Utah's victory against the Cougars highlights the important meaning for all players

SALT LAKE CITY – BYU led almost all the way until Utah came back for a thrilling 35-27 win, its eighth straight win over the Cougars at the Rice-Eccles Stadium late Saturday night.

The game was a dramatic feast that ended with the nervousness of the enthusiastic and ecstatic Ute faithful after wondering what was going on all night for three and a half hours.

The comeback of Utah or the colossal smothering of BYU. Make your choice.

Now comes a week when many will say that Utah did not want to be there; there were bigger things next week in San Francisco playing Washington; Utah should cancel the game; it is not necessary. Easy to say when sitting on a winning streak of 7-0. On the other side, one could say that the order has been reestablished in the world.

People arguing between Utah and BYU should not play a football game every year – or never – should talk to the players. Or just watch. These games are classic.

They should talk to Corbin Kaufusi, BYU's bag leader, who will be undergoing an operation on Monday and who is not expected to play Saturday night's rivalry match.

Until he did it.

Kaufusi represents the myriad of the decade that has won and lost a match against BYU or against Utah in this long-standing series. You can not take away the experience of Morgan Scalley, Steve Tate, John Beck, Chris Yergensen or Scott Mitchell. It is forever printed in their souls and is now part of their identity.

Two weeks ago, before the Senior Night and BYU home finals, it was announced that Kaufusi's season was over. He came out in a trunk and remained on the sidelines while his teammates beat the New Mexico State 45-10. He would have surgeries as soon as possible after the Utah match.

Kaufusi had been the victim of a series of injuries since the Utah state match. The week after being injured against the Aggies, he had a pair of bags against Hawaii, 8.5 to lead the team this year.

Kaufusi's medical report included a 40% right arm torn triceps muscle, a broken finger and torn ankle ligaments. The ankle and arm will require surgery. Kaufusi will suffer on Monday the knife of the surgeon. The thought was that it would give him time to recover and prepare for the NFL Combine in February.

The fact is that this last match was imminent: BYU's visit to Rice-Eccles to face the champion of the division Pac-12 South, Utes. The more Kaufusi thought about it, the more it bothered him not to play against Utah. Big underdogs, he did not care. He wanted to play. He approached his father, the former defensive line coach of BYU and Utah, Steve Kaufusi, and told him what he thought.

"I think I want to try, see where I can help, see what I can do," he told his father.

It was the vintage Corbin. Throughout his career at BYU, he had donated his body to the football and basketball team, regardless of role, time, place. His father and older brother Bronson played the game, as did most of his uncles, who wore both red and blue.

He competed in the second defensive series of BYU and faced quarterback Ute Jason Shelley. He then played systematically as BYU launderer, 20-0, in the first half.

"He put pressure on his foot and tried to run. I asked him if he was certain, "Steve said. "When he decided to get dressed, he was just looking for a role, maybe in case of death or something."

Monday, Corbin will decide which operation, his ankle, his triceps on the arm, or an operation to straighten his little finger and insert pins. He was beaten most of the season, he was injured. They put that splint on his elbow and his arm after the Utah state match and he goes.

Steve tells him, "Hey guy, it's your turn to play. It is you who will have an idea of ​​what you can tolerate and what you can not. He had a lot of treatment. "

Kaufusi found himself on the offensive court as he was 4th and 1 on the Utah goal line in the third quarter in a new formation with Austin Kafentzis at QB. He pitched to Matt Hadley for an easy race to put BYU at 27-7 with 5:38 to play in the quarter.

Just before the third quarter, Kaufusi fell on a Shelley run. The medical staff came to assist. A few minutes later, he left the field on his own.

He returned to the next defensive series.

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Kaufusi had arrested Shyne during the last round of Utah, scored by Armand Shyne. He could not stay the course. Kaufusi was the second BYU tackler in this match.

The former BYU captain, Cameron Jensen, tweeted: "Kaufusi has chosen to play and give as much as he has tonight in a college football atmosphere where most players choose to stay at the university. "Outside will be a memory that will remain in my mind when I think of this rivalry.

This game lives because of the players.

It belongs to them, regardless of winners or losers.