College GameDay Crew Breaks Down BYU/Coastal Carolina Matchup

PROVO, Utah – BYU versus Coastal Carolina has been the talk of the college football world the past two days, and it’s only been amplified on Saturday with ESPN’s College GameDay spotlighting the game.

The hosts of College GameDay broke down the game and shared different angles of the matchup heading into the game featuring two undefeated teams at 9-0.

College GameDay: Desmond Howard on BYU’s defense

“When you look at Coastal’s offense going up against BYU’s defense when I see BYU’s defense, two things jump out at me. They’re well-coached and extremely disciplined. Very physical too. They’re number seven in total defense in the nation, only allowing less than 300 yards per contest. This is going to be strength versus strength. I can’t wait to see this game.

COLLEGE GAMEDAY 📸📸 pic.twitter.com/3ATBF0qS75

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) December 5, 2020

David Pollack likes the Coastal Carolina offense

“I love watching Coastal Carolina’s offense. It’s so different. I think it’ll be an offense that will spread throughout college football. It’s a very old school principle. It’s very triple-option-esque, like back in the day, but with a new innovative offense to go with.

“It’s old school triple option football mixed with new school passing actions and RPOs. This will be an offense you’ll see around college football. It’ll spread like wildfire, and they’ve done an amazing job with an amazing quarterback.

Kirk Herbstreit can’t wait to watch BYU’s offense 

“I can’t wait to watch BYU’s offense because you know we’ve talked about Jeff Grimes and the job that he’s done. This is an offense that gets its reputation for its physicality. But really, it’s about how multiple they are and how they can confuse a defense, and you only had two days to get ready. So they’re gonna set the tone with just inside zone, outside zone, and these backs are physical.

This offensive line returned eight guys with starting experience. They’ve been through some injuries, and I think that’s part of what makes them so good. But the backs run really hard. Then they’ll confuse you.

Herbie on Zach Wilson

“This is the thing if you haven’t watched Zach Wilson if you’ve not watched him, watch this guy today. He’s having a monster year. Watch him work through his progressions. Then the most underrated part of his game, his athletic ability. The crossers are covered, everything’s taken away, so you’re thinking, okay, he’s gonna pick up a few yards, and he’s gonna slide. No, no. This kid’s got athletic ability; he’s gonna take it downfield 30 or 40 yards.

Lee Corso calls Zach Wilson a future NFL star

“BYU’s offense is red hot. They’ve scored 40 or more eight of the last nine games. They’ve won five in a row, averaging 34 points, but listen to this. If you get a chance to watch this game on ESPNU, you will see a future NFL star in quarterback Zach Wilson.

Rece, he’s number one in the nation for points responsible for, he can really play. This guy is terrific; wait till you see him on ESPNU, 5:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time!

"The Bear" @chrisfallica is rolling with #BYU.

"They're much better than what their College Football Playoff ranking is."#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/8XwThDgl1i

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) December 5, 2020

“The Bear,” makes his College GameDay pick for BYU/Coastal Carolina

Coastal’s probably going to be happy here because the only time I’ve picked against them this year, they won 51-0. I just think BYU upfront; they’re too strong on both sides of the line of scrimmage. I think they have too many answers for Coastal. It’s gonna be interesting, though, because that Coastal offense, as David (Pollack) said, could be difficult to prepare for on a short week. But I just think BYU is a better team, and I think they make a statement for a New Year’s Six game.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper and the KSL Sports app.