Score Prediction for No. 23 BYU vs WVU

BYU WR Parker Kingston against Colorado | BYU Photo

On Friday night, BYU will host the West Virginia Mountaineers for the first time at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The two programs have played each other twice or the last decade and the Mountaineers lead the all-time series 2-0.

This time around, BYU is a heavy favorite against a WVU team that has struggled in conference play. As of this writing, the Cougars are favored by three scores. The Mountaineers got a key win against bitter rival Pitt in non-conference play, but they have been outscored 89-28 in their first two conference games.

This game will come down to BYU's run defense. The Mountaineers will run the ball at all costs. Despite trailing the game early on against Utah, WVU ran the ball 48 times last weekend. BYU's run defense was dominant the first two weeks. It has been less dominant in the last two games - BYU has allowed 146 rushing yards per game.

WVU will gain some yards, but if BYU limits the WVU ground attack, this game will be a blowout.

On offense, the WVU defense has the talent to be a test for young BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier. WVU blitzes as much as any team in the country (top 10 nationally), and they have been effective at getting after the quarterback. The Mountaineers have a top 10 pressure rate and they rank 35th nationally in sacks.

The WVU defense is not bad, but they have been put in some tough spots with an offense that has really struggled. However, one area where the WVU defense has been vulnerable is giving up big plays. The Mountaineers have given up 10 plays of 30 yards or more this season which ranks 90th nationally. BYU, on the other hand, is first nationally in that category. BYU has allowed just two plays of 30 or more yards.

We expect BYU to be able to move the ball in this game, and we expect the BYU defense to make life really difficult on the WVU offense. There will be a few BYU drives that end in field goals instead of touchdowns, and that will be the difference between a comfortable win and a blowout win.

BYU 34 | WVU 17