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Three Goals for BYU Against Utah State

Three goals that will have BYU moving in the right direction for the October stretch of the schedule

When BYU and Utah State face off on Thursday night, it will be a battle of two programs heading in opposite directions. BYU is 24-5 in its last 29 games, ranked no. 19 in the AP poll, and will move to the Big 12 next season. Utah State is 1-3 with consecutive losses to Weber State and UNLV. The Aggies' lone victory came against one of the worst FBS teams in the country: UConn. After all, there's a reason why BYU is favored by 24.5 points.

Although BYU is a major favorite, there are various areas where the Cougars can show improvement ahead of a tough matchup against Notre Dame. Here are three goals that will have BYU moving in the right direction for the October stretch of the schedule. 

1. Force turnovers

BYU vs Oregon Keenan Pili Logan Lutui

Last season, BYU's defense ranked 21st in the country with 23 forced turnovers. Through four games this season, BYU ranks 124th with only two forced turnovers. Creating turnovers and flipping the field can cover up some defensive deficiencies, and BYU's defensive hasn't been able to reap the benefits of consistently creating turnovers like it did last season. 

The BYU defense should have opportunities to create turnovers against Utah State. USU starting quarterback Logan Bonner has thrown the most interceptions in the country with eight. As a team, the Aggies have turned it over 12 times this season. That ranks 129 out of 131 FBS teams.

BYU needs to take advantage of Utah State's weakness and force turnovers on Thursday night.

2. Dominate in the trenches

Utah State has been one of the worst teams in the country in the trenches. The Aggies' offense ranks 123rd in rushing success rate and their defense ranks 114th in success rate against the run. 

BYU has proven that its passing attack can move the football. Against Utah State, it needs to prove that it can go back to dominating a game on the ground. This is also an opportunity for BYU's defense to assert its will and dominate in the trenches. Last year against BYU, the Aggies rushed for only 31 yards on 35 carries. That's a challenging number to duplicate, but BYU's front seven should look dominant on Thursday night.

3. Stay healthy

Multiple starters were held out of last Saturday's game against Wyoming. There were also multiple starters that left the game due to injury against the Pokes. BYU is approaching a critical stretch on its schedule, and it needs to be as healthy as possible to beat Notre Dame and Arkansas.

Although this third and final goal is mostly out of BYU's control, BYU needs to avoid injuries as much as possible against Utah State. A big lead in the second half could allow the Cougars to rest their starters and help achieve this goal.

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