for the upcoming Utah, Iowa State, Texas Tech, TCU stretch), the Cougars offense should be able to generate more explosive plays, sustain more drives, and find the end zone more in this one than they have in previous games.
Look for LJ Martin to exceed 100 rushing yards, Carsen Ryan to have six or more receptions, and Chase Roberts to have a 40-plus yard touchdown in this one.
Final score: BYU 37, West Virginia 13