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GAME NOTES: With a chip on their shoulders due to the fact that they won last week yet still dropped a spot in the current AP Poll, the 20th-ranked BYU Cougars aim to take out their frustrations on the Utah State Aggies in non- conference action at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday night.

Last week, the Cougars were ranked 19th in the country as they opened up Mountain West Conference play against Colorado State at home. The result of that meeting was a 42-23 triumph for the hosts, and yet the 19-point win actually left the squad wondering why it had dropped in the rankings. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that Florida State, which a week earlier had crushed BYU in a 54-28 decision, was taken out by a South Florida squad that was missing its starting quarterback.

As for the Aggies, they too enjoyed a lopsided win the last time out with a 53-34 outcome against Southern Utah. The win served to halt a two-game slide that was caused by losses to both Utah and Texas A&M.

In terms of the all-time series between these two state rivals, the Cougars own a 42-33-3 advantage. Last season, BYU took care of business on the road in Logan with a 34-14 victory, which means the Cougars have won nine in a row over the Aggies dating back to an exciting 58-56 decision in favor of USU back in 1993.

The offense was on fire for the Aggies as they picked up their initial win for first-year head coach Gary Andersen. The unit generated 604 yards of total offense, the most since 2001 and a total that was ninth-most in program history.

Running backs Robert Turbin (104 yards) and Michael Smith (100 yards) became the first rushing tandem to hit for triple figures in the same game for the Aggies since 1989. Turbin's performance was made that much more impressive due to the fact that he also had 108 yards through the air, making him the first USU player since 2000 to have at least 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game.

Thanks to completing five straight passes to begin the game, Diondre Borel converted 15-of-21 attempts for 316 yards and a career-high three touchdowns as he became the first signal-caller for Utah State to post back-to-back 300- yard passing games since 2002.

The Aggies limited Southern Utah to just 145 yards of offense at the break and silenced the visitors in the fourth quarter in order to wrap up the win.

Utah State's defense has been extremely suspect through the first three games of the season, allowing a lofty 35.7 ppg to rank last in the WAC and 113th in the country this week. In terms of total defense, the program has given up an average of 486.3 ypg, a number that has them again last in the conference and ahead of only three other teams on a national scale.

Turbin is fourth in the nation right now with his 124.3 ypg on the ground, but one has to remember that in the opener versus Utah the running back ripped off a thrilling 96-yard scamper and that's why he is averaging almost nine yards per carry.

Borel, now third on the team with his 111 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, has tossed four TDs and just a single pick, easily putting him ahead of the pace he set last season with his 11 TDs and 10 INTs.

"We were certainly opportunistic in the first half and made crucial plays through execution in the second half," commented BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall following the win against Colorado State. "You have to make the right plays at the right time and our players did that. It was a good victory for us."

Running back Harvey Unga had a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first quarter and finished with three on the ground altogether in the lopsided win against CSU. Unga's efforts led to a game-high 113 yards on 22 carries and reassured quarterback Max Hall that he didn't have to do all the work himself in order to get the Cougars back into the win column.

Nevertheless, Hall did contribute 241 yards passing and a couple of TDs, although he also tossed a pair of picks and was sacked twice in the outing. After four games, Hall ranks first in the conference with close to 300 ypg in total offense and has the passing attack ranked atop the league and 10th nationally with 314.5 ypg.

Unga, who did not appear in the season-opening win against Oklahoma, has steadily built up his contributions to the offense from 17 rushing yards versus Tulane to 97 yards and a touchdown versus Florida State.

"I think it was one step closer to what we're going to get from Harvey," coach Mendenhall remarked. "He runs hard, runs physical and is a good football player."

BYU has the luxury this season of returning a 1,000-yard rusher in Unga, a 1,000-yard receiver in Dennis Pitta and a 3,000-yard passer with Hall -- one of just four teams at the FBS level that can brag of such a trio of outstanding offensive stars. Pitta, the go-to-guy down the field for the Cougars this season, is averaging better than five receptions per game and finished last year with 83 grabs for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns. The loss of Austin Collie to the NFL means that Pitta is going to get even more action thrown at him, not to mention defenses drawing up their schemes with him in mind.

While it may not be something that gets publicized enough, the Cougars are tops in the nation in net punting with 43.7 yards per attempt and a stat like that goes a long way in providing the BYU defense with a great opportunity to keep opponents from marching up and down the field at will.

The stat that tells the story for the Aggies heading into this meeting is the one that says the program has played a nationally-ranked opponent 50 times already and only once has the team squeezed out a victory, that coming in a 20-19 upset of Fresno State back in 1991. Needless to say, the odds are again stacked heavily against USU because the Aggies are 0-11 when facing a BYU squad that is ranked in the top-25.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: BYU 49, Utah State 20