Ranking the top 10 results in the BYU-Utah Holy War rivalry, a deep dive

Fall camp is rolling, and two weeks remain before the season opener against Utah Tech. Thoughts have been swirling on how the BYU Cougars will stack up against each of their opponents. Even though there are quite a few big games, the one every fan should have circled in pen is the infamous holy war game on November 7. Yes, Notre Dame is on the calendar, but the feeling of a win or loss against Utah always holds more weight than anything else on the schedule. 

Both squads made an appearance in the AP top 25 preseason poll, and feel they each have a lot to prove given the major changes they faced in the offseason. Because of this, we should expect yet another cinematic game with two teams having a chip on their shoulder. However, recent history has shown us that the games are usually a dog fight no matter how large the talent gap is. 

Despite being 37-62-4 head-to-head, the Cougars will look for four consecutive wins against the Utes for the first time since 1989-92. Lopsided dominance favored Utah pre-1965 then for BYU throughout the 1970s and 1980s, but blow outs are much less prone to happening nowadays. Since 1995, only four of 26 games, or 15 percent, had a margin of victory 20 points or greater. In the rest of them, dating back to the year after World War II, 46 percent had a margin of 20 or more.

This historic rivalry matchup has produced some of the most classic games in college football history. It may be a little over two months too early to anticipate the matchup, but not for me. Without further ado, here are the top-10 most memorable games–with a few additional mentions–the Cougars and Utes have given us in recent memory. Keep in mind, it was nearly impossible to rank these incredible moments.

Honorable Mentions

Provo losing streak snapped (1993) - Utah 34, BYU 31

To this point, BYU had won 10 consecutive games at then Cougar Stadium against Utah. Utes head coach Ron McBride decided to put an end to that in his fourth season at the helm.

Both teams produced plenty of offense throughout the contest, combining for 1,130 total yards. Utah ended up getting the last laugh. 

Cougar quarterback John Walsh punched in a 1-yard sneak to tie it up, 31-31, with 3:16 remaining in the game. The Utes did not want to take any chances in overtime on the road, so they drove down the field to set up kicker Chris Yergensen for a 55-yard field goal try. He drained it for the longest made field goal of his career. 

This became the turning point of the rivalry. BYU had won 18 of the previous 20 matchups, but this turned into a start of a new chapter in the rivalry.

Staley and Cougs roar back (2001) - Utah 21, No. 8 BYU 24

An undefeated season was on the line a year after the late and great LaVell Edwards retired after a 39-year BYU coaching career, with 29 of them as a head coach. 

With just under six minutes left, the Cougars trailed 21-10 before the wheels of running back Luke Staley led the attack to pull off back-to-back clutch scoring drives. The latter included a 30-yard scamper down the sideline to pull ahead, 24-21. The victory sent heartbreak throughout Salt Lake City with the Utes on the verge of an upset win.

Instead, BYU picked up its first and only rivalry win in the Gary Crowton era on its way to completing a perfect 12-0 regular season. 

Cougs snap nine-game losing streak (2021) - No. 21 Utah 17, BYU 26

BYU overcame a decade of sorrow in this one. The nine-game losing streak in the matchup was snapped at long last.

A strong ground game and a stout defense fueled the victory. Running back Tyler Allgeier and quarterback Jaren Hall combined for 194 rushing yards while the defense forced two turnovers and held Utah to just seven points in the first three quarters. Hall added three passing touchdowns to receivers Neil Pau’u, Samson Nacua and Gunner Romney.

#10 – “A comeback for the ages” (2018) - BYU 27, No. 18 Utah 35

BYU was in complete control of the game, well, for the most part. With 5:28 left in the 3rd, the Cougars led 27-7 thanks to freshman quarterback Zach Wilson dominating the ground and aerial attack. He led the team in passing and rushing yards for the game.

Then, suddenly, the Cougar offense vanished, while Utah exploded for 218 total yards in the final 20 minutes of regulation. BYU could only muster a mere 44 yards in that span. The Utes scored 28 unanswered points to complete the second-largest comeback win in series history. It was so remarkable that Fox commentator Guy Haberman felt compelled to say, “a rivalry for generations, and a comeback for the ages.”

#9 – LaVell Edwards’ final game (2000) - BYU 34, Utah 27

The schedule makers knew what they were doing here. Edwards’ last game as a head coach to be a win against Utah felt like divine intervention.

A huge load of emotions were invested into getting Edwards his 257th victory as a head coach. They were gratified when the Cougars held a 26-10 lead in the second half before letting the game slip away late in the fourth. The Utes scored 17 straight to go up one and forced BYU to an eventual 4-and-13 on its own 15-yard line with a minute left. Hope was fading.

BYU quarterback Brandon Doman breathed life back into the Cougars with a deep ball completion under heavy pressure to wideout Jonathan Pittman around midfield. On the next play, those two connected on a 35-yard pass before Doman took an option play to the crib two plays later. A successful two-point conversion sealed the deal on the game and Edwards’ decorated career.

What a way to send off one of the greatest college coaches of all time into retirement.

#8 – The doink heard around the world (1998) - BYU 26, Utah 24

Another game, another wild finish in the books.

It is safe to say BYU was lucky to escape triumphantly. A kick return touchdown by Utah returner Daniel Jones and a three-and-out forced by the Ute defense gave them the ball down 26-24 with 1:26 remaining. A 52-yard drive set the stage for kicker Ryan Kaneshiro to be the hero, but his foot had other plans. The kick was pushed right and nailed the upright dead center. The Cougars counted their blessings in disbelief.

The missed kick became a curse for Kaneshiro as he was never able to earn the starting kicker job the rest of his career. On the bright side, he was still considered heroic to the Cougar faithful that day at least.

#7 – Triple field storm (2012) - No. 25 BYU 21, Utah 24

A near fourth-quarter choke and blunders from the crowd almost turned the contest into a disastrous finish for the team in red. 

A 39-yard air strike from Utah quarterback Jon Hays made it 24-7 to cap off the third, which was the last thing that went right for Utah until the very end. BYU quarterback Riley Nelson, running back Jamaal Williams and crucial defensive stops had the Utes on their heels, but time was running out. Nelson’s final pass attempt was incomplete, and everyone thought the bleeding had stopped and stormed the field. After review, the officials discovered there should still be one second on the clock. The early field storm and celebration caused a 15-yard penalty on Utah to set up Cougar kicker Justin Sorensen for a 51-yard attempt. The Utes blocked it, then BYU recovered it before being downed with no time on the clock, so the game is over now, right? Wrong. The crowd ran on to the field before the play was over and granted the Cougars an additional 15 yards and one more play. 

BYU trotted out Riley Stephenson instead of Sorensen for the 36-yard try. He squandered the opportunity and banged it off the uprights. Third time’s the charm as fans learned their lesson and waited to storm the field until after the doink.

#6 – “I hate everything about them” (2009) - No. 22 Utah 23, No. 18 BYU 26

BYU quarterbackMax Hall noticeably got pretty sick of Utah by his senior year. We will get to that in a bit.

This game marked one of two overtime endings–the only one in Provo–out of 103 total and counting. Leading up to that extra time, the Cougars held a 20-6 lead going into the fourth quarter when Utah crept back into it with 14 unanswered points to force overtime. After a Ute field goal, the Cougars had a chance to walk it off by touching pay dirt, which they did. Hall threw a dime down the middle between two defenders to tight end Andrew George for six and the win. 

The real fireworks came during Hall’s postgame presser. He was simply asked what the victory meant to him before he went off.

“I don’t like Utah,” Hall said. “In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything. It felt really good to send those guys home. I think the whole university and their fans and the organization is classless. “They threw beer on my family and stuff last year and did a whole bunch of nasty things. I don’t respect them and they deserved to lose.”

#5 – Two-point conversion unsuccessful (2016) - BYU 19, Utah 20

In terms of product on the field, this one stands out as a very ugly showing from both sides. How ugly? They combined for nine turnovers and 19 penalties… yikes. 

BYU’s final possession of the game did not end in a turnover. Instead, it was a methodical 13-play 75-yard drive that concluded with a quarterback Taysom Hill evading a sack then running seven yards into the end zone. First year head coach Kalani Sitake wanted to be bold and decided to go for two and the win rather than testing overtime in Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Cougars showed a five wide personnel and drew up a QB power for Hill. Utah was prepared for it and rushed six. That led to Hill being tackled in the backfield and the BYU line caught off guard. Cougar fans became sick to their stomachs, because, despite six turnovers by the Utes, they still did not pull off the win in Salt Lake.

Sitake assured everyone in postgame that he would go for it again in that same situation because of his trust in his team. His aggressiveness and willingness to take risks is what makes him one of the most respected coaches in the country, but it came back to bite him in his first ever rivalry game as a head coach. However, this game never stopped him from being a risk taker.

#4 – Burton unblocked (2010) - BYU 16, No. 23 Utah 17

Being on the verge of an upset is one of the most thrilling events to witness. BYU was in that situation and nearly came through.

The Cougars’ final season in the Mountain West Conference before going independent could have had some flash to it if they pulled this out. Even with a two-possession lead, 13-0, in the fourth quarter, it still felt too close for comfort considering the prior year with the Hall-George connection saving a collapse. This season was a different story. The Utes completed the comeback with 17 points in the fourth to take a 17-16 lead with four minutes to go. BYU marched down to field goal range for kicker Mitch Payne for a 42-yard game-winning try. The snap is good. The hold is good. The kick went up… and was blocked by speedy cornerback Brandon Burton from the edge. A roar of relief erupted. 

Utah put together a sensational fourth quarter comeback in the previous year too, but this time with a result they liked.

#3 – “This game was stolen from us” (2024) - No. 9 BYU 24, Utah 21

Utah athletic director Mark Harlan was arguably a bigger topic than the game itself after all was said and done.

In the midst of an abysmal year for Utah, which ended with no bowl game appearance, its first half scoring output did not resemble that. BYU’s defense showed weakness for the first time all year as the Cougars went down 21-10 going into halftime.

The theme of comebacks showed itself once again when the Cougar defense buckled down and did not allow a single point the rest of the contest. This helped them claw back and pull within two with one more shot to score with under two minutes left. BYU was still stuck on its own 9-yard line after three straight incompletions. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff ran for his life on fourth down before being sacked at the one to seal the game… or so we thought. A late flag was thrown in the secondary. Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn held Josiah Phillips on his go route to give the offense a first down and new life. The Cougars marched down the field to an eventual game-winning field goal by Will Ferrin and escaped with the win after the Utes shot themselves in the foot. 

Harlan was pretty salty to say the least during postgame just like most Ute fans probably were. 

“This game was absolutely stolen from us. We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight I am not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. Very disappointed."

This added more negativity to a brutal first season in the Big 12 for Utah.

#2 – 4th & 18 miracle (2007) - Utah 10, No. 23 BYU 17

Time to go from one memorable fourth down to another. 

There was not a whole lot of action in the first three quarters of play. BYU statistically won the offensive battle by 180 total yards, but it had quite a few long drives come up short due to costly turnovers, penalties and drops. No touchdowns came from either side until the 1:34 mark when Utah’s Darrell Mack ran it in to go up one and put the Cougars on their heels. Two incompletions and a sack later, Hall felt like he had nowhere else to go except to one guy. He rolled out right and threw a dart to legendary wideout Austin Collie for 49 yards on the miraculous fourth-and-18 play all while powering through a lingering shoulder sprain in his throwing arm. 

Hall has the privilege of owning not just one but two of the most clutch plays in this rivalry’s history. Not many players can say that.

#1 – “Harline is still open” (2006) - No. 21 BYU 33, Utah 31

If you are looking for an intense seesaw battle with inspired and clutch performances that top the rest of this list, then look no further than the Beck-to-Harline game. 

The Cougars won the first quarter, 14-0, then the offense disappeared the next two quarters. After 24 unanswered points by the Utes, BYU revived themselves and put together, in my opinion, the most insane fourth quarter in this matchup’s history. Quarterback John Beck orchestrated back-to-back touchdown drives to help the Cougars retake the lead, 27-24 before Utah quarterback Brett Ratliff immediately responded with a passing score of his own to go back up four. Beck used up the final minute of the game to get the job done in dramatic fashion. 

The final play lasted 13 seconds which felt like an eternity. The Utes only rushed two, so tight end Jonny Harline being that wide open seems baffling from an unbiased point of view. Lo and behold, Beck found him with a cross body throw while fading away and getting hit in the process. That play capped off the duo’s outstanding showing. Beck completed 28 of 43 passes for 375 yards and four touchdowns. Harline was on the receiving end of three of those touchdowns to go along with seven catches for 118 yards. Even to this day, Greg Wrubell’s emphatic call rings through our heads.

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