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Thursday, December 20th
Poinsettia Bowl - Qualcomm Stadium 8:00 PM ET
BYU Cougars vs. San Diego St.
Aztecs (+3/48.5)
How BYU got here
The second season as an Independent did not go as good as
the first for BYU but it can still be considered another successful one. The
Cougars finished the regular season at 7-5 but losses to Utah, Boise St.
and Notre Dame were by a combined seven points and all of those came on the
road. But BYU really had only two quality wins this season so it could be out
to prove something here against its former MWC foe. The Cougars have now gone
to a bowl game in each of head coach Bronco Mendenhall's eight years at the
helm and they are currently riding a three-game bowl winning streak.
How San Diego St. got
here
With only six starters returning on each side of the ball,
expectations were not very high in San
Diego. After starting the season 2-3, it looked as
though it was definitely a rebuilding season for the Aztecs but they reeled off
seven straight wins to claim a share of the MWC regular season title. Four of
those wins came against poor competition but the other three victories came
against other bowl teams so the winning streak has some validity to it. Having
an eight-game winning streak before going to the Big East (or maybe back to the
MWC), would be huge for next season.
Interesting Stat
BYU and San
Diego St. have met 35 times with BYU holding the
edge 27-7-1 including winning the last five being by an average of 18.6 ppg.
Breakdown
It is game number 13 for BYU and the quarterback controversy
still lingers. Backup quarterback James Lark led the Cougars to an easy win
over New Mexico St.
in the season finale but Riley Nelson is healthy again so a decision needs to
be made and BYU may keep San Diego St. guessing for a while. While the offense
is ranked 56th overall, BYU brings in the nation's third best defense, allowing
only 266.3 ypg. The Aztecs have scored a lot but the total offense is ranked
only 57th in the nation so they could have some issues against the Cougars stop
unit. San Diego St.
has allowed 28 or more points five times but 14 or fewer points five times so
this game could be decided on which one of those defenses shows up.
Trending
BYU is 0-6 ATS this season following a win while San Diego St. is
5-1 ATS in its last six games following a win.
San Diego St.
has gone under in 18 of its last 22 games after outgaining its last opponent by
175 or more yards.
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