Overview
- Utah rallied to overcome a halftime deficit and shut out BYU in the second half, winning 28-20 in the rivalry game played Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
- Quarterback Devon Dampier paced the comeback by throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 87 yards and two more scores.
- BYU’s sophomore QB Bear Bachmeier threw four interceptions that came in critical spots, with picks credited to Lance Holtzclaw, James Chenault, Trey Reynolds and a game-sealing interception by Nate Ritchie with two seconds left.
- The result moved Utah up to No. 2 in the AP Top 25 and left BYU at 7-2 and outside realistic control of its Big 12 and CFP hopes, because the Cougars now must win out and rely on multiple favorable results and tiebreakers.
- The game underscored recurring BYU problems — turnovers, penalties and missed tackles — and highlighted Utah’s veteran defenders who stayed in the program and made the decisive plays that could shape Utah’s run to the conference title.