Why the utes are our toughest game every year.

[frdbtr]

Does anyone know the last time BYU went out and just took care of business against the utes? Yeah, it was 1996, some of you were probably not even born then. BYU has struggled with the utes on multiple occaisions even when BYU was clearly the better team. It doesn't matter with that rivalry because the utes find a way to turn luck in their favor and make it interesting even when BYU has won, and in other cases whipped a better team on paper. Lets go through the years.

1996 BYU clearly the better team won easily
1998 BYU was the better team won with the doink missed FG by ute kicker
1999 BYU clearly the better team, loses to inferior utah team.
2000 BYU dominates game but lets the utes back in requiring Doman's last second drive and dive into the end zone
2001 BYU is clearly the better team wins by a hair when Luke runs down the sideline for a last second TD
2005 BYU is the better team, loses at home in overtime
2006 BYU is clearly the better team, wins with no time left on the clock and Harline is still open
2007 BYU is clearly the better team...4th and 18 anyone?
2009 BYU is clearly the better team, wins in overtime
2010 BYU is not clearly the better team but dominated the game only to lose after a horrible blown fumble call by the refs
2011 Evenly matched teams where Utah wins by 100 because BYU turned the ball over 100 times
2012 BYU was the better team this year but lost
2015 BYU was clearly the better team 7 turnovers on its first 7 possessions anyone?
2016 BYU was the better team last year but found away to not block the utes dline on a play that probably would have worked for against anyone else.

There is no way that any team other than the utes should be labeled our hardest game of the year. BYU and Utah are evenly matched teams but even when BYU is clearly the better team the utes find away to beat us or make it way closer than it should be.

[SpiffCoug]

Truth.

[Jarhead]

Some of the content here is somewhat subjective, but I agree that the Utes are our toughest game mentally and emotionally.

[UCChris]

I was born in 1995, been watching football seriously since 2006. The fact that I expect BYU to fall apart in the Ute game speaks volumes.

[hypercoug]

Utah is actually the better team, as has been for a number of years now. That's why they keep winning. We can't say we are the better team unless we find a way to WIN the game.

[Fido]

Does anyone know the last time BYU went out and just took care of business against the utes? Yeah, it was 1996, some of you were probably not even born then. BYU has struggled with the utes on multiple occaisions even when BYU was clearly the better team. It doesn't matter with that rivalry because the utes find a way to turn luck in their favor and make it interesting even when BYU has won, and in other cases whipped a better team on paper. Lets go through the years.

1996 BYU clearly the better team won easily
1998 BYU was the better team won with the doink missed FG by ute kicker
1999 BYU clearly the better team, loses to inferior utah team.
2000 BYU dominates game but lets the utes back in requiring Doman's last second drive and dive into the end zone
2001 BYU is clearly the better team wins by a hair when Luke runs down the sideline for a last second TD
2005 BYU is the better team, loses at home in overtime
2006 BYU is clearly the better team, wins with no time left on the clock and Harline is still open
2007 BYU is clearly the better team...4th and 18 anyone?
2009 BYU is clearly the better team, wins in overtime
2010 BYU is not clearly the better team but dominated the game only to lose after a horrible blown fumble call by the refs
2011 Evenly matched teams where Utah wins by 100 because BYU turned the ball over 100 times
2012 BYU was the better team this year but lost
2015 BYU was clearly the better team 7 turnovers on its first 7 possessions anyone?
2016 BYU was the better team last year but found away to not block the utes dline on a play that probably would have worked for against anyone else.
...

Scoreboard says no. By this logic, BYU is a massive underachiever.

[TheDean]

Does anyone know the last time BYU went out and just took care of business against the utes? Yeah, it was 1996, some of you were probably not even born then. BYU has struggled with the utes on multiple occaisions even when BYU was clearly the better team. It doesn't matter with that rivalry because the utes find a way to turn luck in their favor and make it interesting even when BYU has won, and in other cases whipped a better team on paper. Lets go through the years.

1996 BYU clearly the better team won easily
1998 BYU was the better team won with the doink missed FG by ute kicker
1999 BYU clearly the better team, loses to inferior utah team.
2000 BYU dominates game but lets the utes back in requiring Doman's last second drive and dive into the end zone
2001 BYU is clearly the better team wins by a hair when Luke runs down the sideline for a last second TD
2005 BYU is the better team, loses at home in overtime
2006 BYU is clearly the better team, wins with no time left on the clock and Harline is still open
2007 BYU is clearly the better team...4th and 18 anyone?
2009 BYU is clearly the better team, wins in overtime
2010 BYU is not clearly the better team but dominated the game only to lose after a horrible blown fumble call by the refs
2011 Evenly matched teams where Utah wins by 100 because BYU turned the ball over 100 times
2012 BYU was the better team this year but lost
2015 BYU was clearly the better team 7 turnovers on its first 7 possessions anyone?
2016 BYU was the better team last year but found away to not block the utes dline on a play that probably would have worked for against anyone else.

There is no way that any team other than the utes should be labeled our hardest game of the year. BYU and Utah are evenly matched teams but even when BYU is clearly the better team the utes find away to beat us or make it way closer than it should be.

You forgot:
2002 BYU clearly the better team loses 3-0 to inferior Utah team
2008 BYU Clearly the better team as Utah hd no real offense that year, BYU should have won had they kept running the ball as BYU had the duo punch of Vakapuna and Unga both of which averaged 10+ yards a carry, but Bronco "I don't follow a game plan" Mendenhall decided to pass rat her than run and Whittingham ran up the score in the end so Utah could get a BCS bowl.

2010 the game was lost because BYU went ultra concervative in the 4th QTR after leading 17-0 for most of the game as well a Bronco pulling his 1st string defense. BYU lost because they effectively stopped playing because they thought they had it won.
2011 BYU was clearly the better team as was shown by BYU passing for 320 yards and rushing for around 150 yards. Basically had over 450 yards of total offense to Utah 250 to 280 yards but as you pointed out BYU had a massive number of turnovers from trying to hard which will kill any chance of winning.

As your own post shows Utah isn't BYU toughest opponet not anywhere close as LSU, Wisconsin, Boise St., and MIssissippi St. would crush the Utah teams since 2008.

I agree with the obsevation that BYU has been a big underachiver where Utah is concerned. BYU also on occasion gets to thinking they have won the game before the game is over (2010 for example).

[BroncoBot]

Does anyone know the last time BYU went out and just took care of business against the utes? Yeah, it was 1996, some of you were probably not even born then. BYU has struggled with the utes on multiple occaisions even when BYU was clearly the better team. It doesn't matter with that rivalry because the utes find a way to turn luck in their favor and make it interesting even when BYU has won, and in other cases whipped a better team on paper. Lets go through the years.

1996 BYU clearly the better team won easily
1998 BYU was the better team won with the doink missed FG by ute kicker
1999 BYU clearly the better team, loses to inferior utah team.
2000 BYU dominates game but lets the utes back in requiring Doman's last second drive and dive into the end zone
2001 BYU is clearly the better team wins by a hair when Luke runs down the sideline for a last second TD
2005 BYU is the better team, loses at home in overtime
2006 BYU is clearly the better team, wins with no time left on the clock and Harline is still open
2007 BYU is clearly the better team...4th and 18 anyone?
2009 BYU is clearly the better team, wins in overtime
2010 BYU is not clearly the better team but dominated the game only to lose after a horrible blown fumble call by the refs
2011 Evenly matched teams where Utah wins by 100 because BYU turned the ball over 100 times
2012 BYU was the better team this year but lost
2015 BYU was clearly the better team 7 turnovers on its first 7 possessions anyone?
2016 BYU was the better team last year but found away to not block the utes dline on a play that probably would have worked for against anyone else.
...

Scoreboard says no. By this logic, BYU is a massive underachiever.

I think that's the frustration. BYU, particularly against Utah, have been huge underachievers.

[Fido]

If they are long-term underachievers under multiple coaches/players, it would appear the issue is more with the expectation than the performance.

[YNot]

If they are long-term underachievers under multiple coaches/players, it would appear the issue is more with the expectation than the performance.

That was my thought. When we think that BYU is clearly the better team, I wonder if we focus on the offense or even just the skill players. In recent years, the Ewetes have had better players than BYU in the trenches, on both sides of the ball. Line play is a huge part of the game.