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A trio of BYU football fans sit against each other at LaVell Edwards Stadium and watch the chaos as fans rush onto the pitch after the Cougars knocked out rival Utah 26-17 on Saturday, September 11, 2021. (Photo courtesy BYU)
A writer is never at a loss for words, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to describe what we just saw on Saturday night.
I feel like I’m trying to describe a painting by Pablo Picaso, or the most beautiful sunset ever seen on earth.
Where to start? How do you describe a victory that ends more than a decade of agony for BYU fans?
Let’s start here.
LaVell Edwards Stadium had some pretty incredible times. And these moments, almost always in front of more than 60,000 fans, were accompanied by “the sound”.
When BYU defeated Miami in 1990, fans counted the last few seconds and made the sound as they celebrated.
When Luke Staley ran to the sidelines for a late touchdown in the Cougars’ classic 2001 win over Utah, fans made that sound too.
I’ve always compared it to taking off from a jet. The sound is deafening and overwhelms you like a wave. You feel it from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.
Late on Saturday night, when Utah quarterback Charlie Brewer’s fourth pass passed over Britain Covey’s header and out of bounds, there was the same sound. When the clock hit the triple zeros, the sound returned again.
It’s been a while since BYU’s home advantage made no difference in Holy War, or could make that sound.
Saturday, everything happened. Cougar fans got the message, wore royal blue and solid colors. And here we are.
Cougars 26, Utes 17.
The. Trail. East. More.
Ute fans pointed out until kick-off that it had been 4,305 days since BYU won the series (2009). Now it’s zero days. There are three years left (2024) before the two teams play again. It’s a long time for Cougar fans to revel in a win over their rivals.
It’s only fitting that Saturday night ends like it did in what could be the best week Cougar fans have ever had. BYU was invited to the Big 12 Conference on Friday, the culmination of years and years of hard work and hope.
On Saturday, the Cougars ended a painful nine-game losing streak against their hated rival.
What to expect on Sunday? Maybe you better get your affairs in order for the Second Coming.
From the moment BYU head coach Kalani Sitake caught Brewer’s errant pass on the sidelines in the first quarter – it was quite a trap – it was a battle. The momentum has shifted. Utah moved closer to six points early in the fourth quarter, but Cougar’s new quarterback Jaren Hall – 1-0 against the Utes, thank you – designed a clutch to set up a Jake Oldroyd field goal for a lead. nine points. A fourth defense stop and a first down gave the Cougar students all the incentive they needed to rush onto the field, but, you know, in an orderly fashion.
The game will be endlessly broken down to great detail over the next week and beyond, but know this: BYU has finally made the games it needed to lock in the victory. Utah did not give up on the game. The Cougars seized the moment and made it happen.
Hall started off slow, but delivered superb throws in red zone situations to Neil Pau’u and Samson Nacua for touchdowns. He had several electrifying races at key times and showed a tremendous amount of humor and composure for his first game in Utah. Tyler Allgeier was a workaholic with a career-high 27 carries (for 97 yards) and picked up huge yards on the stretch.
BYU’s defense was great in the first half, then tired by the end of the game, but found a way to make the save it needed to seal the victory.
It must be said that the BYU guys in the trenches on both sides of the ball performed even or better than their Ute counterparts, which hasn’t happened much over the past decade. Thank Sitake and his coaching staff for creating the depth and talent to take on the Utes.
Former Cougar tight end Andrew George, who scored the winning touchdown the last time BYU beat Utah (2009), was a guest on Ben Criddle’s ESPN 960 radio show on Friday. George loves to talk about his catch and run in overtime so long ago, but he insisted that he prefers someone else to sign up and become a new hero.
Hall answered this bell.
This is only Game 2 of 2021 and BYU still has (checking scores) Arizona State at LES next Saturday.
Sitake, his coaching staff and players will be celebrating Sunday but will have to concentrate and get back to work on Monday.
BYU fans? They just saw their guys make a memory for them that will last a very, very long time.
A sold-out crowd packed LaVell Edwards Stadium for BYU’s 26-17 victory over rival Utah on Saturday, September 11, 2021. (Photo courtesy BYU)
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