PROVO — When UMass visited BYU one year ago, the Cougars drubbed the Minutemen 51-9.
But when UMass returns to LaVell Edwards Stadium Saturday (1 p.m., MST, BYUtv) for a rematch the Cougars are expecting a much tougher test.
Like BYU, UMass is an independent program. The Minutemen nearly beat Tennessee in Knoxville in September.
And the Cougars were in a hotel in Fresno, California a couple of weeks ago when they watched UMass take a 20-13 halftime lead over then-No. 16 Mississippi State before falling 34-23.
BYU knows how hard it is to play at MSU, having lost there 35-10 on Oct.