In a thrilling match at Rice-Eccles Stadium, number 9 BYU pulled off a narrow 22-21 victory over Utah, thanks to engineering efforts from Jake Retzlaff and successful field goals from Will Ferrin. The win retained BYU’s unbeaten season, with the final drive of the match being extended due to a defensive holding penalty. Retzlaff passed 30 yards to Chase Roberts, 12 yards to Darius Lassiter, and Hinckley Ropati ran 14 yards to place BYU in position for Ferrin’s winning kick. Retzlaff cemented his reputation by scoring on a 1-yard sneak with 12:35 left in the game. This triumph leaves BYU as the remaining undefeated team in the Big 12, stirring substantial anticipation for their potential bid in the conference championship game.
Utah also saw significant action throughout the game, with third-string quarterback Brandon Rose getting his first career start following injuries to the primary choices, Cam Rising and Isaac Wilson. Despite being a newbie, Rose completed his first positive pass for a 20-yard touchdown to Brant Kuithe. The latter also added a 1-yard touchdown run shortly before halftime but unfortunately suffered a leg injury. Nonetheless, Rose managed 12 for 21 for 112 yards, although the second half of the game saw him achieving only 4 of 11 for 25 yards.
The game saw its fair share of interceptions, with BYU’s Will Ferrin scoring his second of three field goals thanks to Rose’s interception in the third quarter. Utah saw a reversal of fortunes when Zemaiah Vaughn halted BYU’s Roberts, leading to a 7-year touchdown pass to Micah Bernard, boosting their halftime lead to 21-10. Jakob Robinson’s first-quarter interception transformed into a 23-yard field goal by Ferrin. In the second quarter, Keelan Marion also showcased his skills by returning a kickoff 96 yards for a BYU touchdown.
In terms of performance, BYU exhibited a slow start, with their offense managing only two field goals before gaining momentum in the final quarter. However, they mismanaged the clock, took their final timeout prematurely, and a false start required a 10-second runoff, therefore ending the first half. For Utah, Bernard remained the sole offensive highlight before the second quarter. He had 17 carries for 78 yards and exceeded 2,000 career rushing yards. Rose peaked in the second quarter, but the offense declined thereafter. Despite having lost five consecutive games, none of Utah’s losses have exceeded 13 points.
The game also served as a reunion of sorts, with five of BYU’s leading coaches having formerly served Utah, and the legendary Ute coach, Kyle Whittingham, having played at BYU in the 1980s. Looking forward, BYU is set to host Kansas in the upcoming week, while Utah prepares to face off number 21 Colorado. The game’s exciting twists, unexpected turns, and pulsating anticipation make it a memorable event in college football history, with attendees and fans surely waiting for the next thrilling encounter.
