Cougars Determined To ‘Make Utah Pay’ In August

PROVO, Utah – The BYU Cougars haven’t beaten in-state rival Utah since 2009 and they’re well aware of that fact.

At the program’s Media Day on Tuesday, almost every single player or coach that was interviewed stated how focused the Cougars are heading into the season-opening matchup against the Utes on Aug. 29.

Last season’s 35-27 loss at Rice-Eccles Stadium left an especially sour taste in the Cougars’ mouths. BYU led nearly the entire game, before faltering at the end of the third quarter and in the fourth to drop their eighth straight loss to Utah.

"They took the heartache of that loss [Utah] and turned it into motivation to win the bowl game." Kalani Sitake says he's happy with the energy his team has had this offseason and the motivation they've had to prepare for the opener against Utah. #BYUMediaDay pic.twitter.com/Msszas8bSc

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 18, 2019

Since the end of that game, getting payback has been at the forefront of the Cougars’ minds and head coach Kalani Sitake has seen that desire in his players. In his mind, they have already used the disappointment of the Utah loss once before in fueling a determination that brought them a win over Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.

“They’re giving out this energy and wanting to get back to this game specifically since it ended in 2018,” Sitake said to sports.ksl.com. “They took the energy of that game and the heartache of that loss and turned it around and answered the call to go win the bowl game.”

Wilson Ready To Prove Utes Wrong

In that bowl game, Wilson starred, completing 18-for-18 passing attempts in a breakout performance. Now, he like the rest of his teammates, are focused on redemption against Utah. He’s using the failures of his predecessors as motivation.

“I don’t want to be like the last guys who were here for four years that never beat those guys,” said Wilson. “I want to get three straight.”

"I don't wanna be like the last guys who were here for four years and never beat those guys. I wanna get three-straight." #BYUMediaDay pic.twitter.com/QCLAtJPscB

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 18, 2019

Wilson, who grew up as a hardcore Ute fan but was offered just a preferred walk-on spot at Utah according to BYU insider Mitch Harper, already came into the rivalry with a chip on his shoulder. The loss to BYU in November just compounded his desire to prove the Utes wrong about him.

“I look at it like it was Utah’s loss,” said Wilson on his feelings towards the rivalry. “I just look at like we’re going to make Utah kind of pay, not necessarily because of that reason, that they didn’t recruit me, but just because I’m on this side of the ball now.”

After starting seven games, Zach Wilson has confidence in what this offense can do in 2019, "I wanna be the person that can lead this team into having a dominant year especially offensively and kill some of the best opponents we'll play this year." #BYUMediaDay pic.twitter.com/3P8DrZ69HV

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 18, 2019

Coming close to snapping Utah’s streak of victories over the Cougars was encouraging for BYU, but like the saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. This time, the Cougars are all about grabbing a lead and holding it.

“Walking away from that game, I felt like we beat ourselves,” recalled Wilson. “I mean Utah definitely stepped up in the second half but we had the game in the bag.”

On Aug. 29, it’ll be a matter of keeping it in the bag.

Broadcast Info

The BYU-Utah game will kick off on Aug. 29 at 8:15 p.m. at LaVell Edwards Stadium and be broadcast on ESPN.