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The Massachusetts Minutemen need to shore up a defense that is allowing 52.36 points per game. UMass and the BYU Cougars will face off in an FBS Independents battle at noon ET on Saturday at Warren P. McGuirk Alumni Stadium. UMass staggers into the contest hobbled by six consecutive losses while BYU skip in buoyed by four consecutive wins.
The Minutemen took a serious blow against the Northwestern Wildcats last week, falling 45-6. QB Randall West had a rough day: besides failing to produce a single touchdown, he threw one interception with only 175 yards passing.
BYU decided to play defense against itself, but the team still came out ahead despite 100 yards in penalties. They put the hurt on the Idaho State Bengals with a sharp 42-10 victory. BYU can attribute much of their success to RB Sione Finau, who rushed for 102 yards and one TD on 16 carries. That nimble footwork stands out as the first time Finau has hit the 100-yard rushing mark this season.
The Minutemen are the clear underdogs, so they're hoping it's the size of the fight that determines this one. Signs indicate that those betting on them against the spread won't find the odds much better since the squad is 2-8 ATS when expected to lose.
BYU's win lifted them to 6-4 while Massachusetts' loss dropped them down to 1-10. Two stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: The Minutemen are stumbling into the matchup with the sixth most interceptions in the nation, having thrown 15 on the season. To make matters even worse for the Minutemen, the Cougars enter the contest having picked the ball off 14 times, good for third in the nation. BYU's secondary is poised to pounce all over Massachusetts' passing game.
