BYU’s Rush Defense Faces a Tough Test at Cincinnati

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00:00Now you got BYU number 12 traveling to Cincinnati, the Nasty Natty.

00:05What do you think of them?

00:07Yeah, it's a really great game, Schlegs, inside Nippert Stadium,

00:10and it's a really big test for BYU's rush defense.

00:12But BYU took on Utah, who was one of the five best rushing offenses in the country,

00:17averaging more than 260 yards per game.

00:19They were able to limit what the Utes wanted to do offensively,

00:22which I thought could be the undoing for BYU's defense in Provo.

00:26Quite the opposite.

00:27A very similar challenge against this Cincinnati team,

00:30who despite the loss last week to Arizona,

00:32who also can bring some physicality up front,

00:35is going to be reared up and ready for this game inside Nippert.

00:38So the key for me is BYU's rushing defense against Cincinnati,

00:41that without Evan Pryor, who is one of the best backs in the Big 12,

00:45have not had that third dimension to pair with Brendan Sorsby and Tawie Walker

00:49to kind of pick up that production.

00:51I think Sorsby's play at the quarterback spot has kind of fallen off a little bit,

00:55back to what we can expect out of Sorsby,

00:57at least based on what we have seen from his very long collegiate career.

01:01The dynamic rushing attack for Cincinnati will be key.

01:04I think BYU's rushing defense is ready for it.

01:07The Cougs never really get the respect from the odds maker's perspective,

01:09but I think they are in the business of winning this game and winning this game

01:13convincingly by at least a touchdown.

01:14I think I saw the line last at four and a half, five and a half in favor of BYU on the road.

01:19I'd lay it with the Cougs.

01:21So SEC only has two intra-conference matchups.

01:25The rest of them are facing FCS teams from around the south.

01:30One of those matchups, though, the big rivalry, Tennessee-Florida.

01:33Now, Florida, they're in the Lane Kiffin sweepstakes.

01:36Apparently his family's touring Gainesville and everything else.

01:39You know, Tennessee in the top 25, probably not within striking distance to be able to get in

01:44to the CFP at this point, especially with that third loss.

01:47But Tennessee, I understand it's on the road.

01:49Only favored by four and a half, though, Ben.

01:51That seems like that's one of those smelly lines where they're just dying for you to take Tennessee.

01:56Is there something there that we're not seeing?

01:58I think it's still the power ratings, Bobby, and we have seen that this year for these teams

02:02that were expected to enter with sky-high expectations and have faltered,

02:06leading to the firing of a head coach, where the results have been so vastly disappointing

02:12from what we were anticipating entering 2025, but that's not necessarily how the odds makers

02:17and the algorithms and the models and the power ratings assess these games.

02:21Obviously, you adapt and you update based on what you are seeing,

02:24but because of all the reasons that people highlight why the Gators are an incredibly talented team

02:29with five to seven NFL draft picks come April on that roster right here, right now,

02:33especially on the defensive side of the ball, it's kind of the same way we have talked about Penn State,

02:38who is putting together a few performances in the last few weeks to remind you that guys like

02:43Deny Dennis Sutton and Zachy Wheatley and other guys along that front like Zane Durant

02:47are going to be day one or day two draft picks.

02:50Florida, very much in the same way.

02:52I don't think DJ Ladway's development has been anywhere close to what we anticipated entering this year.

02:57I think Florida has some grave issues on the offensive side of the ball,

03:01but the balls have been really bad defensively all year long,

03:05but really bad defensively against any offense that really has a pulse.

03:10This is another opportunity, Bobby, for a Tennessee team that I do not hold in very high regard.

03:15The best thing about Tennessee's resume is its three losses and an overtime loss at home against Georgia,

03:20because Tennessee and Missouri ranked 20th and 22nd respectively in the CFP rankings here entering week 13,

03:26had a combined 0-0 wins against an FBS opponent who is currently above 500, and it's week 13.

03:35I don't think Tennessee is all that great of a football team.

03:38I would expect them to win this game.

03:40If they do not, it would not surprise me, because I don't think the balls have shown much

03:43except Joey Aguilar throwing for a lot of yards.

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