Utah-BYU matchups in review

Throughout the week, the Deseret Morning News has taken a daily look at the matchups for today's BYU-Utah game. The following is a review of those matchups with one final analysis:

BYU RUN OFFENSE vs. UTAH RUN DEFENSE

The Cougar running game is not among the nation's elite in terms of production. Through 11 games, BYU averages 147.1 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 49th nationally and third in the MWC. But a number of Mountain West coaches have credited much of BYU's success on offense to its physical rushing attack, and the Cougars lead the conference in rushing TDs (23). Curtis Brown, Fui Vakapuna and Manase Tonga have effectively shared the workload. Utah once again presents a physical front that has played well against the run (112.2 ypg, ranked 33rd nationally). The Utes have yet to allow a running back to rush for more than 100 yards in a game this year. Utah will need to prevent the Cougars from controlling the tempo with long scoring drives and short third-down situations, making this one of the best matchups of the game.

BYU PASS OFFENSE vs. UTAH PASS DEFENSE

The Cougars have the No. 1 passing offense in the conference and the fourth-best in the country (314.2 yards per game). John Beck and Co. threw for 313 yards on Wyoming, the best pass defense in the conference, two weeks ago. Last week, BYU put up 464 passing yards on New Mexico, though Beck did throw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and missed several open receivers on deep passes. Michael Reed and McKay Jacobson have emerged as deep threats, but the Cougars have really carved up opponents with short, precise passes. Utah is near the bottom of the conference in pass defense, giving up 206.5 yards per game. The Utes' four losses have featured efficient performances from the opposing teams' quarterbacks — UCLA's Ben Olson (25-33, 318 yards), Boise State's Jared Zabransky (15-21, 210), Wyoming's Karsten Sween (17-24, 202) and New Mexico's Donovan Porterie (19-33, 350). BYU should have its most pronounced advantage in this area, but the likely MWC defensive player of the year, Eric Weddle (6 ints.), will certainly have an impact.

UTAH RUN OFFENSE vs. BYU RUN DEFENSE