College Football Week 8 continues on Saturday afternoon and we will see the BYU Cougars travel to South Bend, Indiana to take on the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on NBC. Currently the odds for the game have Notre Dame favored by 13 points, while the total sits at 40. Currently 56% of the Public is on Notre Dame, while 88% is on the Under. Find out what side the Public is taking on all the games by clicking HERE.
Free Analysis: Bronco Mendenhall is an impressive 70-27 at his alma mater, but the Cougars have struggled to remain above .500, sitting at 4-3 overall this season. BYU is facing its second straight top-10 foe, after falling to Oregon State last weekend in Provo, 42-24. BYU possesses a balanced offense that is churning out just under 400 yards per game, with solid rushing (173.6 ypg) and adequate passing (223.0 ypg). The real problem for the team is lack of consistency under center, as neither Riley Nelson nor Taysom Hill have distinguished themselves. Nelson is coming off a game in which he threw for 305 yards on a career-high 28 completions against Oregon State, but three interceptions were certainly problematic. On the year, Nelson has completed just 57.6 percent of his throws, for 1,059 yards, with six touchdowns against eight interceptions. Hill provides more of a threat with his legs, ranking second on the team with 336 yards and four TDs. No matter who is under center, Cody Hoffman has been the primary target, leading BYU in receptions (41) and receiving yards (534). Jamaal Williams, a 17-year old freshman, is averaging 5.3 yards per carry and leads the team with 345 rushing yards and five scores. BYU's defense was torched last week for 450 yards by the Beavers, a bit of an anomaly, as the Cougars have been strong on that side of the football this year, ranking seventh nationally in scoring defense (13.6 ppg), third in rush defense (67.9 ypg) and fifth in total defense (260.9 ypg). Linebacker Brandon Ogletree paces the team with 57 total tackles. Fellow linebacker Kyle Van Noy has been a force upfield, disrupting opposing offenses with team-highs in both TFLs (11.5) and sacks (7.5).
Brian Kelly's Irish have beaten the odds so far, and all of their opponents to date, surviving a gauntlet of foes, including marquee wins over a trio of top-25 teams in Michigan State (20-3), Michigan (13-6) and most recently, Stanford (20-13 OT). With the win over the Cardinal, the Irish were awarded the fifth spot in the first edition of the BCS rankings that came out last Sunday. BYU's staunch run defense will be put to the test by Notre Dame this week, as the Irish are beginning to get their ground game going. The team is averaging a solid 181.2 yards per game rushing the football, with a trio of productive tailbacks in Theo Riddick (308 yards, three TDs), George Atkinson III (9.1 ypc, three TDs) and Cierre Wood (5.9 ypc, two TDs). Perhaps a weakness on the offensive side of the ball is the inconsistent play of starting quarterback Everett Golson, who has completed 58.5 percent of his passes, for 968 yards, with four TDs and three INTs. Golson's decision making could force Kelly to make a change to veteran Tommy Rees, who saved the day against Stanford, after Golson suffered a mild concussion. It is a defense that has not yielded an offensive touchdown since Sept. 8 that has fueled Notre Dame's run this season. The Irish continue to dominate on that side of the football, ranking second nationally in scoring defense (8.7 ppg), 14th in pass defense (173.5 ypg) and 11th in total defense (287.0 ypg). In addition, the team has collected 15 turnovers. Middle linebacker Manti Te'o has placed himself among the favorites for the Butkus Award this season. The two-time All-American leads the team in tackles (59), with three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
Free Pick: Really just one way to look in this game and that is one the Under. Last week BYU got into a shootout vs Oregon State and allot of points were scored, but that is not the game plan of either of these coaches. Notre Dame's young QB Golson has made some mistakes this year, but the Irish ground game has taken some of the pressure off by piling up 206 ypg in their last 3 games. BYU also needs their run game to get going and take some pressure off of their struggling QB's. I really expect this to be a ball control, field position type of game, with a score in the low 30's at best.
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