TL;DR - Boise is going to be a tough game.
BYU according to the five factors
Explosiveness
Offense: #119
Defense #56
Efficiency
Offense #29
Defense #74
Field Position
Offense: #31
Defense: #7
Finishing Drives
Offense: #89
Defense: #90
Turnover Margin: #12
BYU's offense is doing a better job of staying on the field and staying ahead of downs to get into third and manageable. BYU still struggles to finish drives and get teams off the field, but it's been good at forcing turnovers. BYU is in elite territory with defensive field position (thanks Linehan and Lamb). Field position made a huge difference against Michigan State and Mississippi State.
Rush Offense/Defense
On offense, BYU is good at running the ball overall (#13) and at staying ahead of the down (#27). They're bad in short yardage situations (#98).
On defense, BYU is good at stopping the run (#21), staying ahead of the down (#33), and limiting big plays (#19). They're above average in short yardage situations (#40).
Pass Offense/Defense
On offense, BYU is average at passing the ball (#67) and staying ahead of the down (#45). The team is terrible at generating big plays in the passing game (#126). The team does a mediocre job of protecting Taysom (#69). On passing downs, the team is good (#37).
On defense, BYU is mediocre overall (#64), terrible at staying ahead of the down (#114), and mediocre at preventing big plays (#78). The team is above average at getting to the QB (#55). On passing downs, BYU's defense is terrible (#100).
By Quarter
On offense, BYU is average in the 1st (#60), above average in the 2nd (#53), great in the third (#23), and above average in the fourth (#48).
On defense, BYU is average in the 1st (#63), above average in the 2nd (#48), good in the third (#36), and great in the fourth (#20).
By Down
On offense, BYU is above average on 1st (#51), good on 2nd (#36), and good on 3rd (#29).
On defense, BYU is great on 1st (#25), above average on 2nd (#48), and above average on 3rd (#55).
Havoc (% of plays in which the defense recorded a TFL, forced a fumble, or defended a pass)
On defense, BYU's linebackers are elite in causing havoc (#4), however the DL (#119) and secondary (#121) have been terrible.
Boise State according to the five factors
Explosiveness
Offense: #12
Defense #47
Efficiency
Offense #26
Defense #11
Field Position
Offense: #126
Defense: #51
Finishing Drives
Offense: #11
Defense: #27
Turnover Margin: #97
This is the best team that BYU has faced this year (by the stats). They're explosive and efficient on office. Their defense gets teams off the field and they stay ahead of the down. Their only problems are that they generally start with terrible field position and they aren't generating as many turnovers as expected.
Rush Offense/Defense
On offense, Boise is below average at running the ball overall (#79), average at staying ahead of the down (#63) and in generating big plays (#69). They're good in short yardage situations (#24).
On defense, Boise is elite at stopping the run overall (#4) and staying ahead of the down (#16). However, they tend to give up big plays (#102) and they're bad at stopping teams in short yardage situations (#110)
Pass Offense/Defense
On offense, Boise is an elite passing team overall (#6), at staying ahead of the down (#11), and in generating big plays (#9). They're great at protecting the QB (#13). On passing downs, Boise's offense is good overall (#25).
On defense, Boise is an above average team against the pass overall (#54), they're great at staying ahead of the down (#23), and they are elite at eliminating big plays (#9). They're above average at getting to the QB (#44). On passing downs, Boise's defense is great overall (#9).
By Quarter
On offense, they're good in the 1st (#47), 2nd (#43), and 3rd quarters (#31). They're great in the 4th (#18).
On defense, they're great in the 1st (#11) and in the second (#15), good in the third (#30), and terrible in the 4th (#120) -- (maybe because of 2nd and 3rd stringers).
By Down
On offense, they're average on 1st down (#56), great on second (#17), and great on third (#20).
On defense, they're good on 1st down (#37), great on second (#18), and good on third (#28).
Havoc
Their DL is good at causing havoc (#31), but the linebackers (#108) and secondary (#96) are both bad.
This is going to be a tough one. I think that the key is for BYU to run the ball against Boise's stout run defense. If the Cougs can move the ball and keep Boise off the field, then they'll have a shot to win. On defense, they need to prevent the big play and get to the QB. This team hasn't really had to compete in the fourth quarter...so it'll be interesting to see if BYU can put pressure on Boise and cause them to make mistakes. I'm not really worried about Boise running the ball, but I am worried about their passing game. I also think that this is an opportune time to get the TE/RBs more involved in the passing game--because Boise's linebackers and secondary are small and they're terrible at causing havoc.