Aggies Respect Mangum, Improved BYU Offense

LOGAN, Utah – Going into the game against BYU, Utah State head coach Matt Wells has tremendous respect for the Cougars and for one player in particular, quarterback Tanner Mangum.

What Mangum Does Well

“He throws it really well on the run and has been impressive,” said Wells. “The thing you can see is he’s a very visionary quarterback.”

Though he’s only thrown for three touchdowns this year, he’s passing at an effective rate of 62 percent, which would be the second-best mark of his year, behind the 2016 season when he threw just 33 passes.

One thing Mangum does well, according to Wells, is eye control.

“He’s coached well and is probably the best quarterback we’ve seen all year in terms of his eyes – eye control and looking off,” said Wells. “That tells me he’s coached up well, but it also tells me a little bit about him.”

Expecting A Different Look

With an experienced Mangum under center and new offensive coordinator Jeff Grimes calling the shots, the Aggies are expecting a different BYU team than the one they beat 40-24 last season.

“They do a lot of different formations. That’s a really good thing for them because it’s harder to read,” said senior linebacker Suli Tamaivena, who also added that the entire Cougar offense is improved from last season.

The Aggies and Cougars will meet at LaVell Edwards Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.