The college football season has started in earnest, and the best game last night was when Utah traveled to take on BYU. The Holy War is one of the most underrated rivalries in the country, and Utah emerged victorious once again to start the season 1-0. Utah starting quarterback Tyler Huntley made sure to rub it in after the game, tossing a sophomoric insult at BYU following the 30-12 win.
Tyler Huntley on BYU: “They so poo-poo … you can tweet that.” pic.twitter.com/nM941tE1zm
— Chris Kamrani (@chriskamrani) August 30, 2019
Utah was one of the most talked about teams coming into the season. The Utes emerged as the favorite to win the Pac 12 South, and ESPN’s Lee Corso called for Utah to take on Alabama in the national title game at the end of the year.
Lee Corso sees @Utah_Football in the National Championship pic.twitter.com/yj02JChnZ3
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) August 24, 2019
The Utes faced a tough test in their opener last night. Utah was favored by less than a touchdown on the road in Provo, as oddsmakers believed that the Cougars would be able to keep it close.
Through the first three quarters, that prediction seemed to be spot on. Utah only led 9-6 at halftime, and the Utes could only tack on another touchdown in the third quarter. However, BYU started to unravel in the second half as the offense kept turning the ball over and a gassed defense could no longer keep Utah from moving the ball up and down the field.
Zack Moss ended the evening with 187 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, but the Utah defense was the difference maker. The Utes returned two interceptions for touchdowns to break the game wide open, and they didn’t allow a touchdown until the game was well in hand.
This is Utah’s ninth straight win over BYU in the Holy War, but this is only the Utes’ second win by more than one score during that period.
Utah will be heavy favorites at home against Northern Illinois and Idaho State the next two weeks before starting Pac 12 play, while BYU now is looking down the barrel of an 0-4 start to the season. The Cougars go on the road to take on Tennessee next week before hosting USC and Washington in their next two games.
