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SALT LAKE CITY – It was another classic of the rivalry.
BYU opened the scoring 20-0 in the first half, but Utah fought back, played one game and held on to the Cougars, 35-27 late Saturday night.
But calling the eighth consecutive BYU defeat (6-6) – or Utah's eighth consecutive victory (9-3) – does not do justice to the announced crowd of 46,017 spectators at Rice-Eccles Stadium, or thousands of people . no more watching at home. Saturday night was a battle, a battle, another moment in the series of rivalry that is approaching its 100th episode that will not be forgotten for long.
"It hurts, and it's supposed to hurt, and it's good," said BYU coach Kalani Sitake. "We have another game to prepare and we will learn as much as we can.
"I think it must hurt."
Eleven of the last 13 rivalry games have been reduced to one score or less, and Saturday was not a difference.
Here are three things the Couguars can take from another defeat of the series – and none of them is a moral victory.
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Zach Wilson hit Neil Pau & u with a 10-yard touchdown shot in the first practice of the Cougars game, but Skyler Southam's overtime attempt was largely dismissed to give BYU a 6-0 lead with 10:55 to do in the first. quarter.
This was the first time that BYU had taken the lead in the first quarter of the rivalry series since 2010, and the first touchdown of the first quarter of the Cougars since John Beck's quarter-quarter start in 2006.
Southam caught up on his failed AP after Wilson found the pace on the next record, coming down and hitting Matt Bushman for a 26-yard score with 3:57 left in the quarter.
BYU forced three straight games and three losses to open the match and outscored the 153-15 Utes in the first quarter. The Cougars scored a 20-0 lead over Matt Hadley's 1-meter dive in the final minute of the half, taking a 20-point lead over the Utes for the first time since 1996.
That was all that BYU wanted to score: touchdowns on three of his first seven possessions, while keeping Utah on four kicks, a missed goal and a fumble in the first period, giving the Cougars all the energy they had need to break a seventh. -game lost in the series.
"I think the energy was different," Bushman said. "We had attack, and the defense did not know where to line up or what to do, we went out with the energy, we fought, and we played football hard. inch offensive line, we just need to keep this up until the fourth quarter. "
In the middle of the third quarter, BYU started running out of fuel. In the Cougars' first offensive series, Utah scored via Julian Blackmon's pick-six in the first offensive series.
"We did not have the courage to break out of halftime," Bushman said in a moment of honesty. "That pick six, we could have easily bounced back, but it took a bit of energy, we have to learn to control the lead."
No moral victory
With all the benefits of the Pac-12 – bigger stage, more TV money, higher revenue, better-scoring rookies – Utah led 20-0 at half-time, and BYU limited Utes to 86 yards .
Despite that, Utah scored 28 unanswered points in the second half – all after midfielder Matt Hadley, injured his ankle – to get away and win the 8-point win.
Sitake does not believe in moral wins, and he taught his players not to believe either. But this team is not lost in the university football race, if the result of Saturday is an indicator.
Just a real first-year player, Wilson scored for 73 points – a record – even taking three sacks – and Hadley had 64 yards and two goals on the ground. Jason Shelley, Armand Shyne and TJ Green, the Utah trio, total 3.52 yards per pass on three quarters and finish with 155 yards on the ground, outscoring 153 points, while Hadley missed the fourth quarter.
Exceptional former Corner Canyon player completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, and set a record 73 yards.
"Zach is a warrior," said wide receiver Micah Simon. "His preparation, training and application are different, he has a very promising future and I'm really excited for him."
Wilson still has three years of rivalry games. Lopini Katoa, the Cougars halfback who missed the regular season final due to injury, does the same. The same goes for four of the five offensive linemen, five of the Cougars' eight assists and a few key defensive players such as defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga and linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi.
BYU will be better in the years to come. The Utes too.
But this rivalry is not going anywhere.
"I think our team is really close and that has allowed us to become a closer team," Sitake said. "We just have to keep working on it, as difficult as this game is, my job is to think positively and keep up – and we'll have another test in Utah." ;next year.
"We play them in the first game and we will be ready for that."
BYU still has a lot to do in the season
Eight consecutive defeats in a series of inflamed rivalries sting. It's supposed to sting; that's why it's a rivalry.
But the Cougars can call this season a success – and there is still room for optimism, especially if they can win a game in a game of petanque to end the season.
After the disastrous campaign of 4-9 of 2017, BYU earned eligibility for the Cup with last week's 45-10 win over the New Mexico State. While the Cougars are not guaranteed to play a bowling game (their official link to the game in San Diego having been folded before the season), there is no doubt that ESPN – who owns and operates the majority University-level football matches and has a broadcasting agreement with the Cougars – will leave the Cougars in the cold.
The Frisco Bowl of Frisco, Texas, has only one link to the conference, the American Athletic Conference, and several other games of this type will probably not be linked to the conference due to the lack of teams. qualified for mark 6-6.
Thus, while there is no guarantee that BYU will play in the playoffs, the big question is not whether, but when the Cougars will play.
"We have a lot of young talent," said linebacker Sione Takitaki, who scored 13 tackles and three tackles for the loss. "I am a senior, but I feel comfortable with all the young talents we have. It's good to see them early in their career. They can learn from these things and when they find themselves in such situations, they can learn from them. "
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