What just happened?
Entering this game, anticipation was at an all time high. One of the most hyped BYU-Utah games in recent memory was about to unfold. BYU came into the game undefeated, the matchup was 3 years overdue, and both Holy War participants were coming off bye weeks, further heightening the excitement and tension.
However, late in the 2nd half, all hope (what little there seemed to be) was lost. Things really looked like they could not get worse, but BYU found a way. Jake Retzlaff somehow led the offense down the field with two minutes left, just in time for Will Ferrin to hit a 44 yard field goal with 3 seconds to go. Madness.
Certain calls will be talked about all year, the Utah Athletic Director may get fined, and Will Ferrin will never have to buy anything again in Provo. So in other words, just another Holy War.
Despite all the hype, it was a slow start for both offenses. Back to back punts and an ugly trick play interception for Utah got the game started, before BYU finally broke through with a field goal. Then things really got going.
Utah quarterback Brandon Rose, making his first career start, responded with a touchdown pass to Brant Kuithe, while Keelan Marion returned the ensuing kickoff for a Cougar touchdown. The Utes would dominate the rest of the half though, scoring two touchdowns and getting a 4th down stop to stretch the lead to 21-10.
BYU, meanwhile, gave a fantastic demonstration on how to mess up a promising drive, misusing timeouts and communicating poorly on a potential spike, before a false start sent them to the locker room without even attempting a field goal.
The Comeback
Things were definitely dire, with BYU facing its largest deficit of the season and in the loudest environment they had faced all year. But while the offense struggled to move the ball to start the second half, the Cougar defense rose to the occasion.
BYU was able to finally stop the run and put pressure on Brandon Rose to throw the ball, resulting in an interception and five second half punts. The Ute defense also remained strong, forcing a number of punts of their own, and holding BYU to a field goal when they got inside the red zone.
However, BYU began to turn the tide, with a huge red zone 4th and 2 conversion by Hinkley Ropati, which set up a Retzlaff touchdown when he jumped over the offensive line for the score. A failed 2 point conversion left the Cougars with a 2 point deficit though, but the defense came through yet again, forcing enough punts to give Retzlaff and company the ball with 1:56 on the clock.
Memories of BYU's heroic win vs Oklahoma State began to be recalled, but reality came fast. The Cougars were staring at a 4th and 10 and Retzlaff was chased out of the endzone for a Utah win. But wait. Kalani Sitake had called timeout just before the ball was snapped giving BYU a second chance.
With this new chance Retzlaff took the snap and...was sacked. Utah wins. But just wait once more. A controversial defensive holding call committed against Marion gave the Cougars ten yards and a fresh set of downs. At the time, it may have felt live delaying the inevitable. But BYU took the yards and didn't look back.
Two Retzlaff darts and a 14 yard Ropati run gave Ferrin everything he needed to make the biggest kick of his life. BYU 22. Utah 21.
2nd Half Improvements
For BYU, the offense struggled mightily going up against a very good Utah defense. Retzlaff was just 15-33 and the Cougars only managed 3.8 yards per play on the ground. A 39 yard run by LJ Martin midway through the third quarter is what finally got the them going.
Retzlaff would also finally heat up on the following drive, as the Cougars began to slowly break down the Ute defense. It was certainly not as pretty of an offensive output as their last three games, but their ability to come alive late against one of the best defenses in the conference speaks volume about how dangerous this group can actually be.
The story defensively was similar to that of the offense. Early struggles led to the Utes scoring more in the first half than they had in each of their past 4 games. The defense though, turned it around much faster, seemingly coming out a new team after halftime.
The guys up front helped limit the Micah Bernard ground attack, and cornerbacks Marque Collins and Jakob Robinson turned in elite games in the second half, holding Brandon Rose to just 4 completions over the final 30 minutes. After 180 yards of offense in the first half, Utah managed just 79 yards after halftime.
It was an extremely important half for Jay Hill and the defense, especially following their last two games where they didn't quite play to their standard. Following the first half Saturday night, it looked like that trend might continue, but the defense returned to their September ways, stifling the Utes for the rest of the night. If the Cougars want any kind of chance to win the conference and make the College Football Playoff, they'll need to see that second half defense for the rest of the season.
It might not be possible to truly communicate just how out of this game BYU looked. ESPN probably does the best job of this, as they gave Utah a 99.7% chance to win with a minute thirty left. The Cougars looked all out of sorts throughout the night. There were a abundance of false starts and other penalties, poor clock management, and mistimed substitutions that left the offense scrambling on what felt like every play.
But just like against Oklahoma State, SMU, and the rest of their schedule, BYU found a way. The Cougars are still undefeated, for at least one more week, and the magical season continues.