Weekend Preview Week 5: A Great Rivalry Goes On Hold, Utah Faces First Test

September 28, 2022 Eric Jensen CFB, Nfl, Uncategorized 0

Each week in the weekend preview Eric Jensen breaks down the big games in the state of Utah and the NFL. The week 5 weekend preview kicks off now! Huge rivalries and top five NFL QB matchups await, here is the week 5 weekend preview. 

BYU USU

For the final time in several years, this big-time rivalry will be played. Let me just say, that makes me pretty sad. I wish BYU and Utah played every year and I wish BYU and USU played each year. Rivalries are the lifeblood of college football and the fact they are slowly eroding away does make me really sad.

On to the actual game, really the best place to start this is at the most important position and that is QB for Utah State. Will Logan Bonner start this game? That is still a real mystery. We have no clarity from coaches or the athletic department on whether or not Bonner will remain the starter for a key game against BYU. The answers have been cagey and cryptic, every possible statement I could make about this would be an assumption and I am not in the business of doing that.

With questions at quarterback, it is extremely difficult to see the Aggies having any shot in this game. If Bonner plays, he’s currently a turnover liability. Meanwhile, if the team goes Cooper Legas, this will be the toughest road test of his young career in a jam-packed Lavell Edwards Stadium that will be one of the top ten most hostile environments to play in across the entire country this week.

Then there is the unfortunate truth that the Aggies are down one of their top defensive tackles Seni Tuiaki, how this team plans to stop the most dominant offensive line they will play all year remains a mystery. BYU can absolutely dominate on the ground. This is going to be a mandate from Kalani Sitake, run the ball. The Cougars are simply bigger and more physical, they showed last year they have the ability to bully this defense.

Then there is the matter of coverage, how do you plan on stopping BYU’s many weapons including the return of Gunner Romney, sticks out as a real issue the Cougars will have to overcome?

BYU is simply a better team than the Aggies, in every way. This is a rivalry though, and this is college football. Chaos is a currency in this sport.

Aggie’s keys to pulling the upset

That’s the Aggie’s best shot, create chaos.

Run the Blake Anderson offense to perfection, gas a BYU defensive front that already struggles to get to the passer. Use the hurry-up to keep Logan Bonner (or whoever you run out at QB) upright and protected. Get the receivers working on double moves that caused havoc for the UNLV secondary a week ago.

Play sound defense, and adjust to the systems that other teams are playing against you. The prowler style the Aggies have played this season has been exploited by nearly every defense they have played, yet the team hasn’t seemed to make any notable adjustments from game to game. That’s a coaching failure. If this team wants a chance they need to quickly and efficiently make adjustments.

The Aggies will have to play a perfect game in all three phases to have a shot in this game, but there is a path.

Utah

This is the first test of the season Utah faces this year. Oregon State grades out as the second-best defense in the Pac-12. This was a group that held USC to 357 yards, and that’s only after a late fourth quarter surge from the Trojans.

The Oregon State turnaround has been remarkable, under head coach Jonathan Smith. This was a team barely making bowl games for a span of five years and now the expectation should be that this program finishes as a top half Pac-12 squad.

The Beavers want to win this game and win it badly, a win in Salt Lake City would announce to the conference and the nation that the Beavs have arrived as a major Pac-12 brand.

Utah Keys

Utah will have a new look going into this game, now without star tight end Brant Kuithe for the rest of the year, the focus of the offense will shift to Dalton Kincaid and Thomas Yassmin.

Hopefully, the Utes will have dynamic running back Tavion Thomas for the entirety of this showdown. Thomas and this running attack will be tested against a Beaver team that is built on stopping the run.

Cam Rising needs to be better, even in the ASU matchup, the passer made some questionable decisions, if he hopes to boost and create a draft profile for himself Rising must be much better.

This game will provide a unique test for the signal caller. His safety blanket is gone, will he be able to adjust?

Utah’s defense has improved each week, this will be the best offense they’ve seen since Florida. Just how dominant is this group? A part of me suspects that this is one of the best groups in the entire nation, and this will be a good test of that. We continue with the Week 5 Weekend preview.

NFL

A note, shorter NFL previews this week, NFL notebook will drop later this week. Bit of a change in scheduling due to BYU USU. Week 5 Weekend Preview continues.

Titans-Colts: The Titan’s offense made incremental improvements in week three but failed to play a full four quarters. The Colts coming off a flukey win, this is a game key to the AFC South division race. The loser is probably out of the mix. Give me Mike Vrabel in games like this.

Check out the latest Endzone Podcast!

Jaguars-Eagles: Two QBs at different points in their development. One playing an MVP caliber of football, the other doing a remarkable job at nailing the fundamentals of the position. The former is Jalen Hurts and the latter is Trevor Lawrence, this is a big-time matchup, and a great test for both these teams. I am still unsold on the Jags, a win here would change that.

Jets-Steelers: Pressures on for Zach Wilson. The offense has weapons, you cannot drop a dud where you only score field goals. Anything less than 24 points against a reeling Steelers defense would be a massive disappointment. The time is now for Zach Wilson, he hasn’t shown us anything yet. He needs to start.

Bills-Ravens: The Bills secondary has been demolished by injuries. Micah Hyde is done for the season, Christian Benford has a fractured hand and Tre White still out this is a group with very few answers. They now face the man that has arguably put together the best resume of any QB so far this season Lamar Jackson. These are two teams that have similar problems, their offenses are very reliant on the spectacular abilities of their respective QBs. The Ravens have planned around that though and though the offense isn’t flawless yet, you can see the bones of what will be a very dangerous team come late October.

Broncos-Raiders: The Raiders season is on the line, at the start of October, I do not think I could have predicted that. This was a team I just thought was going to be much better. The Bronco’s defense has been outstanding, they should be treated as the best unit in this game. The only thing I have ever felt sure about is this, take the under here. Neither of these teams are going to suddenly get explosive this week. Please, I am begging you, do not lose to the Raiders, personally, that would really suck for me.