BYU Football: 5 keys for BYU to beat Utah

PROVO, UT - AUGUST 29 : Jaylen Dixon #25 of the Utah Utes is face masked as he is taken out of bounds by Mitchell Price #26, Jackson Kaufusi #38 and Dayan Ghanwoloku #5 of the BYU Cougars during their game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on August 29, in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
PROVO, UT - AUGUST 29 : Jaylen Dixon #25 of the Utah Utes is face masked as he is taken out of bounds by Mitchell Price #26, Jackson Kaufusi #38 and Dayan Ghanwoloku #5 of the BYU Cougars during their game at LaVell Edwards Stadium on August 29, in Provo, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
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Sep 4, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back Tyler Allgeier (25) leaps into the end zone to score a touchdown against the Arizona Wildcats at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Brigham Young Cougars running back Tyler Allgeier (25) leaps into the end zone to score a touchdown against the Arizona Wildcats at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t Ever Get Comfortable

While BYU Football hasn’t been in too many positions to be comfortable during the nine game losing streak, there have been some moments and they have all ended up coming back and hurting the Cougars.

The most obvious one is in 2018 when the Cougars had a 27-7 lead with about 16 minutes left in the game. Instead of going for another score or really pushing for first downs, Sitake and the offense seemed content to run out a few minutes off the clock and punt the ball away. By the time that the coaching staff realized that Utah was coming back and making it a close game, Utah already had all the momentum and it became very difficult to run the offense successfully.

Other times in the series that BYU has gotten “comfortable” include in 2010 when the Cougars were up 13-0 going into the fourth quarter. Again, the Cougars got a little too conservative and Utah put up some quick scores and won the game with just over a minute left in the game.

While there is no guarantee that BYU will have a lead late in the game, if they do, they must keep their gas on the pedal. I’d rather lose by being aggressive than lose by being to passive.

Schedule

Schedule