Editor’s note: The headline on this story has been changed because it was inaccurate. Our apologies.
There was a lot of hype leading up to Saturday’s Holy War, but all of the excitement culminated in a ho-hum game — until Utah safety Eric Rowe made it interesting.
With just minutes remaining and the Utes ahead 20-6, BYU quarterback Taysom Hill threw an incomplete pass on third-and-10 from Utah’s 44-yard line. The Utes appeared to have seized control at that point, but then Rowe let his emotions get the best of him.
He was called for unsportsmanlike conduct and the resulting 15-yard penalty breathed life back into the game. The Cougars scored their first touchdown of the contest three plays later.
From there, the final five minutes looked a lot more like the rivalry fans are accustomed to. The contest ended with a failed Hail Mary attempt from Hill and a 20-13 score as Utah escaped with the victory.
BYU was coming off a huge win over then-No.15 Texas in which its running game amassed over 550 yards. Hill was the Player of the Week after that win and the Cougars looked to have an offense to be reckoned with. The Utes shut it down.
“There was a different defense out there tonight for sure,” said Utah linebacker Jared Norris. “We want to keep that going. This was by far the best week of practice we’ve had all season, and if we keep practicing like that, you know, you play the way you practice.”
The Utes’ mission on defense Saturday was twofold. First, they wanted to rectify some of the problems in the secondary that plagued them in last week’s loss to Oregon State. They also wanted to continue their success in stopping the run, and held BYU to 183 yards rushing and 266 through the air.
“We knew that their quarterback was gonna run,” Norris said. “He slipped out a couple times, he’s a good athlete … The biggest thing was just keep our composure and keep playing.”
On offense, Utah wasn’t as productive as it has been to start the season, as it only put up 20 points. Despite a season-low score, the one thing the Utes continued to have success with was explosive plays for big yardage. Wide receiver Dres Anderson led the team in receiving yards with 141, 74 of which came on a big play in which he weaved from one side of the field to the other, refusing to go down after the catch.
“Man, that was a great grab,” Anderson said. “I knew I was gonna be open and when I caught it, I knew I lost a little bit of momentum, so I knew I had to do something. I had to get some [yards after the catch].”
While Saturday’s Holy War saw explosive plays, ups and downs, some big-time emotion and an ending that came down to Hill’s final heave for the end zone, the game took a backseat in the third quarter when BYU running back Jamaal Williams went down with a neck injury.
LaVell Edwards Stadium fell desolately silent as Williams laid motionless on the ground. His face mask was removed, he was delicately loaded onto a stretcher and left the field without ever showing any movement. At the game’s conclusion, the extent of his injuries were unknown.
After winning the bitter rivalry for the fourth consecutive time, Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham had Williams’ well-being at the forefront of his mind.
“First of all, our thoughts and prayers are with Williams, the young man that got injured,” Whittingham said. “Hoping that he’s going to be OK.”
By Sunday, Williams had been released from the hospital having suffered just a concussion and severe stinger, but with the severity of his injury unknown Saturday night, it added extra emotional weight to both sides of the Holy War.
The game between the bitter rivals will now go on a two-year hiatus and Whittingham’s opinion of the break is two-sided.
“It’s emotionally draining,” Whittingham said. “But we’ve won nine out of the last 12, so maybe we want to play [BYU] more … It’s a double-edged sword.”