Five Players to Watch Against Utah State
Coming into tonight's contest against Utah State, BYU is favored by 24.5 points and ranked no. 19 in the country. If you're heading to the game tonight or planning to watch from home, here are five players to watch against Utah State.
1. Miles Davis #19 - RB
The storyline: Can Miles Davis repeat his breakout performance against Wyoming?
After a career high 131 rushing yards on 13 attempts against Wyoming, Miles Davis was promoted from third-string running back to co-starter. Davis has received a lot of praise from the coaching staff over the last two years and he proved their praises right last Saturday night. Davis has the physical athleticism and tools to win the starting job, but he's inexperienced and unproven, especially against P5 competition.
If Davis is going to be trusted to take more carries against Notre Dame next week, he needs to take care of the football and take advantage of a bad Utah State run defense.
2. John Nelson #94 - DL
The storyline: Is John Nelson one of BYU's top defensive lineman this season?
John Nelson is the second-highest graded defensive lineman on BYU's defense this season. Nelson, a sophomore out of Salem Hills High School, was not a highly-touted recruit out of high school. He was a low three-star recruit with only one competing offer from Idaho State.
As a freshman last season, Nelson appeared in all 13 games for BYU. He tallied 12 tackles and 2 tackles for loss in 2021. Through the first four games of his sophomore campaign, Nelson has looked like one of BYU's top defensive lineman. He leads the Cougars with two sacks and he has already matched his 2021 total with two tackles for loss.
3. Micah Harper #1 - DB
The storyline: Should Micah Harper move into a starting safety spot?
Micah Harper, who missed the entire 2021 season with an ACL injury, played only 25 snaps during the first three games. Harper has been listed behind Ammon Hannemann as the backup strong safety. Against Wyoming, Harper took on a bigger role and played 31 snaps. Harper took advantage of the opportunity, leading BYU with six tackles.
Harper has looked like BYU's best tackler in space and he has also looked like one of BYU's best 11 on defense.
4. Kody Epps #0 - WR
The storyline: Can Kody Epps become a deep threat?
Kody Epps leads all BYU receivers with 16 receptions through 4 games. His longest reception of the season, however, is just 18 yards and he is averaging 7.0 yards per reception. Epps has proven that he can get open in tight spaces and move the chains. Can he take his game to the next level and become a reliable deep threat?
5. Jaren Hall
The storyline: Can Jaren Hall move into first round conversations?
Jaren Hall has been spectacular this season. Through four games, Hall is 103/144 (71.5%) with 9 touchdowns and 1 interception. According to ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, Hall's NFL Draft stock is "rising fast". Can Jaren Hall move into first round conversations if he continues this pace for the rest of the season?
Hall was projected to be a first-round pick by a few mock drafts over the Summer. With a strong finish to the season, he could move into first round conversations and become the second BYU quarterback drafted in the first round in the last three years.
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