BYU Football: 3 Keys to Beating Virginia
While riding an impressive 3-0 record, BYU will host Virginia on Saturday (1:30 p.m. MDT, ESPN). The Cougars and Cavaliers played last season, and after a bizarre lightning delay, UVa squeaked by with a 19-16 win.
This will be BYU's second home game of the season, as they beat Houston last week in Provo. Virginia is also coming off of an impressive win after upsetting then-No. 21 Louisville a week ago.
The Cavaliers will definitely be a tough team for BYU to beat, but what must the Cougs do to pull off a win? Here are four keys to a BYU victory against UVa.
Limit Turnovers
BYU committed three turnovers in last week's game against Houston, and although they still managed to win, it will be difficult to do the same against Virginia. The Cavaliers defense is ranked in the top 10 in sacks and could give BYU's offense fits.
Most importantly, Virginia's offense is at its best off of turnovers.
Vs Louisville UVa had 5 scoring drives. 4 of them were 20 yds or less off 4 turnovers. If BYU is +1 in TO margin I don't see a loss Saturday
— Jarom Jordan (@jaromjordan) September 18, 2014
UVa is a good team on both sides of the ball, and turnovers could end up killing the Cougs. If BYU can limit its turnovers, it will have a much better chance at keeping a perfect record.
Establish a Successful Running Offense Early On
The matchup between BYU's rushing offense and Virginia's rushing defense will be a fun one to watch. If the Cougars can successfully run the ball early on in the game, it will open up the passing offense and quickly establish momentum.
The Cougars offense is currently averaging nearly 260 rushing yards per game, while Virginia's defense is allowing only 84. The Cavaliers boast arguably the best rushing defense BYU will face all season, and it will be interesting to see how the Cougars react.
Eliminate Penalties
BYU currently leads the FBS in penalties and penalty yards.
That isn't a good thing.
But somehow, 288 penalty yards later, the Cougars are still sitting pretty at 3-0. That's not to say they don't need to eliminate penalties, because it will be very, very difficult to remain undefeated (not to mention beat Virginia) if they continue seeing 10 yellow flags per game.
Hopefully, BYU will clean up its game and get a huge win Saturday against Virginia.