Perhaps Joe Glenn was just being coy. Or, perhaps, the Wyoming football coach was just being honest about tonight’s Mountain West Conference showdown against No. 25 Brigham Young.
“The odds of us going into Utah and beating BYU in Provo are small. Anybody knows that, Las Vegas knows that,” Glenn said. “But that’s why we play the games – crazy things happen.”
The Cowboys (5-5, 4-2 MWC) are riding tall, having won four of their past five games. A second bowl invitation in the past three seasons is within reach.
Much of the credit goes to a pass defense ranked sixth in the nation, yielding just 140.1 yards a game. But if any team can knock the Cowboys out of the saddle, it’s the Cougars (7-2, 5-0). Their multidimensional offense, led by quarterback John Beck, hits with sledgehammer force from any direction.
“Where do you start?” Wyoming junior cornerback and Bear Creek High product Michael Medina said. “They have a very good passing offense, a good running attack and a very good quarterback that puts the ball on the money. They spread it around and throw to everyone. And they throw the ball to the backs a lot, and those backs are big.”
None is bigger than 6-foot-1, 234-pound sophomore Fui Vakapuna. He has caught a mere eight passes for 69 yards, but turned three catches into touchdowns.
BYU’s leading receiver is senior running back Curtis Brown (43 for 412 yards, two touchdowns). Another of Beck’s favorite targets is senior tight end Jonny Harline (34 for 451, six TDs). Big, fast and strong, he’ll challenge Wyoming’s secondary.
All told, nine Cougars have caught touchdown passes.
“We are going to have to play tight on their receivers, because if we don’t, Beck will pick you apart,” junior cornerback Julius Stinson said.
Wyoming’s defense allows just 248.0 yards a game, best in the conference and eighth in the nation. BYU counters with an offense averaging 440.8 yards a game, first in the league and seventh in the country.
Something has got to give, and it very well could be the Cowboys’ defensive line. They have played well this season, getting pressure on the quarterback, creating chaos in the backfield and taking pressure off the secondary.
However, they’ll be a lot of beef between the Cowboys’ pass rushers and Beck. BYU’s offensive line outweighs Wyoming’s defensive line by nearly 51 pounds per man.
That means Wyoming’s linebackers and defensive backs will be under the gun, not just to contain BYU’s passing game, but create turnovers.
“Our secondary and our linebackers have played beyond our wildest dreams,” Glenn said. “But for us to have a chance to win, we’ve to got to make plays. We have to get a short field somehow and get some big plays from our defense.”
GAME BREAKDOWN
Players to watch
Wyoming (5-5, 4-2): Senior strong safety John Wendling, the team’s leading tackler and defensive leader, must shut down passes out of the backfield and stuff BYU running back Curtis Brown. Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween has to be better tonight than he was Saturday against San Diego State (15-for-25, just 97 yards). Sween must play mistake-free and take advantage of any scoring chances.
BYU (7-2, 5-0): Senior LB Cameron Jensen is a Brian Urlacher-type player who wrecks offensive game plans. He was named MWC defensive player of the week for his nine-tackle, two-sack performance Saturday against Colorado State. QB John Beck is a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The senior needs 43 yards Saturday to pass Jim McMahon (9,536) and move into second place on BYU’s career passing list behind Ty Detmer (15,031). Beck has completed an amazing 71 percent of his passes (185-of-260) this season.
Key stat
34.4: Points per game for BYU, best in the Mountain West. Chances are, Wyoming will also have to put up a bunch of points to hang close.
Key for Wyoming
Contain BYU running back Brown. Last year in Laramie, he ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns. In 2004 in Provo, he ran for 159 yards and one touchdown and also threw a 40-yard TD pass.
Key for BYU
Dominate the line of scrimmage and control the game’s tempo. The Cougars’ offensive line outweighs the Cowboys’ defensive line by more than 50 pounds per man.
Patrick Saunders can be reached at 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com.
