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Football

BYU not looking past Weber State

The BYU football team goes for its second win of the season as the Weber State Wildcats come to LaVell Edwards Stadium for an in-state battle.

This will be just the third time that BYU has has played Weber State. BYU has not lost to Weber State in the two previous match ups. The last time these two teams played was in 1979, a game that BYU won 48-3. Despite the lopsided history between the two schools and and a game against the rival Utes next on the schedule, the Cougars are not looking past the Wildcats.

'You can't take any team lightly. You have to prepare for them just as you would a Pac-12 team,' Jordan Johnson, a sophomore defensive back said. 'We all play this game to be competitive. They are not coming in here to lose. They're coming here to win.'

Weber State is led by their senior quarterback Mike Hoke, a player whom head coach Bronco Mendenhall described as a player with a similar style to that of Riley Nelson.

'I really like their quarterback. He's gritty and tough and he's a good scrambler,' Mendenhall said.

BYU counters with a defense that allowed only six points in the game last week against Washington State. The defense will look to continue its aggressive play on defense and contain the dual threat Bobcat quarterback.

BYU's offense also looks to improve its efficiency on offense,  including more success in the red zone. In the game against Washington State, BYU was impressive in the first half when they reached the red zone. However, in three red zone attempts in the second half the Cougars only scored six points.

'I want to see us in the red zone being more efficient and more physical,' coach Brandon Doman, BYU's offensive coordinator said. 'Hopefully we'll see an improvement this week.'

Junior wide receiver Cody Hoffman, who left the WSU game with a deep thigh bruise, will be back in the lineup for the Cougars. Sophomore tight end Devin Mahina will also be back for the Cougars, having recovered from a broken hand suffered during training camp.

A win on Saturday would bring the Cougars winning streak to six games. BYU's winning streak, stretching back into last season, is the third longest in the nation behind only TCU and Baylor. Kickoff for the game is at 1 p.m. and can be viewed on BYUtv.