Utah Football: 3 takeaways from Holy War comeback win over BYU
By Zach Bigalke
2. Defense made a big difference for Utah despite the raw numbers
On paper, Utah’s offense was outplayed by BYU. The Cougars ran for nearly the exact amount of yardage as the Utes, with BYU finishing at 153 yards on the ground and Utah putting up 155 yards. (Utah, it must be noted, needed 10 fewer carries to reach the mark.)
Utah also gave up 204 passing yards with two touchdowns on 20-of-29 passing to BYU quarterback Zach Wilson. The Utes, though, snagged a turnover off Wilson that Julian Blackmon returned 27 yards to the house on BYU’s first drive of the third quarter.
The Utes had 11 fewer plays on offense, helping account for the disparity in yardage gained by both sides. The hosts also had the ball for nearly nine fewer minutes over the course of the game, as the defense was forced to spend large chunks of time on the field against a BYU team intent on shortening the game.
But while the defense spotted BYU a 20-point lead in the first half, they clamped down in the second half to give up only a single touchdown. Halftime adjustments proved effective as the Utes turned around their fortunes on Saturday night in Salt Lake City.