Few college sports rivalries can match the passion and venom generated between BYU and Utah. Countless games featuring thrilling finishes and colorful characters have turned the Holy War into one of the nation's best.
Once again, the Utes battle the Cougars
for in-state bragging rights on Saturday. Utah has held an upper hand
in recent seasons. The Utes seek a seventh straight win over BYU and
have beaten the Cougars 11 times in the last 14 games in the series.
What makes this rivalry special?
Amazing records, memorable performances and unusual lore combine to
create a rich history between BYU and Utah.
Here are 10 fun facts about the Holy
War:
1.
Utah ended BYU's NCAA record scoring streak
BYU
built a football identity with a dynamic passing offense in the
1970s, 80s and 90s. The Cougars rolled out quarterback after
quarterback who could dominate opponents through the air and light up
the scoreboard. From 1975 to 2003, BYU scored in 361 consecutive games to set an NCAA record.
It
all came to an end against Utah. The Utes caged the Cougars in 3-0
victory in 2003. BYU generated just 153 total yards on offense. Utah
scored what proved to be the winning points with 4:13 left in the
second quarter when Bryan Borreson converted a 41-yard field goal.
2.
It took BYU 20 years to beat Utah after restarting its football
program
BYU
played football briefly in the late 1890s, but dropped the sport
after a player death around the turn of the century. The Cougars
restarted their football team in 1922. Finding success against Utah
over the next few decades proved to be highly difficult.
From
1896 to 1971, Utah strung together a 41–8–4 (.811) record against
BYU. At one point, the Utes enjoyed a 21-game unbeaten streak. They
shut out the Cougars 12 times and allowed them to score 71 total
points in those 21 games. Utah had no such trouble finding the end
zone and averaged 25.2 points per contest.
BYU
finally snapped the streak with a 12-7 victory in 1942. The Cougars
would wait another 14 years before recording their next victory in
the series.
3.
Utah and BYU set series scoring records in back-to-back seasons
When
Utah snapped a nine-game losing streak to BYU in 1988, the Utes left
nothing to chance. They throttled the Cougars by dominating on both
sides of the ball. Utah forced eight turnovers and scored its most
ever points against BYU in a 57-28 rout.
BYU
returned the favor a year later. The Cougars punched in touchdowns on
each of their first eight drives and took a 49-0 lead before rolling to a 70-31 victory. BYU's
offense, led by Ty Detmer, churned out more than 750 yards. 70 points remains
the highest amount Utah has ever surrendered in a football game.
4.
The Utes won back-to-back games by an identical 34-31 score
BYU
dominated the rivalry with Utah for the first time ever after LaVell
Edwards raised the football program from the WAC cellar. The Cougars
reeled off 19 wins during his first 21 seasons in Provo.
Ron
McBride ended that domination when he resurrected Utah's dormant
football program. McBride guided the Utes to three straight victories
over BYU from 1993 to 1995. The first two wins produced an identical
34-31 score.
Utah
won 34-31 in 1993 after Chris Yergensen made a 55-yard field goal
with 25 seconds left. It offered redemption to Yergensen, who missed
field goal attempts from 35 yards and 37 yards earlier in the game.
The Utes did it again a year later. Cal Beck ripped off a 67-yard
punt return to set up a game-winning 20 yard pass from Mike McCoy to
Charlie Brown for the go-ahead touchdown.
5.
Down to the final play
Utah's
recent domination in the win column doesn't do justice to the tight
finishes in recent Holy War battles. 16 of the last 19 games were
decided by seven points or less. On multiple occasions, the final
play decided the outcome.
BYU
snapped Utah's four-game series winning streak in 2006, prevailing 33-31 when John Beck found Jonny Harline for an 11 yard touchdown
pass on the final play. The Cougars pulled out final play dramatics
again in 2009 when Max Hall hit Andrew George on a 25 yard TD pass to
secure a 26-23 overtime victory.
Utah
took its turn a year later, winning 17-16 when Brandon Burton blocked a field goal as time expired. The Utes hung on for a 24-21 win in
2012 when Riley Stephenson's 36-yard field goal attempt bounced off
the upright on the final play. Then, Utah survived six turnovers and
claimed a 20-19 win over BYU last season after Hunter Dimick stopped
Taysom Hill on a two-point run in the final seconds.
6.
BYU set a controversial NCAA record against Utah
BYU became famous for producing a
series of quarterbacks under Edwards who rewrote the NCAA record
books. One record, set against Utah, stirred up controversy because
of how it was set.
The Cougars drew sharp criticism from
then-Utah coach Wayne Howard following the game. Howard exacted his
revenge a year later when the Utes rallied from a 16-point deficit to
upset BYU 23-22.
7. LaVell Edwards ended his BYU
coaching career with a dramatic comeback win over Utah
Things
did not go smoothly for BYU after Edwards decided to retire from
coaching at the end of the 2000 season. The Cougars struggled with
injuries and mediocre play on both sides of the ball. They came into
the Holy War needing a victory to help Edwards avoid suffering just
his second losing season as a head coach.
BYU
pulled out one final win for Edwards over Utah, but just barely. A
34-yard pass from Brandon Doman to Jonathan Pittman on 4th-and-13
kept the final drive alive and Doman capped it off with a 4-yard run
to lift the Cougars to a 34-27 win over the Utes. Edwards
went 22-7 against Utah overall during his tenure in Provo.
8.
Ron McBride beat BYU in his final game at Utah
After
reviving Utah's football program in the 1990s, McBride saw
diminishing returns his last few seasons. The Utes struggled badly in
his final season in 2002. Utah lost six straight games after a 2-0
start, ultimately leading to McBride's dismissal.
In his final game against BYU, McBride
went out a winner when the Utes beat the Cougars 13-6. It ended a
streak of 28 seasons at .500 or better for BYU. Brandon Warfield
rushed for 192 yards on 40 carries and scored the game's only
touchdown in the third quarter. The Cougars turned the ball over
twice inside the Utah 10-yard line in the loss.
9.
BYU and Utah faced each other in a bowl game
Utah
planned a two-year break in Holy War in 2014 and 2015, so the Utes
could schedule a home-and-home series with Michigan. That planned
sabbatical ended a year early when the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl decided to
match BYU and Utah. It marked the first time the two rivals met in the
postseason or played at a neutral site.
It
ended up being a tale of two games. The Utes dominated in every phase
of the game during the first quarter. Utah raced out to a 35-0 lead
over the Cougars midway through the first quarter after scoring all
five touchdowns off of BYU turnovers. The Utes set a Las Vegas Bowl
record for the most first quarter points.
BYU
rallied over the final three quarters and closed to within a
touchdown late in the fourth quarter to make the final score look
respectable. It was Bronco Mendenhall's final game as head coach
of the Cougars. Utah denied him his 100th career
victory and he left to become the head coach at Virginia at season's
end.
10. Neither team can agree on how many games they have played
You know it's a heated rivalry when two teams can't agree on how many games they have actually played. That's the case with BYU and Utah. The Utes claim an all-time series lead of 59-34-4. On the other hand, the Cougars say Utah holds a 56-31-4 lead in the series.
One major reason for the difference is Utah counts six games the two schools played from 1896 to 1898. BYU does not recognize those games, however, because it operated under the name Brigham Young Academy from 1875 to 1903. The Cougars only counts games the team has played starting from 1922, which BYU officially considers the inaugural season of its football program.
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