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BYU Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. UNLV in Week 11

By Connor Muldowney

STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 14: Tanner Mangum #12 of the Brigham Young Cougars hands the ball to Ula Tolutau #5 during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - OCTOBER 14: Tanner Mangum #12 of the Brigham Young Cougars hands the ball to Ula Tolutau #5 during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on October 14, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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BYU football has had a forgettable season, but the Cougars get a chance to win their third game against UNLV in Week 11.

Coming into the year, BYU was looking to potentially reel off 10 wins in the regular season and make a push for a New Year’s Six bowl. Although it would have been tough to do, especially after losing Taysom Hill and Jamaal Williams, the Cougars had enough returning talent to get the job done.

Tanner Mangum was expected to be the star he was two years before, but being benched for Hill in 2016 messed with his confidence. He has passed for 1,540 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions, completing just over 57 percent of his throws. Squally Canada hasn’t quite been as effective as expected in the backfield, either, but replacing Williams was nearly impossible.

With the Cougars sitting at 2-8, UNLV is hoping to gain some traction for its bowl efforts. The Rebels are currently 4-5 on the year and the records of the remaining opponents combined is just 6-22. A loss to BYU at home in Week 11 would crush any confidence the Rebels may have had.

There is a bit of a quarterback controversy in Las Vegas, though, as Armani Rogers began the season as the starter, but an injury forced Johnny Stanton into action. The latter has played well over the past two games, but Rogers is now healthy. What is UNLV to do?

Here’s how you can watch Friday night’s BYU vs. UNLV game:

Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Venue: Sam Boyd Stadium
TV: ESPN 2
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

In order for BYU to come out on top, it needs to start relying more on the ground game with Canada. He hasn’t had the best season, but he’s already surpassed his totals from a season ago and is averaging more yards per carry. It’s time to take some pressure off Mangum and allow Canada to punish UNLV’s 118th-ranked run defense.

For UNLV, sticking with one quarterback for the entire game will be important. While Rogers is likely to be healthy and is the better dual-threat option, Stanton has played well over the past two games for the Rebels. Should they stick with the hot hand or give the starting job back to Rogers? In order to win this one, they should stick with Stanton against BYU’s 54th-ranked pass defense.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Post-Week 10 edition

Prediction

Squally Canada is going to have his best game of the year and also his first 100-yard performance. It won’t take much to exploit UNLV’s mediocre run defense and Canada will push 150 yards and two touchdowns, taking pressure off Tanner Mangum and the passing game. And get this, Mangum won’t throw an interception. However, UNLV will keep things close and Johnny Stanton will throw for over 250 yards and two scores. This one goes down to the wire with a game-winning BYU field goal as time expires.

Final Score: BYU 27, UNLV 24

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