Game Day Preview Plus Score Prediction

On By Littum

TEMPE, Ariz. – BYU vs. Arizona State is one of the top games on the college football schedule for Week 13.

It’s a renewal of an old WAC rivalry as the two programs meet again as conference foes.

Both teams have Big 12 championship games on the line. If BYU wins, they go to Arlington. Arizona State is also close to this location. If they win, they will be in a great position to reach Arlington.

So the stakes are high for the Big 12 showdown in the desert.

No. 14 BYU vs. No. 21 Arizona State

Venue: Mountain America Stadium

Kickoff: 1:30 PM (MST)

TV: ESPN

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Extended pregame begins at 11 a.m

Three game day thoughts

1. The nation has given up on BYU

Coming into today’s matchup, you listen to the national experts; aside from Pat Forde on the College Football Enquirer Podcast, no one is giving BYU a chance to win against Arizona State.

National pundits seem to think BYU is done after dropping last week’s game to Kansas. Why am I bringing this up? We know BYU played great this season as an underdog and with something to prove.

Come out and play loose. Of course, this game could decide a Big 12 Championship Game appearance, but this week’s narrative is that BYU was exposed by the Jayhawks. BYU needs to come out with an edge in this game.

2. Both teams play complementary ball

There are many similarities between BYU and Arizona State. They were overlooked in the preseason, being picked as the no. 13 (BYU) and no. 16 (Arizona State).

Every team has a quarterback who has pleasantly surprised everyone with their play in Jake Retzlaff for BYU and Sam Leavitt at Arizona State.

Then they both play complementary football and all three phases contribute.

BYU is no. 1 nationally in touchdowns scored on kickoff returns with two. The Sun Devils are 10th nationally in average punt return yardage.

Defensively, BYU boasts the number one total defense in the Big 12, and both teams have been strong in terms of turnover margin, which is tied for 14th.

It’s a typical Big 12 matchup, and the similarities are widespread, so the margin for error is small.

3. Unleash LJ Martin

Despite the loss to Kansas last week, BYU’s rushing attack performed positively. BYU rushed for 162 yards in just eight possessions and averaged close to five yards per carry. carry (4.8).

Sophomore running back LJ Martin led the way for BYU with 15 carries for 76 yards.

Arizona State has a solid rush defense that ranks 37th nationally, but establishing the ground game is key for BYU if they are to come out of Tempe with the upset win. Martin must be a central focal point of the offense by getting the rock at least 20 times.

Two BYU vs Arizona State questions

1. Will BYU pick up the pace against ASU?

BYU had some long drives last week against Kansas. To open the third quarter, BYU had a 17-play, 66-yard scoring drive that resulted in three points and took 10:26 off the clock.

BYU enters the matchup ranked 106th nationally in plays per game at 65.0. They have been a slower team this season. But with how well they perform in the two-minute drill, could they pick up the pace this week?

“We’ve talked about that. I think there’s something about turning up the tempo a little bit,” BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick said. “But the two-minute drill, you get different coverages, you get different defenses, and it is a shorter menu of games. That menu of acting can dry up very quickly if that’s all you do for four quarters of an hour.”

By comparison, Arizona State is in the middle of the pack nationally with 70 plays per game. game, which is good for 55th nationally.

2. Will BYU’s defense and special teams generate short fields for the offense?

With BYU flying high through the first two months of the regular season, BYU’s offense was set up by short fields from the defense and special teams.

Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt has not thrown an interception in the last three games. BYU has recorded at least one interception in all ten games this season.

One Score Prediction for BYU vs Arizona State

I always like an underdog BYU in these big games. I’d be surprised if BYU didn’t do well, but will that be enough? We’ll see. Arizona State has been excellent at picking up third and fourth downs this season.

But BYU’s defense will rise and generate some takeaways on Sam Leavitt and the Arizona State offense.

It will be the difference in the game.

BYU escapes Tempe with upset win.

Score Prediction: BYU 30, Arizona State 23

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12-3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference at X: @Mitch_Harper.

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