BYU injuries - Does this affect the Aggies?

Click here for a cougar injury report for the year

BYU is suffering and taking hard, hard hits...in fall camp.

You would normally expect the amount of injuries that have occured in Cougar-land to happen halfway through the season. But preseason? Really?

The latest, although it doesn't appear on the above list, is one that had cougar central shaking in its booties. BYU QB Max Hall, entering his senior season, dislocated a finger today in camp. Despite the injury, Hall continued to play and did well. He threw a touchdown pass after he got hurt, and continued to play hard, just like any cougar fan would expect him to.

Enough accolades for Max Hall's toughness. The real question is, "How is this going to affect the BYU-USU game in week 4?"

It could.

I only say that because I don't know how this will affect the first few games of the season, but I will say that if the Offensive Line is seriously affected by all of these injuries, it most definitely will affect the BYU-USU game in Provo.

The injuries in Provo are now getting to be such an issue that BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall has slowed the practices down, as you can tell by reading this article. 1320 KFAN in SLC reported earlier today that there are a total of 24 injuries in BYU's fall camp, and it is clear that in all of the WAC and MWC teams, BYU is suffering the most at the hands of...itself.

Matt Reynolds, the only senior on the line, is out for the showdown with Oklahoma because of his hand. Another starter on the Offensive line, Jason Speredon, is now out for the entire season after tearing a rotator cuff in his shoulder. Clearly, Depth and Strength are now becoming a factor for the BYU O-line.

With Gary Andersen's defensive prowess, if the Aggie D-line can outrun and outfox the Cougars, this game is going to take on a whole new dimension. Without an offensive line to stop any sort of pass rush, Max Hall is going to have to play on an NFL level to progress offensively on the field. We all know what happened last time Max Hall suffered under real pressure... Five interceptions and one lost fumble later, the Utes had stamped their ticket to the BCS. Who was the coach of the defense that provided the unreal pressure that clearly affected Hall? USU's head coach, Gary Anderson.

Anyway, will USU beat BYU? I still am thinking that they won't. They are still a much deeper team than USU. But if the trend continues like it has, the likelihood that BYU meets up with USU with a 1-2 record increases and also increases the likelihood that USU can win.

You can post feedback and comments to this below, or check out my facebook page. I want to hear your opinion.