Washington at BYU NCAA Football Picks & Predictions 9/21/2019

Saturday, September 21, 2019

LaVell Edwards Stadium

LaVell Edwards Stadium is the venue where Zach Wilson and the BYU Cougars will play the Washington Huskies on Saturday. Washington opens this matchup as 7.5-point favorites. The total is set at 46.5. The Huskies are 2-1-0 ATS and 2-1-0 when betting on the total. The Cougars are 1-2-0 when wagering on the over/under and 2-1-0 against the spread.

Key Washington Huskies Injuries

09/15/19 TE Jacob Kizer Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs BYU
09/15/19 WR Quinten Pounds Suspension is out Saturday vs BYU
09/15/19 WR Trey Lowe Infection is questionable Saturday vs BYU
08/31/19 WR Ty Jones Wrist is out indefinitely
08/29/19 QB Jake Haener Personal has left team
08/19/19 DL John Clark Knee is out for season

Key BYU Cougars Injuries

09/15/19 DB Sawyer Powell Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Washington
09/15/19 LB Zayne Anderson Undisclosed is questionable Saturday vs Washington
08/01/19 WR Neil Pau'u Suspension is out for season
07/08/19 RB Beau Hoge Leg is out for season

In the last game they played, the Washington Huskies played the Hawaii Warriors and earned the win by a score of 52-20. Salvon Ahmed led the team on the ground for the game. He had a long run of 42 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He ran for 83 yards via 8 carries which meant he averaged 10.4 yards per tote. Hunter Bryant was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 115 yards on 5 catches. He averaged 23.0 yards per catch for the game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Huskies was Jacob Eason who went 18/25 with 262 yards passing and completed 3 TD's. He ended the game with no interceptions. The Washington Huskies rushed the ball a total of 30 times and added 192 yards giving them an average of 6.4 yards per carry. In the game, the Huskies had a total of 22 1st downs and they totaled 3 penalties for 30 yards which tells us that they had a disciplined week in practice. Overall, they totaled 56 plays which gave them a total of 452 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Washington conceded 26 completions on 47 attempts for a total of 254 yards, and a completion percentage of 55.3%. For the game, they conceded a total of 395 yards and earned 3 takeaways. On the ground, the Huskies conceded 141 yards on 34 attempts which means they allowed 4.1 yards per carry allowed.

The Huskies head into this matchup 2-1 this year. For total yardage, they rank 4th in the Pac-12 and 31st in the nation with 1,370 yards. They are one of the most potent offenses in the country with an average of 39.3 points per game, putting them 27th in the nation. As a team, they have an average of 192.7 rushing yards per game which is 4th in the Pac-12. The Huskies have one of the top tier defenses in D-1, giving up 18 points per contest putting them 6th in the conference. When it comes to yards through the air, the Huskies have allowed 792 yards. Teams are completing 58% of the throws they are attempting against them and averaging 5.8 yards per attempt. When it comes to rushing yards, Washington is allowing 132 yards per game putting them 6th in the Pac-12 Conference and 60th in Division 1. Opposing teams are running for an average of 3.9 yards per carry which has them at 6th in the Pac-12 and 66th in the nation overall. Overall, they have conceded 396 yards rushing through 3 contests.

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In their last outing, the BYU Cougars played the USC Trojans and ended up getting the win by a score of 30-27. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Cougars was Zach Wilson who went 20/33 with 280 yards through the air and threw 1 touchdown. He finished the game without throwing an interception. Ty'Son Williams paced the team in rushing in the game. He broke a long run for 26 yards but he never crossed the endzone by way of the rush. He rushed for 99 yards via 19 carries which means he ran for an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Gunner Romney was the leader in receiving yardage by racking up 54 yards on 3 catches. He notched an average of 18.0 yards per reception in the game. The BYU Cougars ran the football 40 times and added 131 yards which earned them an average of 3.3 yards per carry. Overall, they finished with a total of 74 plays for a total of 430 yards. For the game, the Cougars earned 21 1st downs and they had 5 penalties for 39 yards which tells us that they had an average outing in terms of discipline. In terms of defense, BYU gave up 24 catches on 34 attempts totaling 281 yards, and a completion percentage of 70.6%. In the running game, the Cougars gave up 171 yards on 45 attempts which gave them an average of 3.8 yards per rushing attempt allowed. On the day, they allowed 452 yards and earned 3 turnovers.

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The Cougars head into this game 2-1. BYU needs to do more to make teams respect their running game by averaging 110 yards on the ground per contest, which has them at 110th in the country. As a unit, they have compiled a total of 330 rushing yards through 3 games, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Cougars average 356.3 yards per contest overall putting them 94th in college football and 2nd among Independent teams. The Cougars are conceding 27.7 points per game which puts them at 4th among FBS Independent teams and 83rd in the country. Their pass defense is one of the top groups in the nation. They are giving up 187.7 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Cougars currently sit at 4th among Independent teams. When talking about points allowed, they have given up 83 points in total. When it comes to rushing yards, they are conceding 225 yards per game ranking them 121st in D-1 and 3rd among Independent teams. For the 2019 season, they have conceded 675 yards rushing and 3 rushing TDs.

Who will win tonight's Huskies/Cougars college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Huskies -7.5

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