Hans Olsen doesn’t need much prompting to get rolling on BYU-Utah week, and this one clearly has his attention.
The former BYU defensive tackle, who played for the Cougars from 1996-00, called Saturday’s matchup the kind of game that already lives on a bigger stage than most rivalry meetings ever reach.
“This game has reached epic levels. Can you think of a more insane scenario?
Same conference, crazy records, national rankings, the whole coaching combo - Morgan and Kalani,” Olsen told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. “It just seems like this is a powder keg waiting for a spark to explode!”
Olsen will be in the broadcast booth Saturday morning with Greg Wrubell on BYU Radio, and he sees the stakes stretching well beyond bragging rights. In his view, the result could reshape both the postseason picture and the rivalry’s place in the state.
“Utah (8-0) beating BYU (7-1) would destroy BYU’s goals and hopes because they already have the one loss,” he said. “BYU beating Utah would be another top five victory for BYU, which would almost certainly qualify them for the CFP.”
He also pointed to the recruiting and in-state balance that hangs over the matchup every year.
“Most kids now, if they are at the level of being recruited by Utah, then they are at the level being recruited by BYU, and vice versa,” Olsen said. “I think (the game) plays a role in state dominance.
When Utah was running off consecutive wins and now that BYU has put three together, I think that it shows the sign of power and growth. There are so many layers that make this thing so critically important.”
Olsen’s pick is BYU, and his explanation centers on how the last two weeks may have left one team sharper and the other a little too comfortable.
“I think the way the last two weeks have played out plays in BYU’s favor. Everybody could have told BYU after the Notre Dame win, ‘Don’t have the UCF letdown!
Don’t have the UCF letdown!’ It’s just something wild that happens in a locker room.
“Utah just thumped Cincinnati. Embarrassed them.
BYU has been in the trenches. They have been soul searching after a loss to UCF and a close win against Arizona State. ...
They have all kinds of negative plays to go back and look at. They are not looking at the positives.
They are looking at the negatives.
“Utah players are in the locker room, and they are watching the highlights and they are like, ‘Man, are we good boys! Are we good!’
And you can’t stop that. You can’t stop it.
So, who’s battle tested? Who’s got the scars to remind you, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t walk into the barbwire next time?’
BYU, they have the scars, and I think it’s going to play out on Saturday, give me BYU 28-24.”
Rice-Eccles Stadium also brings Olsen back to one of the defining memories of his career: BYU’s 34-27 comeback win in 2000, LaVell Edwards’ final game as head coach. Brandon Doman led a seven-play, 80-yard drive in the final minute and finished it with a 4-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds left, giving Edwards his 257th victory.
That game still sits at the top of Olsen’s personal list.
“When I reflect back on my 20 years of football - seven years professional, five years at BYU, four years in high school, and I started playing when I was 8 - the greatest moment and memory was that send-off for LaVell,” Olsen said. “The fact that we got to lift LaVell up and take him off that way, that thing couldn’t have played out any better.”
He also ranked his five favorite BYU-Utah moments, starting with BYU’s 37-17 win in 1996, which he called his introduction to the rivalry and the last double-digit BYU victory in the series. He remembered Henry Bloomfield battling Utah running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala and described it as “He Man vs. King Kong.”
At No. 4 was BYU’s 22-21 win in 2024, the game he covered from the booth and the one decided by Will Ferrin’s 44-yard field goal. Olsen said the close-up shot of Ferrin’s face, along with the kick itself, made it unforgettable.
No. 3 on his list was BYU’s 33-31 win in 2006, when John Beck hit Jonny Harline for an 11-yard touchdown on the final play in Salt Lake.
At No. 2, he picked BYU’s 26-24 win in 1998, when Utah’s Ryan Kaneshiro missed a 32-yard field goal off the upright.
And at No. 1, unsurprisingly, was the 2000 finish that sent LaVell Edwards out on top.
“It’s LaVell’s last miracle. It had all the amazing parts to it. For me, the No. 1 (moment) will always be LaVell’s final miracle.”
In Other News...
BYU Heads Into Utah With One Huge Question On Offense
BYUs offense has been searching for its footing on the ground since star running back LJ Martin went down with a leg injury, and the timing has not been ideal with Utah next on the schedule. The Cougars have seen their running game slide over the last four games, and the issue has been compounded by injuries along the offensive line, leaving a unit that once looked like a strength trying to piece itself back together before a rivalry test.
Martin did practice recently, which at least gives BYU some hope as it heads into the matchup, but his status is still up in the air. Coaches and players have been clear that fixing the run game will take more than one return, and the Cougars know they will need a collective push up front if they want to get back on track against Utah. [Read more 🡒]
BYUs Biggest Utah Question May Come Down To LJ Martin
LJ Martins return could end up being one of the bigger swing factors in BYUs buildup to Utah. The Cougars have been waiting on their running back since he went down with an ankle injury on Oct. 3, and he was back on the practice field recently, which at least gives BYU a little more hope heading into a rivalry game that always carries extra weight.
Aaron Roderick said it is still too early to say whether Martin will be ready, so the Cougars are left with an important question hanging over the week. Preston Rex is expected back, which helps, but BYU would clearly feel better if Martin can join him, especially with Utah on deck and the margin for error in a game like this usually pretty thin. [Read more 🡒]
Utah Wants A Different Edge For BYU Week
Morgan Scalleys comments this week offered a different kind of pregame edge for BYU-Utah, one rooted less in old grudges and more in trying to cool them down. The Utah coach addressed a resurfaced video from 2004 in which he spoke sharply about BYU, and he made clear that his view of the rivalry has changed as he now wants less toxicity around a series that already carries plenty of heat.
Scalley and BYU coach Kalani Sitake also spoke from a place of familiarity, with personal and professional ties that add another layer to the matchup. Both coaches acknowledged the religious undertones that have long hovered over the rivalry, while urging fans to keep the focus on competition and respect as the teams head into another meeting. [Read more 🡒]