Rivalry games between Utah and BYU have been called many things: emotional, physical, aggressive, passionate, hate-filled, personal.
This weekend, the Utah Utes and BYU Cougars meet for the 96th time on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
In the current standings, the Utes hold the all-time record of 58-34-4. Any fan will tell you that no matter what the season looks like, if you win the rivalry game, it is a successful season. With the close proximity between the two schools (a 50 mile drive from stadium to stadium), the heat is always felt and the smack talk is always heard.
It would take volumes of pages to go in depth on the history of each of these games, but for the sake of this article, we will go by eras of the rivalry:
1896-1921 The Early Years
The rivalry began in 1896 when Utah took on Brigham Young Academy. The teams played three times that year, with Utah taking two of those wins. The Academy won both of the games in 1897 before the Utes would find a victory again in 1898, beating the Cougars 5-0. The rivalry then took a 24 year hiatus, until 1922 when Brigham Young Academy became Brigham Young University.
1922-1942 Utah Domination
With the newly-formed BYU established, it was time to get back to football. The Utes were looking to defend their 1898 win, and did so in grand fashion. The Utes trounced the Cougars 49-0 in Salt Lake City. They would go on to win 16 more times before World War II would put another halt on the Holy War. While the Utes and Cougars have only tied four times in their history, three of the ties came during this span. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in 1928, 7-7 in 1938, and a 6-6 decision in 1941. The Cougars’ lone win during this stretch came at the end in 1942 when they squeaked out a 12-7 win in Salt Lake City.
1946-1971 War’s Over, Let’s Play Football
Following WWII, things began to settle back to normal in the landscape of college football. This meant the Holy War would resume as it had ended, with the Utes rolling the Cougars. Between the end of the war and the start of the 1972 season, the Utes won 21 games, four of them shutouts. The fourth tie of the series came in 1950, when the score showed 28-28 at the final whistle. One notable stretch for the Cougars during this period is the 1965-67 seasons, when BYU won three in a row. Ute fans were on a high during this era, but it was destined to come to an end.
1972-2000 The Reign of LaVell
The name LaVell Edwards is spoken with great reverence in Provo, and for good reason. Not only is he the longest tenured coach in the team’s history, the winningest coach, and an all around great guy, he is the reason the rivalry total is as close as it is for the Cougars. Edwards outlasted five Utah coaches who each had losing records to him. The closest to a winning record is Ron McBride, who finished 5-6 against Edwards. He beat the Utes 23 times in his tenure as the top man in Provo, including an astounding 70-31 victory in 1989. He won the National Championship in 1984. He coached players like Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer, and Robbie Boscoe. And of course, after his illustrious career, he retired in 2000 with a final victory against Utah.
2001-2004 Coaching Carousel
After Edwards retired, the Cougars handed the reigns to Gary Crowton, who beat Utah in his first season in 2001; it would be Crowton’s only win against the Utes. The Utes would soon bring in a young man from Ohio named Urban Meyer. In his short time with Utah, Meyer never lost to the team down south, and he busted the BCS in 2004 by winning the Fiesta Bowl.
2005-2015 Whit vs. Bronco: the Modern Rivalry
With Meyer off to Florida and Crowton chased out of Provo, it was time for fresh blood in the rivalry. Little did they know the hiring of long-time defensive coordinator (and former BYU linebacker) Kyle Whittingham in Utah and Bronco Mendenhall in Provo would create bad blood.
If some described the rivalry under LaVell and Mac as fun and a little campy, things were the complete opposite under Whit and Bronco. Events where the coaches would poke fun and joke around ceased – the rivalry became all business. The Utes would go 7-3 in this stretch, starting with the first overtime win of the series in 2005. In 2006, though, BYU would notch a win that still haunts Ute fans to this day. Known as Beck to Harline, or the Answered Prayer, this play crushed Ute fans, and it gave BYU the Mountain West Conference Title.
From Austin Collie crediting the Cougars’ “moral standards” for winning in 2007 to Max Hall’s infamous “I hate everything about them” interview, this time in the rivalry also produced some great sound bites, fueling the hate between the schools and perpetuating the righteous vs. the wicked mentality among the rivals. This stretch also has some infamous fan moments, particularly for the Utes. In 2012, the Utes won 24-21, but not before Utah fans rushed the field three times, thinking the game was over.
2014-2015 Hiatus and Vegas
With the Utes in the Pac-12 and BYU testing the waters of independence, scheduling the Holy War became increasingly difficult. Following the 2013 game, it was agreed that the schools would take a two year break, playing again in 2016.
Fortunately for fans, the football gods thought better,– and the rivals were paired in the 2015 Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. Ever the bitter battle, the festivities began with Tom Hackett calling it “Utah’s World,” saying “BYU is just living in it.” The Utes forced five Cougar turnovers in the first quarter, and they jumped out to a 28-0 lead. The Cougars would rally, and the game ended in a 35-28 Ute victory. It was Bronco Mendenhall’s last game as BYU head coach.
2016 The Student Becomes the Master
Kalani Sitake, former Utah defensive coordinator and close friend to Whittingham, has taken the head coaching job at BYU. The Utes and Cougars play their first regular season game since 2013 on Saturday, Sept. 10. Does this coaching lineup make this edition of the Holy War more intense? Or is this a new era of relative stability in the volcano that is the Holy War?
Knowing the fierceness of these competitors, one can expect eruptions early and often, as the rivalry has a way of consuming those it comes in contact with.