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PROVO, Utah (AP) - Plenty of crazy things have happened in a rivalry that dates back to the 1800s.
But this, even Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn couldn't explain.
"All those turnovers. That was like a video game," Wynn said of BYU's seven miscues in Utah's 54-10 blowout victory Saturday night.
It was over whenJohn White IV broke off a 62 yard TD run, putting the Utes up 40-10 with 9:25 left in the game. White finished with 174 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Quotable
"I don't know what it was, if was just our night or what, but credit to the defense," said Utah wide receiver DeVonte Christopher. "They were putting us in great position all night.
The Cougars (1-2) should have known this one would be ugly.
The third snap of the game sailed a yard wide of BYU quarterback Jake Heaps. He would pick it up but whiff on the throw, and fumble into the end zone, where Utah defensive end Derrick Shelby pounced on it for an easy 7-0 lead.
"Scoop and score," Shelby said.
#box
It was that easy.
Actually, the game was anything but easy early on for the Utes (2-1), who found themselves trailing 10-7 late in the second quarter until Wynn beat a blitz and found freshman tight end Jake Murphy open for a 30-yard touchdown pass.
Wynn (16 of 30 for 239 yards) followed with a 59-yard scoring pass to Dres Anderson on the opening possession of the second half, and the Utes never looked back.
The 44-point victory margin was Utah's largest since a 49-0 win in 1922.
It felt like vindication for Wynn, who got a rude initiation as a freshman at BYU two years ago, and has been under pressure to show he had fully recovered from December shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum.
"I'm done answering questions about my shoulder but, if you want to know, that pass to Dres kind of signified that my shoulder is OK," said Wynn.
So is Utah's defense.
After holding USC's offense to 17 points last week, the Utes put the pressure on from the beginning, then capped the effort with a 57-yard fumble return for a touchdown by V.J. Fehoko.
On the night, Utah's D forced five fumbles and recorded an interception. BYU's other turnover came when J.D. Falslev fumbled a third-quarter kickoff return, a mistake Utah converted into a 30-10 advantage.
"We were outcoached, outplayed and basically outexecuted," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said of 40 unanswered points in the second half.
"Turnovers were the critical difference in the game ... but they were the better team."
Unlike BYU, the Utes behind offensive coordinator Norm Chow also got their run game untracked as John White scored on runs of 1, 62 and 35 yards in the second half.
White had only 9 yards on nine first-half carries but finished with 22 carries for a career-high 183 yards.
He did it even though Utah was without starting fullback Luke Matthews because of a shoulder injury, and saw its best offensive linemen, Tony Bergstrom, helped off the field with 5:13 left in the first quarter with a leg injury.
BYU and Utah were playing their first game in 113 years as non-conference foes, and it was their earliest meeting in a series usually played in late November.
Though there have been blowouts and low-scoring affairs, most games of late have been nail-biters, with five of the last six going down to the final play.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who jumped at the chance to leave the Mountain West Conference, wanted that to change.
"It doesn't have be that close every time with these guys," he said he preached all week to his players. "I guess they took that to heart, didn't they?"
The loss snapped the Cougars' four-game home winning streak and was their first to an in-state opponent since 2005.
Heaps finished with 305 yards passing and a 32-yard second-quarter TD, but tossed an interception and fumbled twice.
In a game filled with so many instate players, one who had committed to BYU but ended up a Ute helped turn the momentum.
Murphy, son of former Atlanta Braves All-Star outfielder and BYU alum Dale Murphy, initially committed to BYU in 2007 but changed his mind after serving his church mission.
With Utah down 3, Murphy caught three consecutive passes, including the 30-yard TD catch, to cap a six-play, 63-yard drive. It gave Utah a 14-10 lead with 32 seconds left in the first half, and all the momentum it needed.
"Jake Murphy didn't surprise me at all because I see him do that everyday in practice. He really stepped up tonight," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.
Wynn called it pivotal.
"That drive right before the half, it jump-started everything," Wynn said.
Afterward, it was Whittingham and the Utah faithful jumping for joy.
Before heading to the locker room, Whittingham ran toward the Utah cheering section and gave high-fives to everyone along the rail.
"You look back in the history of this game and it's never really this lopsided, especially for the away team," Wynn said.
"In that second half, we finally exploded. You could finally see the capabilities of our playmakers."
Now Wynn and the Utes have bye to look forward to, then a full slate of Pac-12 games and a chance to go to a BCS bowl.
BYU has Central Florida on Friday, but could be rolling down a long path of independence.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
