The last win for BYU at Rice-Eccles Stadium was in 2006 when John Beck connected with Jonny Harline on a touchdown pass on the last play of the game to give the Cougars a thrilling 33-31 victory over rival Utah.
There’s been a number of close calls and games that BYU should have won in the rivalry over the past two decades — especially on the road at Rice-Eccles Stadium — however, for whatever reason, the Cougars have not been able to break the curse over the past 18 years.
But this year feels different.
BYU has already shattered several longstanding “curses” in 2024, including their struggles in early morning games (like the impressive win over Baylor) and their challenges playing across multiple time zones (such as their dominant performance at UCF). Now, with a high-flying offense, a dominant defense, and outstanding special teams unit, the Cougars are poised to break the last remaining barrier: their elusive victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Holy War: The Best Football Games In BYU-Utah Rivalry (W/Videos)
Why BYU Will Beat Utah
There’s no question about it, BYU is the better team in all three phases. The Cougars have all the momentum and have more to play for (Big 12 title, College football playoff berth, end the Rice-Eccles losing streak).
On the other side of the ball, Utah is a complete mess at the moment having lost 4 straight games, including consecutive home losses for the first time in forever. The Utes appear to be moving on to their third string quarterback (Brandon Rose) and their offensive coordinator quit two weeks ago. There are rumblings that the locker room is divided more than ever, and while this game will serve as Utah’s Super Bowl — as the Utes don’t appear to be making a bowl game this year — even that won’t likely be enough to help the team pull off an upset on Saturday.
BYU is arguably the most complimentary team in all of college football. The team has scored on offense, defense (scoop and score, pick-6s) and special teams (kick return for a TD and a punt return for a TD). Don’t forget about one of the best fake field goals the team pulled off two weeks ago against UCF too.
Holy War: The Best Football Games In BYU-Utah Rivalry (W/Videos)
BYU has so many playmakers on both sides of the ball that teams can’t afford to double team any one player.
On offense, 16 BYU players have caught a pass this year with 10 of them having scored at least one touchdown. Even tight end Mata’ava Ta’ase who only has four catches on the season has three touchdowns already.
Shifting gears to the running game, BYU has had six players take meaningful snaps due to injuries this year. Everyone is healthy right now, but the depth is there and the team hasn’t missed a beat as the Cougars are averaging 4.7 yards per carry this season. Houston just ran for 228 yards (4.6 yards per carry) in its 17-14 win over Utah, so Kyle Whittingham and Morgan Scalley are going to need to be miracle workers if the Utes want to have a shot.
That balanced approach on the ground and through the air is why BYU is No. 2 in the Big 12 in scoring offense at 35.1 points per game. On defense, BYU is No. 3 in the conference as the Cougars are allowing just 19.6 points per game. Utah is going to have its hands full and it doesn’t help that the Utes will be without Money Parks, the third leading receiver on the team, after he sustained a season-ending injury in the Houston game. With backup quarterbacks in Isaac Wilson and Brandon Rose, and an offense that already struggles to move the ball and score, the Utes are going to need some scores on defense or special teams if they want to pull off an upset. Utah is notorious for getting defensive touchdowns in the rivalry game and they’ll need to continue doing that to help out the offense.
If the Cougars are going to end the Rice-Eccles streak, this is the time to do so. As of right now, BYU is favored by four points which in my opinion, is exceptionally low, but that’s how oddsmakers have been all year as BYU is 7-1 against the spread. I don’t expect BYU to blowout the Utes — it hasn’t happened in two decades, but I do think BYU will cover and win by 10 points.
BYU–Utah — Last 5 Games At Rice-Eccles Stadium
2008: No. 7 Utah 48, No. 14 BYU 24 — Utah led from start to finish to beat BYU as the Utes improved to 12-0 and went on to win the Sugar Bowl over Alabama.
2010: Utah 17, BYU 16 — On the last play of the game, BYU kicker Mitch Payne had his 42-yard field goal attempt blocked by Brandon Burton to give Utah the victory.
2012: Utah 24, BYU 21 — Riley Stephenson’s 36-yard field goal attempt — with no time left on the clock — clanks off the upright as the Cougars fall once again to Utah on a last-second field goal.
2014: Two-year Hiatus
2016: Utah 20, BYU 19 — Despite not having Jamaal Williams, Taysom Hill drives the Cougars down the field for what appeared to be the game-tying score. However, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake decided to spice things up and go for the win with a two-point conversion attempt. Utah holds on and walks out with a thrilling 20-19 home victory.
2018: Utah 35, BYU 27 — After BYU jumped out to a 27-7 lead midway through the third quarter, Utah rallied to score 28 unanswered points in the final 16 minutes for a dramatic 35-27 come-from-behind victory — beating freshman Zach Wilson who went on to be the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
In the past four games at Rice-Eccles, the Cougars have lost by an average of three points.
2020: Covid-19 (no game)
2022: Two-year Hiatus (Utah schedules home-and-home with Florida)
2024: TBD
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Holy War: The Best Football Games In BYU-Utah Rivalry (W/Videos)
