The triple option: Utah No. 17 fights to claim a 35-27 win over BYU's rival

SALT LAKE CITY – In another raging final, Utah Utes, number 17, won an impending victory against the BYU Cougars on Saturday night, extending their eight-game winning streak.

The Cougars started hot and were the aggressors for much of the first half, taking a 20-0 lead at halftime. Utah, however, would meet in the second half to score 28 unanswered points en route to a 35-27 win over his rival to close the regular season.

Utah escaped with a win, but it was far from a brilliant performance of the Utes. Here are some takeaways from the game.

There is no doubt that BYU has entered the game with a strong desire to win, as well as the ability to make games. The Cougars opted for Utah defense with Matt Hadley's solid ground game and impressive first-quarter shots Zach Wilson to score three touchdowns in the first half.

BYU would line up its offensive on a stingy defensive effort aimed at stifling a somewhat imaginative and relatively vanilla offensive in Utah, which seemed to be aiming for the future of its Pac-12 championship game against Washington. With a blank game hanging over their head and only 86 total yards off the offensive to show for their half effort, Utah has found himself in a precarious situation.

Utah's defense, however, would reverse the utes' trend as cornerback Julian Blackmon picked Wilson early in the third quarter to score a 27-yard touchdown. The Cougars would equalize on a 1-meter touchdown by Hadley before Utah was able to score 28 points without a win for the win.

Although not always pretty, Utah responded for the mediocre game and rebounded well to fight his rival. In past years, Utah would have pulled back under pressure and would have struggled to narrow the gap, causing another disappointing defeat. Instead, Utah has methodically reduced BYU's lead and shown its resilience – all with a quarterback and late halfs.

As a result, Utah reversed the scenario of its November calendar and finished the month 3-1, with nevertheless courageous performances.

Ignoring his incredible jump on BYU's Keenan Ellis for a first try – did I say how awesome it was? – Rookie quarterback Jason Shelley did everything he could to make Utah a success. It's never an easy task to get into the season without almost playing and take over for a Utah offensive coming off a special season.

Shelley, however, was balanced at his three starts and allowed Utah to claim the Pac-12's South Division and win a passionate rivalry. Even when Utah's offensive was stalled in the first half, Shelley remained calm, rallied his offensive unit and distinguished BYU's defense.

Shelley finished the night scoring 141 yards and one touchdown on 19 of her 28 assists – not great, but enough. However, the game was played while Utah was one point ahead with just under 2 minutes to play. Seeking to exhaust the clock, Shelley saw grass open and ran for a 33-yard deep touchdown to give Utah his final score and the final end of a strong comeback.

The young quarterback still has a lot to learn, but he is utterly suited to Utah's needs with Tyler Huntley, injured in the shoulder late in the season. Shelley has a proven track record and puts Utah in a position to close a special season.

With a Top 20 defense, including a Top 5 defense against the race, Utah had to lock the Cougars – or at least that's how it was written on paper. BYU was not expected to perform the ball well or score much. But the quarterback of the Cougars looked like a veteran veteran and chose the second for big gains.

Utah struggled to contain Wilson, who finished throwing for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the last 20 assists, and seemed to be a bottom defense. In short, Utah's defense seemed to be moving up a gear and Wilson was taking advantage of the vulnerability.

But in the second half, the defense became alive and limited BYU's success, starting with Julian Blackmon's 33-yard selection for Utah's first game score. At that time, the dynamics changed and Utah was caught off guard. At halftime, BYU had 247 yards of offense but could only handle 110 yards in the second half. In fact, BYU would only manage 51 yards in a decisive fourth quarter.

The defense did not shine, but the Cougars clung in the second half and reversed the trend for Utah. Admittedly, the defense has made some important stops in key situations, including a Chase Hansen decision in the fourth and one, and key bags from Leki Fotu and Pita Tonga. That's all you can ask for in a bitter rivalry, even if it was not good sometimes.

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Josh Furlong