Utah kept its perfect season rolling Saturday night, outlasting BYU 28-20 in the Holy War at Rice-Eccles Stadium and tightening its grip on the Big 12 race.
The No. 3 Utes are now 9-0 overall and 6-0 in conference play, the only unbeaten team left in the Big 12. ESPN’s postgame projections reflected the size of the win, giving Utah a 93% chance to reach the Big 12 Championship Game and a 90% chance to make the College Football Playoff.
The game started with Utah in control. The Utes opened fast and built a 14-3 lead in the first quarter, only for BYU to swing the momentum hard before halftime. The Cougars answered with 17 straight points in the second quarter and went into the break ahead 20-14, putting Utah’s unbeaten run in real danger.
But the second half belonged to Utah. The Utes shut BYU out over the final two quarters and scored 14 unanswered points to flip the game back in their favor and secure the eight-point win.
It was another strong showing for first-year head coach Morgan Scalley, who now has Utah sitting in the driver’s seat to get to Arlington in December. The Utes have also stacked two of their biggest wins back-to-back, coming off last Saturday’s 49-25 win over Cincinnati.
The victory carries major weight in the national picture, too. Utah entered the weekend ranked No. 3 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, and beating another Top 10 team only strengthens that case. With three regular-season games left, ESPN’s 90% playoff projection shows just how well-positioned the Utes are right now.
BYU, meanwhile, dropped to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in Big 12 play, leaving the Cougars in a tough spot in the championship chase. They’ll likely need help from other contenders, including Texas Tech, to get back into the race for Arlington.
For Utah, the formula is simple from here: keep winning, get to the Big 12 title game, and leave the door open for something even bigger. After Saturday, the Utes don’t just look like a conference contender. They look like a real national championship threat.
In Other News...
Bear Bachmeiers Collapse Turned BYUs Best Chance Against Utah
Bear Bachmeier gave BYU just enough early spark to make the rivalry feel manageable, and for a while the Cougars had the kind of offensive rhythm that can change a game in a hurry. His 75-yard touchdown pass helped set the tone in a first half that suggested BYU might have found the right answers against Utah, even as the matchup tightened into the kind of physical, possession-by-possession fight these games usually become.
Then the second half turned into a different story, and the turnovers piled up at the worst possible time. Bachmeier finished with four interceptions, and each one chipped away at BYUs chances to build on its early momentum or recover once Utahs defense started dictating the pace. In a 28-20 loss, the Cougars were left to wonder how different the night might have looked if their quarterbacks best stretch had lasted a little longer. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Heads To Utah With Playoff Pressure And One Huge Concern
Saturdays trip to Rice-Eccles Stadium has turned into one of the biggest games on BYUs schedule, with the Cougars heading into a Big 12 showdown that carries real weight in both the conference race and the College Football Playoff picture. Utah arrives unbeaten and sitting atop the league, while BYU comes in with one loss and a No. 9 ranking in the CFP standings, leaving little margin for error as the season tightens.
The Cougars do have some encouraging news on offense, with LJ Martin expected to play despite dealing with an injury. The bigger concern may be on the other side of the ball, where BYU is managing defensive absences at a time when every possession matters against a Utah team that has been hard to knock off balance. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Let A Rivalry Statement Slip Away In The Worst Way
For much of the night, BYU had the kind of rivalry win that can linger for years within reach. The Cougars carried a halftime lead into the break, and the game had the feel of one of those tense, physical meetings with Utah where every possession starts to matter a little more than the last.
Instead, the second half turned sharply in Utahs favor as the Utes rallied for a 28-20 win and left BYU to sort through a game that slipped away in painful fashion. Devon Dampier helped drive the comeback with both a passing and rushing touchdown, while Trey Reynolds sealed it with a goal-line interception, and Bachmeiers four interceptions loomed over every missed chance the Cougars had to put the game away. [Read more 🡒]