Team of destiny? BYU’s latest comeback win, over Utah, is one for the ages

In a rivalry that never fails to deliver some of the most unexpected, bizarre, controversial and unbelievable endings imaginable, Saturday night’s reunion of the blue and red might just rise to the top of the list.
And it might just convince some that the BYU Cougars of 2024 are a team of destiny.
How else to explain what transpired at packed-beyond-capacity Rice-Eccles Stadium?
Left for dead when plucky quarterback Jake Retzlaff was sacked on fourth down a half-yard away from his own end zone, then rescued by a defensive holding penalty that was either legitimate or bogus — depending on what side of the rivalry one falls on — No. 9 BYU took advantage of the big break in the biggest way imaginable in front of a stadium-record 54,383 fans.
Retzlaff drove the Cougars to the game-winning field goal with 3 seconds remaining on the clock.
Will Ferrin did the honors, drilling the medium-length kick from 44 yards to lift the Comeback Cougs to a 22-21 win that almost certainly will go down in rivalry lore as one of the most improbable ever.
After losing to Utah nine straight times, BYU has now won the last two in one of the country’s best rivalries.
“You guys know we love two minute drill,” Retzlaff said. “I will tell you what, when I was in the end zone, with my back in the end zone, It wasn’t a good feeling. Looking up and seeing that we had new life, the guys were confident, man.”
Retzlaff’s 30-yard toss to Chase Roberts got the drive going, and then Darius Lassiter made a 12-yard catch and Hinckley Ropati a 13-yard run to the 25.
The Cougars milked the clock from there, and Ferrin’s kick was true — almost right down the middle.
“I knew the second they called the field goal team out there (that the game was on his shoulders),” Ferrin said. “That’s something I take a lot of pride in is having a neutral mindset … Not getting too high or too low in situations. As a kicker, it is crucial.”
Retzlaff got a text from the last BYU quarterback to win at Rice-Eccles, John Beck, on the bus ride to Salt Lake City, and proceeded to ensure that he will be fondly remembered by BYU fans for doing something the likes of Zach Wilson and Taysom Hill couldn’t do — win on Utah’s home turf.
“Rivalry game, comes down to the end, just like we’ve seen so many times. Glad we got the other side of this,” BYU coach Kalani Sitake said. “I have seen a lot of games where we’ve been victorious and I have been in a different colored shirt. Happy that our fans were able to get this win and our players got it done.”
For Utah fans, the loss will be remembered for the holding penalty on Zemaiah Vaughn on Jojo Phillips that gave BYU new life. Utah athletic director Mark Harlan certainly thought so, saying the game “was absolutely stolen from us” in Utah’s postgame news conference.
“In two-minute drill, that first first down is the catalyst. Once we got it, we started rolling and it was fun,” said Retzlaff, who completed 15 of 33 passes for 219 yards.
It was his second game-winning drive of the season, having also engineered the last-minute heroics that beat Oklahoma State 38-35 last month.
It was the first game-winner of Ferrin’s career, and the third field goal he made in the game because BYU sputtered in the red zone earlier in the contest.
Sitake wasn’t about to give this one back, although his 2021 win over the Utes was far more convincing. And he wasn’t apologizing for the call that kept the drive alive.
“When I saw the flag, I figured it could be (on Utah),” he said. “We play similar defense. I mean, it is like, you heard Kyle (Whittingham) before — we learned a lot from him and the system that we were able to work with, so we know that it can sometimes can be really handsy. … I don’t know what else to say about it.
“That is the game of football. You can’t hold people. I didn’t see it because I am not watching the whole field, but I will take a look at it. I am sure we will find some other holdings that were there that weren’t called. That is just the game sometimes.”
And so ended a game that BYU had no business winning after falling behind 21-10 and looking nothing like the country’s ninth-best team. Utah outscored BYU 21-7 in the second quarter to seize control and get the boisterous crowd roaring through much of the third quarter.
Credit Jay Hill’s defense for figuring it out, and figuring out Utah third-string quarterback Brandon Rose after he was turning the game into his own private Rose Bowl in the first half.
“We prepared for both quarterbacks, but mostly (Isaac) Wilson,” said BYU linebacker Isaiah Glasker.
The game started getting away from the Cougars early in the second quarter after Keelan Marion’s electrifying 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown gave BYU a 10-7 lead.
“It was exactly like the Wyoming kickoff return,” Marion said, crediting Mason Fakahua for a big block.
After Marion’s return, Utah faced a 3rd-and-12 from its 23, but Rose found Dorian Singer down the seam for a 36-yard pickup; BYU’s Raider Damuni went for the pick on the play, and just missed.
The Utes finished the 12-play, 75-yard drive that took 7:38 off the clock with a 1-yard touchdown run by tight end Brant Kuithe. He also scored Utah’s first touchdown, catching a 20-yard touchdown pass after getting BYU safety Crew Wakley turned around.
BYU’s only offensive points in the first half came after the Cougars had driven to the Utah 5. But Ropati’s first down run got nothing, and two incomplete passes later Ferrin kicked a 22-yard field goal.
BYU’s first possession of the second quarter started with a 22-yard reception by Phillips, the same receiver involved in the controversial play in the waning moments.
The Cougars had a 2nd-and-1 near midfield, then couldn’t pick up a single yard the next three plays and turned it over on downs. BYU was 15 of 18 on fourth down in its previous eight games, so Sitake attempting it there is understandable.
Utah took advantage of a big break — Glasker apparently sacked Rose for a big loss, but officials flagged Glasker for a facemask penalty that didn’t appear to be legitimate — and quickly went 45 yards to become the first team all season to go up two scores on BYU.
Micah Bernard had left the game in the first quarter, but returned and caught a 7-yard touchdown pass to give the Utes the 21-10 lead. BYU took over with 1:38 left, and was in Utah territory, but another huge mistake — Keanu Hill’s holding penalty — temporarily stalled the drive.
Two passes to Parker Kingston got BYU to the Utah 32. Then, out of timeouts, BYU tried to spike the ball to stop the clock and set up another field goal, but center Bruce Mitchell was flagged for a false start and, by rule, a 10-second run-off caused the first-half clock to expire.
“That’s on me as a head coach,” Sitake told the BYU Sports Radio Network as he left the field.
Sitake also promised that the Cougars “will bounce back from it,” with a better second half. He was right, as the Cougars controlled the final 30 minutes and kept Utah off the scoreboard.
Utah outgained BYU 180-151 in the first half, and Rose was 8 of 10 for 87 yards and two TDs for a passer rating of 219.1, while also rushing for 44 yards.
Utah got just 79 yards in the second half, and got way too conservative. The Utes punted from the BYU 40-yard line, for instance.
“We just keep believing in each other. We have doubled down on our culture, trusting and loving each other,” Sitake said, when asked if the 9-0 Cougars are a team of destiny.
Added Glasker: “We believe. All these boys, they just believe.”