BYU Breakout Players: Tejan Koroma, Ryker Mathews, and the Offensive Line

So, after nearly not happening, it looks like the Missouri Tigers' act of civil disobedience got the desired result, and all signs point to the game between BYU's Cougars and Missouri being played after all.  The Cougars will have a tough task on their hands, going into one of the NFL's most storied and intimidating venues to take on the Tigers in a game that's billed as a neutral site game, but will be, for all intents and purposes, a home game for the Tigers. So, on the road, in an environment known for loud noise, it'll be imperative for the Cougar offensive line to be able to run the ball. Unfortunately last Friday, in San Jose, the Cougars struggled mightily to move the ball on the ground. They gained only 39 yards against the 109^th ranked Spartan run defense, and didn't exactly inspire confidence moving into a matchup against an SEC team. Even an SEC team that's in the middle of a four game skid. Even though the tigers only score 14 points per game, they are only surrendering 14.6, well enough for fourth place in the nation.

Thankfully, the Cougars should be getting starting center Tejan Koroma back from his suspension, and a couple more starters should be back as well. The running game is the bread and butter of an offensive line, even a team that can't pass block all that well should be able to get some kind of push off of the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, BYU has struggled this season when they are unable to run the ball and are forced into becoming one dimensional.

Ryker Mathews should also be healthier than he was against San Jose State, where injuries limited him to only 30 snaps. Even though Missouri will be riding a tidal wave of emotion and they have a lot of talent on the defensive side of the ball, BYU has played against defenses with more talent, and though they did manage to lose two of those games, they should be able to weather the storm with Mathews and Koroma anchoring the line. Look for them to be aggressive in run blocking, and if they can make it to the second level consistently, the Cougars should be able to get their running game going. Once the running game is established, explosive plays in the passing game should allow BYU to build just enough of a lead to play keep away from the Tigers in the second half of the game and pull out a win.