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FACTS & STATS: Site: LaVell Edwards Stadium (63,725) -- Provo, Utah. Television: ESPN. Home Record: USU 1-1, BYU 1-1. Away Record: USU 0-1, BYU 1-1. Neutral Record: USU 0-0, BYU 0-0. Conference Record: USU 0-0, BYU 0-0. Series Record: BYU leads, 43-34-3.

GAME NOTES: The Utah State Aggies try to rebound from a disappointing loss on Friday night as they challenge the BYU Cougars in non-conference action at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo.

Utah State, which nearly pulled off the unthinkable against the Auburn Tigers in the season opener, has been scoring in bunches in the early going and generated an impressive 34 points versus Colorado State the last time out, the only problem being that the Rams tallied 35 in their double-overtime affair in Logan. The Aggies, who have now lost two of their first three games of the campaign, could have taken their chances in a third overtime frame had they elected to attempt a PAT after their touchdown in the second overtime session, but instead the squad went for it all and running back Robert Turbin was stopped short of the goal line on a failed two-point try that would have given USU the win.

As for the Cougars, a program now operating as an Independent after fleeing the Mountain West Conference, they managed to bounce back from an ugly 54-10 loss to in-state rival Utah at home on September 17 by logging a 24-17 victory against UCF last week. The win evened the team's overall record at 2-2 as it now continues a lengthy four-game homestand.

According to USU records, the Cougars own a 43-34-3 edge in the all-time series dating back to 1922, but thanks to a 31-16 triumph in last year's affair the Aggies managed to snap a lengthy 10-game slide versus BYU.

Robert Turbin ran for 115 yards and four touchdowns on 24 carries Saturday night, but it was his final attempt that ended up taking most of the spotlight as he was kept out of the end zone on a two-point conversion try in the second overtime period against Colorado State. Kerwynn Williams added to the USU ground attack with five carries for 36 yards and the first TD of the night, the team finishing with 279 yards rushing overall. From a passing perspective, Chuckie Keeton did little to establish himself as a threat in the pocket with just 86 yards on nine completions. Keaton did contribute 42 net rushing yards, but at the same time he was sacked on three occasions as well. Keeton has managed the offense well enough, converting two-thirds of his passes, but he is averaging just 155.0 ypg and has but two TD strikes in three outings. Obviously Turbin is the focal point of the offense with his 121.7 ypg (11th nationally) and eight TDs, but he'll be taking a serious beating if the offense doesn't open up new options. It also doesn't help that USU, which fumbled away the ball four times on Saturday, is averaging minus-1.33 turnovers per contest right now.

Ahead by eight points late in the fourth quarter on Saturday, the Utah State defense should have been able to keep the home team ahead on the scoreboard when you consider how ineffective the Rams had been offensively up until that point. But with less than a minute remaining in regulation, a short field for CSU led to a TD and a two-point conversion pass eventually sent the meeting into overtime where the Aggies gambled and lost. Utah State actually played rather well for much of the game, limiting Colorado State to just 232 yards of total offense on 75 plays, but that just goes to show you how a game can unravel and stats can be misleading. After three games USU ranks first in the Western Athletic Conference and 12th nationally in yards allowed with just 269.7 ypg, but unfortunately when it comes to stopping opponents from scoring the team is not quite as forceful. USU, which has permitted just 82.7 ypg on the ground (16th in the nation) is actually 97th in points allowed with 31.3 ppg, so something has to give in order for the numbers to balance themselves out better.

The BYU offense got off to a slow start on Friday, but eventually the squad would get into gear on both sides of the ball in order to secure the seven- point win over visiting UCF in Provo. Jake Heaps, who was yanked a week prior in the ugly loss to Utah, was serviceable with 16-of-34 for 133 yards, but he was sacked once and tossed an interception. Running backs Bryan Kariya and JJ Di Luigi helped carry the load as they both recorded rushing touchdowns, although the ground attack accounted for just 127 yards overall. Nevertheless, the overall production for the running game was actually very significant given that the team is still averaging a paltry 68.0 ypg on the ground after four games which is 116th in the country. Heaps, who was beaten up in the loss to the Utes, is completing 55.6 percent of his attempts, but he has five interceptions already this year. With just 16.0 ppg (109th in the nation) the BYU offense has a lot of work to do before it can rest.

The defense for the Cougars had one target in particular on the other side of the ball, and while they allowed quarterback Jeff Godfrey to throw for 272 yards and score twice on the ground, BYU still got to the signal-caller by logging four sacks and an interception. Kyle Van Noy, Joe Sampson, Mike Muehlmann, Graham Rowley and Jameson Frazier all had a hand in the sacks that eventually took Godfrey out of the game. If not for the four sacks last week the Cougars would be even further down the list in that department among Football Bowl Subdivision programs, but as it stands the team is tied for 98th in the country with an average of just one sack per outing. Since the Aggies don't do a lot of passing to begin with, this might be the perfect opportunity for the Cougars to focus on getting pressure on opposing running backs before they get up a head of steam moving towards the line of scrimmage. As it stands, BYU is averaging just 4.5 tackles for loss per game.

After a disappointing conclusion to their last game the Aggies need something to lift their spirits, and beating in-state rival BYU could be the perfect cure.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Utah State 27, BYU 24