Brigham Young @ Oregon State preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 22, 2009 ) Brigham Young 44, Oregon State 20

THE STORY: Oregon State is no longer winless and seeks to snap Brigham Young’s three-game winning streak when the two squads meet in a nonconference affair on Saturday. The Beavers had lost six consecutive games dating back to last season before last weekend’s 37-27 victory over Arizona. Meanwhile, the Cougars haven’t lost since mid-September and are playing on the road for the first time since losing to Texas on Sept. 10. BYU has engineered fourth-quarter comebacks in three of its four victories.

TV: Fox College Sports. LINE: Oregon State -2.5

AROUND OREGON STATE (1-4, 1-2 Pac-12): The Beavers have forced four turnovers in each of the past two games and intercepted highly regarded Arizona quarterback Nick Foles twice in last Saturday’s victory. The Beavers are allowing 30.6 points per game; the 27 allowed against the Wildcats matched a season-low. Defensive end Scott Crichton has a team-best eight tackles for losses and cornerback Jordan Poyer has two interceptions. Quarterback Sean Mannion has passed for 1,282 yards and four touchdowns but has tossed seven interceptions. Receiver Markus Wheaton is third in the Pac-12 with 38 receptions. Running back Jovan Stevenson had 99 yards in his first career start but suffered a concussion. Stevenson is expected to play against BYU.

ABOUT BRIGHAM YOUNG (4-2): The Cougars have responded to the quarterback change that has featured Riley Nelson wrestling the gig away from overhyped Jack Heaps. Nelson adds a running dimension that makes BYU harder to defend and has inspired his teammates with his fearless approach. Nelson threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 65 yards on nine attempts in his first career start in last Saturday’s 29-16 victory over San Jose State. Running back Mike Alisa also emerged with 91 rushing yards. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy and safety Travis Uale each have two interceptions, and defensive end Hebron Fangupo has a team-leading 5.5 tackles for loss.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Oregon State leads the series 5-4, but BYU dominated the last meeting, routing the Beavers 44-20 in the 2009 Las Vegas Bowl.

2. BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall was a two-year starter at Oregon State. He was a defensive captain as a senior and later was an assistant coach with the Beavers.

3. Oregon State’s James Rodgers is 38 all-purpose yards away from becoming the first player in school history to reach 6,000 all-purpose yards. Rodgers ranks third on the school's alltime list with 191 receptions.

PREDICTION: Oregon State 30, Brigham Young 27 – Under Mike Riley, the Beavers traditionally play better as the season progresses.