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LOGAN — BYU and Utah State will resume their football rivalry on Friday night in Logan. BYU has won five of the last six matchup with the Aggies under head coach Bronco Mendenhall, with the lone loss coming in Logan in 2010.
Here's a look at what the Aggies are saying about the clash with the Cougars:
Head Coach Matt Wells on BYU ...
"As I look at them, it's stop the run and run the ball. We're going to have to find ways to run the ball on offense and stop the QB run game. Taysom (Hill) is an extremely talented young man, I've got a lot of respect for him. He's a very good athlete, very tough-minded kid who has a lot of intangibles you like to coach. He's the key to that offense; he makes it go."
"As I look at them from an offensive perspective, looking at their defense, I think they are a very Bronco Mendenhall-coached defense. I have a lot of respect for him and his defensive staff. I've played against him at Tulsa, at New Mexico and every year here. Some things don't change. Schematically, they're very sound in what they do. They run to the football, they tackle well in space, and they play with high-level energy. They're high-effort guys. That is stuff that I don't believe is born into players, it's coached into them. I've got a lot of respect for them and what they do on defense. It's always been a challenge and a tough defense to go find points, find seams, and find advantages. I think they do a great job."
"They're very good in the return game. Special teams wise, our coverage teams will have their work cut out for them. Our kickoff and our punt teams will have to contain those guys. I think they do a good job of that."
"It should be a great atmosphere, I'm looking forward to it. With 6,500 students and the HURD there, and the game has been sold out for a few weeks now. The atmosphere and the buzz around Logan is big-time, and fun. Internally, the way we prepare and practice, we need to stay very consistent."
Coach Wells on Taysom Hill's improvements ...
"A lot of his improvements are in his receivers. A lot of passing game, the spotlight gets put on the quarterback, good or bad. When Chuckie (Keeton) has a really good game, when Taysom has a really good game or when Peyton Manning has a really good game, you say ‘Oh, he was right on.' But a lot of times, they're contested catches. The spacing and the timing is just really good on the perimeter. Then when it's not a good passing outing, everything gets pointed right back on the quarterback. Sometimes it's rhythm, sometimes it's protection, sometimes it's something flashing in front of the quarterback's face. Maybe there's penetration, maybe there's pressure on him from an O-Line or running back standpoint and pass protection. I'm sure they're getting some kinks worked out. It looked really smooth Friday night on the tape that I saw. I'm sure there are plenty of people around him who are more confident and doing a good job."
Senior Offensive Tackle Eric Schultz on the BYU game ...
"As far as this coming week with BYU, It's an exciting week for everyone here at Utah State. Everyone gets amped for this game and I do too. Even being from Washington, I grew up in a fairly Mormon community and everyone seemed to like BYU, I never have liked BYU, so it's big for me. They look good and they're a good defensive team. As I look at the front, they have Kyle Van Noy and a lot of returning guys. Eathyn (Manumaleuna) came back from an injury last year and he's a good player, they've got good players."
Junior Defensive End B.J. Larsen on what an in-state game vs. BYU means to him personally ...
"It's big, it's really big. I kind of have a sour taste in my mouth from last year and hoping to get rid of that. This is why you play sports, for rivalry games. I grew up around BYU and the University of Utah, I'm from Logan, my dad actually went to BYU, but I've converted him to an Aggie fan. I bleed Aggie Blue and I want this win more than anyone."
Coach Wells on BYU's ability to contain mobile quarterbacks ...
"I think they contain a lot of guys whether or not they're mobile. They put a lot of pressures on pocket passers. You can see some of the stuff they do in the different quarterbacks they face. I think Bronco does a nice job of structuring game plans to who they're facing. They're always schematically sound as far as numbers are concerned with angles and leverage. To be able to create things for Chuckie (Keeton) or downfield for our wide receivers is a challenge because they do a great job with that."
Eric Schultz on BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy ...
"We're definitely preparing for him. He always finds a way to make a play. We were watching film today and he's four yards away from the offensive tackle, the tackle barely sets off and he jumps up and bats the ball. He's that good of an athlete that he seems to make plays no matter where he's at on the field. We've got to account for him for sure."
B.J. Larsen on Taysom Hill ...
"He can run the ball very well. He's fast, he's athletic, he's strong, he's a good player and we got a little taste of it when we played them last year down in Provo. He's a good player, but we're going to be able to scheme to the point where we can contain him. We'll be able to do what we need to as a defensive front, as well as a front-seven, to be able to stop the run. That's our number one objective, don't let anybody establish the run. That's what we do best so that's what we plan on doing."
