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SALT LAKE CITY — If the Holy War is played between Utah and BYU, it has to end with one team winning by seven or less right?
Utah won its sixth straight over its rival BYU, but it wasn't without some intense nail biting and firey halftime speeches.
Utah stuffed BYU quarterback Taysom Hill on a two point conversion attempt with 18 seconds remaining, preserving a 20-19 win for the Utes.
A win is a win, and the best part of going 2-0 is the opportunity to go 3-0. But there were plenty of things to be concerned about for Utah fans, especially as the countdown to Pac-12 play rolls one week closer.
Here's a look at my instant observations following Utah's 20-19 win.
Utes way too careless with the football
Utah's first offensive play from scrimmage was an 8 yard catch by Raelon Singleton from Troy Williams. Good right? Nope. Singleton fumbled the ball. Unfortunately for the Utes, it was just a sign of more to come.
Utah running back Joe Williams fumbled on the very next possession which lead to BYU's second field goal of the game.
In all, Utah put the ball on the turf six times, losing three of them. That is unacceptable by any team's standard — little league, high school, college or pro.
Utah QB Troy Williams made some mistakes in the air too. Some were bad choices, others great plays by BYU. Williams threw for three interceptions — with the final tally of Utah turnovers being an astonishing six.
Whittingham goes conservative in critical call
4th and inches at the BYU 6, Utah elected to take a delay of game penalty and settle for a 29 yard field goal. The score put Utah up 7, but there was still 2:47 left on the clock, plenty of time for BYU to march down the field and tie the game.
Utah's defense was in a typical late game scenario, keep everything in front of you and don't give up the big play. The problem was that Tayson Hill was able to scramble for chunk yardage, keeping BYU drives alive, marching down the field until Hill scrambled seven yards for the touchdown to bring the game within one point. BYU elects to go for two and Hill's QB keeper is stuffed, but the conservative call nearly cost the Utes this one.
Utah needs to find a dependable running back
Along with the fumble, starting running back only averaged 2.6 yards per carry. For whatever reason, he could never find any sort of rhythm.
Other backs did have success running against BYU. Troy McCormick looked brilliant at times, averaging 6.2 yards per carry for a total of 62 yards. However, he was held out much of the second half due to concussion protocol for a hit to the helmet he took.
Zack Moss refused to go down on first contact, something that I'm sure will please the coaches in the film room.
If I'm Utah, I go with McCormick and Moss as my feature backs until Williams can prove that he can hang onto the ball and regain some much needed confidence.
Utah's offensive line was vastly improved from Week 1
Utah's line was noticeably improved in Week 2, giving Troy Williams ample time to find receivers down the field. Williams did make some mistake, but the o-line played as good as you could have wanted.
The run game was also successful, with Utah running backs averaging over 4 yards per carry.
Stars of the game for the Utes
- Cody Barton: He didn't make the tackle, but Barton blew up BYU's 2-point conversion near the end of the game, forcing Taysom Hill to rush upfield into a wall of Utah defenders. Barton had 6 tackles, 0.5 for a loss.
- Sunia Tauteoli: Sticking with linebackers, Tauteoli had a monsterous game, picking off Hill on BYU's first play of the game and returning it for a touchdown. He added another interception as Hunter Dimick hit Hill as he was throwing.
- Tim Patrick: Utah's wide receiver had a 21 yard touchdown catch on a pass from Troy Williams. He also added two other catches for 59 total yards.
- Utah's entire defense: Utah committed six turnovers and gave up a total of 19 points. Incredible defensive performance. Defensive Morgan Scalley had an incredible game plan tonight, save on that final drive by BYU.
