BYU plays for bragging rights against Utah

By Spencer Dickson  |   Thursday, November 23, 2006  |  Comments( 8 )

BYU Cougars
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Amid the euphoria immediately following Brigham Young's Mountain West Conference title-clinching 42-17 victory over New Mexico, the school's 22nd conference football championship, quarterback John Beck addressed the crowd at LaVell Edwards Stadium and summed up what his team and its fans were surely thinking: "We're going to beat those guys up north. Beat Utah!"

Beck's off-the-cuff statement, made in a pep rally-like setting, has already been seized by Utah players looking for bulletin-board material.

It's that kind of rivalry.

While few outside the state of Utah would say that BYU-Utah is one of the best rivalries in the nation, outsiders need only visit the state during rivalry week and listen to sports talk radio to discover that it's perhaps the most unique. BYU-Utah is an in-state game. The schools are separated by only 45 miles, and many of the players grew up watching the game, dreaming of someday playing on one side or the other for the "Beehive Boot," the symbol of football supremacy in the state.

"I think people from the South and from the Midwest ought to see this. This is a big-time football rivalry," said current ESPN college football analyst and former Alabama coach Bill Curry.

The series started back in 1922 and Utah dominated the rivalry until 1965 when BYU began to gain recognition as a serious football contender with its first WAC crown. The Cougars fully emerged as a national power under LaVell Edwards in the 1970s, and since 1965 BYU is 26-14 against Utah. Except for 2004, eight of the last nine meetings in the rivalry have been decided by seven points or less.

And then there's the religious backdrop. Because of the predominant religion in Utah, the BYU-Utah rivalry takes on a flavor all its own. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly known as the Mormon or LDS Church) sponsors BYU, and fans of both schools--Mormon or not--can't resist engaging in some often heated but generally good-natured ribbing of their counterparts. It's not surprising, then, that this football game been dubbed the Holy War. And while much of the pre-game wrangling is the province of the fans, there's no denying that on the field, the game reaches a fervor that's, well, religious.

For the Cougars, this year's game has added significance. BYU has accomplished its goals so far, namely winning the conference race and securing a bid to the Las Vegas Bowl, but Utah looms on the horizon like Ahab's white whale. None of the current Cougar players has ever tasted victory against their rival, and for a group of seniors that has been on the receiving end of losses the last three years (Utah's overall winning streak stands at four) this is their last chance. A win would be unforgettable; a loss would be utterly depressing, to say the least.

The Cougars are riding an eight-game winning streak, while the 7-4 Utes have a three-game run of their own going. As with last year's game, the Cougars look like the prohibitive favorite entering the contest. But things didn't go as planned for BYU last year. Facing an inspired performance from backup quarterback Brett Ratliff, the Cougars came out shell-shocked on both sides of the ball en route to a 24-3 halftime deficit. The boys in blue rallied to send the game to overtime, but the Utes prevailed 41-34.

To avoid a fifth consecutive loss, the Cougars will need to focus on the following keys:

Rein in the emotion
It goes without saying that emotions will be running high on Saturday. If the Cougars remain focused on what they do well--executing their balanced offense with precision and containing big plays on defense--they should be able to use that emotion to their advantage. If they lose that focus and start to press, as several players suggested was the case in last year's game, they could be in trouble.

Utah is playing with confidence, and the Utes always seem to rise to the occasion against BYU. And while very few objective observers are predicting a Ute victory, some wonder if Utah doesn't have a mental edge on the Cougars in light of its fine performances against the Y over the last four years. Simply put, BYU needs to play the way it's been playing over the last eight weeks. If the Cougars do so, they will likely win.

Contain Eric Weddle
Safety/corner/quarterback/running back Eric Weddle is Mr. Everything for the Utes, and he may have turned in the most impressive performance of his storied career last week against Air Force when he rushed for 73 yards on 12 carries and made eight tackles in helping the Utes hold the Falcons to a season low in rushing yards.

Weddle figures to see a lot of action on the offensive side of the ball again this week, and the Cougars need to make sure they account for him. In recent weeks, Ute offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig has opened up his playbook, and Weddle has figured prominently in the new developments. The former high school quarterback has proven he can pass the ball on occasion, and he runs with desire. No one will be surprised if the Utes run some gadget plays with Weddle; the Cougar defense needs to be sound in its pursuit and coverage to avoid getting burned.

Come to pass
Utah has struggled to stop the pass in its four losses, and BYU happens to be the best passing team on the Utes' schedule. If the Ute secondary--including the usually rock-solid Weddle--was exploited by teams like New Mexico and Wyoming, how will it handle the multifaceted Cougar attack?

BYU certainly gave the Utes something to think about last week when the Cougars attempted several long passes early in the New Mexico game. Although those attempts didn't result in big plays as Beck barely missed a few open receivers, the targets were open. When the Cougars combine that kind of threat with their ultra-efficient short passing game, they're tough to beat.

Making matters tougher for the Utes is the loss of cornerback Shaun Harper to a broken wrist. Beck threw for a season-high 464 yards and four touchdowns last week, and if he hits those long passes on Saturday, an even better statistical day is possible, not to mention a Cougar win.

Get the "Rat"
Now that he's a known quantity, Ratliff isn't going to sneak up on the Cougars this year. He's been up and down all year, but he's been up the last three weeks. During the middle part of the season, he struggled with accuracy under pressure, especially against Wyoming, which sacked him six times. Overall, the Utes have done an excellent job protecting the quarterback this season, but if the Cougars put pressure on Ratliff, they increase the possibility of forcing some turnovers.

Bragging rights are on the line, and Saturday's game could be a classic. One thing is certain: in a rivalry this heated, the game will be memorable no matter the outcome.
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