THE COWBOYS

OFFENSE

TRY, TRY AGAIN: Wyoming changed its offensive line after allowing six sacks at Air Force, but the new-look front surrendered five more at Utah last Saturday.

Against a team that has shown a propensity for getting to -- and even knocking out -- opposing quarterbacks, the Pokes hope another tweak in the line will help them solve their woes.

ALL ABOUT BENJAMIN: Starting quarterback-turned-wide receiver Robert Benjamin quickly arrived on the offensive scene in his first true game at receiver last week.

Whether it's short passes to get the junior involved or trick plays to help the Cowboys bust free for a big play, UW needs to keep Benjamin -- one of their best athletes -- involved any way they can.

SUPER BOLL: Three receptions and 35 yards wouldn't normally be considered a breakout game, but considering Greg Bolling's previous five, the outing looked pretty good.

Bolling had a productive first half against the Utes and the Cowboys -- who have a serious dropoff in consistency in the receiving game outside David Leonard -- need someone else to step up.

DEFENSE

SAFETY FIRST: Wyoming safeties Shamiel Gary and Chris Prosinski were each beat for big plays last week, including once on Utah's first touchdown.

Against a much more prolific passing attack, and one that looks to go down field much more, UW's duo of safety valves needs to remain on high alert.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: UW end Mitch Unrein and tackle John Fletcher have four more games to showcase their talent to NFL scouts, who will likely be watching them against Max Hall.

TCU showed everyone that it's possible to disrupt Hall a couple of weeks again, and Unrein and Fletcher need to follow Jerry Hughes' cue.

TURN OF EVENTS: After blasting out of the gates in the turnover department, the Cowboys have come to a screeching halt with zero takeaways in their last two games.

Hall has made more mistakes than many expected this year, and the Cougars have turned the ball over 18 times in eight games. So, the Pokes need to take advantage of any chance they get.

SPECIAL TEAMS

REAL McCOY: UW sophomore punter Austin McCoy may have been the Player of the Game for UW in its loss to the Utes.

McCoy averaged 44 yards per punt thanks to a booming 57-yarder that landed inside the 5-yard line, and he needs to continue to use his multiple punt styles effectively.

BLOCK PARTY: After continuously going after punts early this season, the Pokes have struggled to get close to blocking a punt.

Much like the trick play worked against Utah, UW will likely need a big, momentum-changing play to increase their chances, and it could come with a blocked kick.

TOUGH 'CELL: UW junior Marcell Gipson never got a chance to return a kick at Utah, as the Utes booted every kick for a touchback.

But BYU only has seven touchbacks so far this season, so the Pokes cornerback should get a couple of chances and needs to set his team up with solid field position when he can.

BYU COUGARS

OFFENSE

UN-DER THE RADAR: When talking about BYU's offense, much of the hype surrounds Max Hall and the Cougars' passing attack, but Wyoming can't sleep on running back Harvey Unga.

The Mountain West Conference's leading rusher punished the Pokes last year and is averaging more than a touchdown a game.

HE'S BACK: The Cougars will get wide receiver McKay Jacboson back today after missing the last four games with a hamstring injury.

McKay not only gives BYU a deep threat that they may have been missing the past few weeks, but will likely take some pressure off stud tight end Dennis Pitta.

SACK LUNCH (PART I): BYU's monster offensive line has been solid for the most part and is averaging less than two sacks allowed per game.

But TCU may have exploited weaknesses, sacking Hall five times two weeks ago, and the Cougars will need to show they've shored up those areas against John Fletcher and Mitch Unrein.

DEFENSE

THIRD DEGREE: BYU's defense ranks outside the top 100 in opponents' third-down conversions, allowing foes to move the sticks more than 43 percent of the time.

Against a team that has been one of the nation's worse at converting third downs, the Cougars need to get their defense off the field and let their offense go to work.

NO RUSH: The Wyoming Cowboys may be rendered one dimensional yet again as BYU brings the nations' 21st-ranked rushing defense to town.

The Cougars should have no problem stopping a run game that's carried 60 times in its last two games for just 150 yards.

SACK LUNCH (PART II): The Cougars have certainly made the most of their hits on the quarterbacks, but they haven't exactly been prolific at getting there.

They have just 15 sacks in eight games but need to see that number increase exponentially against an offensive line that has shown all sorts of problems lately.

SPECIAL TEAMS

RARE FIELD GOALS: BYU is one of just two Mountain West Conference teams that has attempted fewer field goal this season against the Pokes.

The Cougars have tried just six field goals, but against a defense that was able to buckle down against the Utes, BYU might have to look at Mitch Payne for a try or two.

PINNED DEEP: The Cougars haven't been great at producing touchbacks, but that hasn't been a problem as they are second in the league in kickoff coverage.

They'll need to continue to keep Marcell Gipson and UW's kickoff team buried deep whether they boot the ball into the end zone or not.

FIELD POSITION BATTLE: Wyoming's McCoy has been pretty solid, but he could find himself in a heated punting battle with BYU's Riley Stephenson.

Opponents have just 11 return yards on 23 punts all season, and the Cougars rank fifth in the nation with an average net of 40.3 yards per boot.