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BYU vs West Virginia won’t be an easy one for BYU fans to watch if Kedon Slovis can’t figure out how to run the offense efficiently. BYU will take on West Virginia with backup quarterback Jake Retzlaff due to Slovis suffering an injury at some point during one of the games since the BYE Week.
BYU
Offense
BYU will be without Kedon Slovis on Saturday which may be the best thing for the Cougars. Slovis hasn’t shown that he can effectively lead an offense without a run game. Jake Retzlaff will step into the starting role this weekend. Retzlaff is a transfer from Riverside City College in California. He is more of a dual threat quarterback so maybe he can get the run game going.
Retzlaff will need to complete at least 60% of his passes and look for opportunities to run the ball. The Cougars should try and work on the run game with Miles Davis, and LJ Martin because they have shown the most success at running it this season. Finally, the line will need to help out Retzlaff and keep the run game alive.
Defense
The Cougar defense better be ready for a very run-heavy game. They will need to keep it tight at the line and not get run over by the running backs. The game got away from them at Texas because they were on the field too often but also they struggled to stop the run. BYU’s defense also has a great game when they get at least one turnover so they will need to cause multiple to beat the Mountaineers.
Special Teams
They have to get stops and not let West Virginia control their own field position. Rehkow does an amazing job at getting the ball down the field now it’s time for the rest of the special teams to keep it there.
West Virginia
West Virginia is from Morgantown, WV, and plays in Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. The last time these two teams met on the Gridiron was in 2016 when BYU lost 35-32.
Offense
They rely heavily on the run game and that is most of their yards on offense. Their quarterback can sling it when he needs to in order to get down the field. He is quick to leave the pocket but can also run if he needs to.
Defense
This defense is quick off the line and is quick to the quarterback if they sit there in the backfield. The defensive backs are ready to pick off any ball that is even the slightest of its target. Finally, the linebackers are big, and fast, and will hit the quarterback if he doesn’t get the ball off or leave the pocket to run.
