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SALT LAKE CITY — Fans on both sides have been waiting for this to come since the wild ending witnessed in Rice-Eccles roughly one year ago — the BYU vs. Utah rivalry.
And, like most years, this game is too close to call. Will the Cougars get their first win in the rivalry since 2009? Or will the Utes win their fourth straight in the series?
To help you get the scoop on what each team needs to do to win, we brought in BYU insider Cleon Wall and Utah insider Robert Jackson.
Here are five keys for each team to come away with the all important 'W' in what will be the last rivalry matchup until 2016:
As BYU showed in its last game vs. Texas, the Cougars can run the football. Left, right or up the middle, it didn't seem to matter as the Cougars ran laps around the Longhorn defense, racking up 550 yards on the ground.
It was a stark contrast to the Cougars' first game against Virginia - or was it?
BYU RB Jamaal Williams has had similar performances through the first two games, with 326 yards, an average of 163 yards per contest. The success of Williams running the football has opened up the quarterback run attack. BYU QB Tayson Hill is 2nd in the nation in yards per rush attempt at 10.8. Who might be third, you ask? Utah QB Travis Wilson. More on that later...
The Utes need to stay disciplined against the zone read, something that the Utes run themselves and 9 out of the current Pac-12 teams run as well. The Utes have done a decent job at slowing down the run game of opposing offenses, but the challenge gets exponentially harder this week.
If you like wacky, wild or just downright strange endings, you'll love this Utah vs. BYU rivalry. Every year brings its own unique twist, and I'm sure this year won't be any different.
When these two teams last met, an errant snap was returned for a touchdown, a 4th and 12 was converted with a 47 yard pass and the crowd rushed the field not once or twice, but three times as the Utes outlasted the Cougars 24-21 at Rice-Eccles.
When the Utes and Cougars kick off Saturday night in Provo, one thing can be certain — this game won't be decided by the end of the first quarter. History has shown that when these two teams meet, its an outright slugfest from the opening kickoff (sometimes even before) until the very end, with three of the last four meetings coming down to the last play — field goal block, TD pass in overtime and a missed FG attempt.
Play hard until the final whistle. You never know when the ball will bounce your way. Or off the goalpost.
Utah QB Travis Wilson has come a long way since his debut for the Utes last season. Through three games, Wilson has thrown for 845 yards and seven touchdowns, while also adding 244 yards and five rushing touchdowns. He, along with co-offensive coordinators Brian Johnson and Dennis Erickson, have the Utes' offense back on track.
For Wilson, it hasn't been perfect. Three interceptions against Oregon State were costly. Add to that a missed read on the zone option in overtime - Wilson may have been walking into the end zone.
That said, Wilson is clearly the leader of this Utah offense. As he goes, so goes the offense. Be patient Travis, take what comes to you. A sack is better than an interception. And remember, "you can't go broke taking a profit."
The NFL is a different level of play, but the concept remains the same. Look at what San Diego did to the prolific Chip Kelly run offense in Philly. The Chargers held the ball for over 40 minutes, keeping the Eagles offense on the bench.
The Utes' offense needs to keep drives alive by converting on third downs. Each successful conversion keeps the BYU offense and quarterback Taysom Hill on the bench. Control the ball, control the game.
Not 8:45 when the first quarter is over.
8:15.
The Utes always seem to come in and push the Cougars around, even when BYU seemingly has a better team. This is why the rivalry game has been so close or a blowout in Utah's favor.
BYU needs to start physical. Push guys off the line, legally hit Ute QB Travis Wilson several times and nail receivers that come over the middle. And on offense, don't shy away from a hit or grabby defensive backs playing press coverage.
The Utes psyche has to be a bit fragile right now after losing a very winnable game against Oregon State. BYU's defense and offense need to do anything to keep them down. A few quick scores from the Cougars would help.
But keeping Utah's explosive offense in check could be a bigger boon. The Utes were down 13-0 to Oregon State before finally waking up on offense. The Cougars have got to think they can do the same.
As you know, the Utes ended up making up that 13-0 deficit and scored 48 points in the final 3 quarters and in overtime. BYU's defense will give up points, but they can't allow more than 24 if they expect to win.
That's why they need to put pressure on the quarterback and use deception as much as possible to dupe Wilson into more turnovers. He threw three picks last week and BYU has to hope he will do it again.
And the Cougar offense has to take care of the ball. Turnovers fuel comebacks.
Utah's defense is planning on a potent Cougar rushing attack after the Texas game. 550 yards on the ground will do that. But BYU should not shy away from their offensive strength.
It will require another week of good blocking and plenty of poise on Taysom Hill's part to decide when to run it himself and when to give it to the running backs. They will be stymied at times with the Utes front 7. But Utah's defense also gave up 173 yards rushing to Utah State, so teams can run on them.
Cougar QB Taysom Hill will have to complete some passes to win this game. And he has to be better than his current 33% average. But it's not like Hill has to throw 50 times or complete 70% of his passes to lead the Cougars to victory. He just needs to pick his spots and hit on some long throws.
If he's 17 of 30 with half of those passes going for 15-plus yards, I think the Cougars will walk away from this rivalry match with a victory.
