BYU Cougars(6-6) vs Western Michigan Broncos(7-5)
The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl will take place Friday December 21st at 4 PM EST and can be seen on ESPN. The game will, of course, be played on the blue turf of Boise State’s Albertsons Stadium. A bad down year for the Cougars kept them out of a bowl last year, but they rebounded to get to their 13th bowl in the last 14 years. This is Tim Lester’s first bowl game at WMU, after not receiving an invite last season.
How They Got Here: BYU Cougars
BYU was absolutely awful in 2017, especially the offense which was one the worst in FBS. In 2018 however, the Cougars have rebounded and improved on both sides of the ball.
BYU relies on a defense that does not give up big plays, and an efficient running game. On defense the Cougars only give up 4.7 yards per play, which is top 25 nationally. They are led by senior linebacker Sione Takitaki, who led the team in tackles and senior defensive end Corbin Kaufusi. Unfortunately, they will be missing Kaufusi – who led the team in TFLs and sacks- because of an injury. True freshman Zach Wilson took over at QB for Tanner Magnum midseason and has hung on to the job. Wilson has been a dual threat for BYU, with over 1200 passing yards and an average yards per carry of 7.1. The Cougars also rely on a trio of running backs who all have at more than 350 yards and at least 70 carries.
How They Got Here: Western Michigan Broncos
WMU fell back to Earth after their breakout 13-1 season under PJ Fleck and went 6-6 in 2017. While the Broncos might not have been better this year, they did improve their record enough to receive a bowl invite in their second year with Tim Lester.
Western Michigan was above average on offense and averaged 33 points per game. Quarterback Jon Wassink threw for nearly 2000 yards, 16 touchdowns and averaged 13.2 yards per completion. The running game was also solid, with the duo of LeVante Bellamy and Jamauri Bogan combined for almost 1900 yards and 21 touchdowns. True freshman receiver Jayden Reed led the team with 56 catches, 797 yards and 8 touchdowns through the air. However, defense is where the Broncos really struggled. They allowed 35 points per game against fellow MAC teams and 6.0 yards per play overall. WMU has also struggled on special teams this season, especially with punting and returning kick offs.
Player to Watch: Zach Wilson(BYU)
Wilson only took over for Magnum halfway through the season so his stats don’t seem as impressive as they really are. In just six full games he threw for 1200 yards and 8 touchdowns while completing 62% of his passes. He also ran for 321 yards and 2 more touchdowns with 7.1 yards per carry. If Wilson had been given a full season of starts, he certainly would have put up more eye popping number. Zach Wilson will certainly be one to watch in the Potato Bowl and the next few years.
Betting Lines:
The line is currently at BYU -12 and the over/under is at 50.
Prediction:
BYU is a much better team and they should win comfortably. WMU is reliant on big plays in the passing game, but the Cougars are one of the best teams in the country at limiting explosiveness. If BYU limits WMU to only a couple of big plays, this one could get out of hand.