Opponent Tracker: Week 2 Results for BYU’s 2012 Opponents


There were some big wins by the Brigham Young Cougars’ opponents this week, making their strength of schedule a little more impressive and their upcoming games a little more anticipated.

Washington State (1-1): Won over Eastern Washington, 24-20. Mike Leach gets his first win as the Washington State coach. However, Eastern Washington still had a chance in the fourth quarter. This does not make Washington State look impressive. However, the title of Pac-12 member helps voters think BYU’s win over Washington State was significant. One interesting item from this game was Kicker Andrew Furney, the only Washington State Cougar to score during last week’s game in Provo, booted a 60-yard field goal. The kid has a leg. Unfortunately, if the star of your team is a kicker, you probably won’t win a lot of games.

Next game: UNLV, Sept 15.

Weber State (0-2): Lost to BYU, 45-13. We all saw the game, read the recaps and know the outcome. Weber State was an inferior opponent, but it allowed Brigham Young some time to prepare and rest up for Utah.

Next game: McNeese State, Sept 15.

Utah (1-1): Lost 27-20 in OT to Utah State. Utah looked awful to start the game. They didn’t have any energy out of the gate, while Utah State rode the energy of its fans. The Utes didn’t start looking decent until quarterback Jordan Wynn reinjured his shoulder and left the game. Jon Hays looked better than Wynn, and helped lead a comeback to tie it up, but it wasn’t enough in overtime. It will be interesting to see if this game helps motivate Utah to come back with vengeance, or if it demoralizes them for next week.

Next game: BYU, Sept. 15.

Boise State (0-1) Did not play, bye week. 

Next game: Miami (OH) Sept. 15
Hawaii (0-1): Did not play, bye week.
Next game: Lamar, Sept 16

Utah State (2-0): Beat Utah, 27-20 in OT. The Aggies came out on fire in this game. They forced turnovers, three-and-outs, blocked punts and had the Utes on their heels. Then they didn’t score for over 35 minutes of game time. While the win was exciting for the team, it was not necessarily impressive. Utah played sloppy and gave Utah State the game by their lack of energy. So the verdict on Utah State is not out yet. We’ll wait for their judgment until after the next game when they head to Madison, Wis. They did receive one vote in the AP poll, which is some sort of consolation prize.

Next game: at Wisconsin, Sept 15.

Oregon State (1-0): Beat No. 13 Wisconsin 10-7. The Beavers held Monte Ball scoreless for the first time in 22 games and held the entire Wisconsin team scoreless until 1:31 to go in the game. Last year, Wisconsin thumped Oregon State 35-0. Either Wisconsin is a lot worse this year, Oregon State is a lot better, or a little of both. Oregon State received quite a few votes in the AP poll this week, and is sitting in the unofficial No. 29 spot. A win in their next game will likely get them ranked.

Next game: at No. 22 UCLA (who also had a big upset over No. 16 Nebraska) Sept 22.

No. 20 Notre Dame (2-0): Defeated Purdue, 20-17. Former Starter Tommy Reese came off the bench to lead the game winning drive, as Notre Dame kicked a field goal with 7 seconds to go to win the game. The win moved the Irish up two spots in the polls to No. 20. Once again, it is yet to be determined how good Notre Dame is. They haven’t played a real quality opponent yet. We will soon find out though, as they head to East Lansing next week.

Next game: No. 10 Michigan State, Sept. 15

Georgia Tech (1-1): Beat Presbyterian, 59-3.  Georgia Tech held their opponent scoreless untill the fourth quarter. They also racked up 712 yards of offensive production. It’s hard to tell how impressive this is though as Presbyterian is an FCS team.

Next game:  Virginia Sept. 15.

Idaho (0-2): Lost 21-13 to Bowling Green. Don’t plan on Idaho helping BYU’s strength of schedule at any point this season.

Next game: No. 3 LSU. Things just get worse for the Vandals.

San Jose State (1-1): Defeated UC Davis 45-13. Bounced back nicely after a tough loss to No. 21 Stanford, even if it was against an FCS team. 

Next game: Colorado State, Sept 15.

New Mexico State (1-1): Lost 51-24 to Ohio. New Mexico State was only down 21-17 in the third but Ohio pulled away. Ohio is a good team, going 10-4 last season. Also, New Mexico State easily handled Sac State last week who just beat Colorado. New Mexico State could be a little better than last year, but it probably doesn’t matter in the end. 

Next game: UTEP, Sept 15.

Oregon State and Utah State helped BYU out a little bit this week in their overall strength of schedule. If they can win again this week against tough opponents on the road, the Cougars’ schedule will start to look much more impressive.

Overall record of opponents: 10-11


The Editor appreciates all feedback. He can be reached via email at bluecougarfootball@gmail.com

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