BYU Football: Can Cougars pull off another thrilling upset vs. Washington?
For the last two weeks, BYU football has pulled off thrilling upsets. Can they make it three in a row against Washington?
The surprise team in college football this year has undoubtedly been the BYU Cougars.
In week one, they were manhandled by Utah, and pretty much everybody had an idea of where this season was headed. However instead of just packing it in, Kalani Sitake‘s team went to Knoxville and beat Tennessee on Rocky Top. Last week, the Cougars welcomed USC to town, and once again got the victory. Against Washington, BYU is looking to continue that momentum.
Of course, the Huskies will be, by far, the best team on BYU’s schedule. Washington is 2-1, but that loss came in a severely weather-delayed game against Cal’s stout defense.
These Huskies resemble teams of recent years, but there is a new face at quarterback. Jacob Eason. A quarter through the season, he’s completing 69 percent of his throws, and he’s compiled 773 yards and seven touchdowns.
Date: Saturday, Sep. 21
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Provo, Utah
Venue: LaVell Edwards Stadium
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Keys to Victory
BYU may have the momentum, but they’re still going head to head with one of the sport’s great programs. The Husky defense is tough, and once again, Cougar quarterback Zach Wilson is going to have to make plays all day long. His ability to make something out of nothing has been a huge reasons that BYU has won two in a row.
For Washington, it comes down to forcing the Cougars to be one dimensional. When opponents have held Cougar running back Tyson Williams, the offense has sputtered. If Washington is able to shut down the BYU rushing attack, it will go a long way towards the Huskies taking this win on the road.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of Bovada
Spread: Washington -6
Over/Under: 50
Prediction
The Cougars have pulled out some magic in the last two weeks, but on Saturday, they’ll meet the best team they’ve seen all year. BYU will come back to reality a bit on Saturday.
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Washington is set for a long stretch of big Pac-12 games, and a big non-conference win before that could be big for the Huskies confidence moving forward.
Score: Washington 27, BYU 17