As the Cougars step into the spotlight this season, college football seems to get a little more interesting.

On September 11th, 2021 BYU defeated the Utes with an ending score of 26-17 on their home field. This win was a huge deal, because the last time they won a game against the Utes was back in 2009. The shock and thrill of this game has made high hopes for the cougars.

Before the game, the Cougars carried a special flag on the field in memory of Ty Jordan. Jordan was a running back for the Utes who passed away in December 2020. The flag read LLTJ, “Long Live Ty Jordan”.

The pregame set up a sentimental atmosphere in the stadium. However, the sentimental feeling didn’t last long as BYU made the first 3 points of the game with a field goal. Following the second quarter, BYU and the Utes were 10-7. 

After halftime and into the third quarter, the Utes had four turnovers and a missed field goal, making it the closest the Utes came to winning with a score of 23-17. At this point in the game, only one touchdown was needed for the Utes to be ahead.

Between the third and fourth quarters, rain came pouring down, making it more difficult to hold onto the ball. Just as things began to get tough, the Cougars kicker, Jacob Oldroyd, came through and made his second field goal of the night securing the win for BYU.

Star player Jaren Hall, quarterback for BYU, led the team during this game with completing 18 of 30 passes and making three touchdown passes for the win.

The nine-game losing streak has finally ended against the Utes. Fans, players, coaches, and even past players of BYU were ecstatic. Max Hall, quarterback of the 2009 BYU team, made an appearance at this game and saw history be made over again a decade later.

Currently BYU is sitting at 13th place nationally, with a winning streak of 4-0, while knocking off two ranked teams of the season so far.

Their next big game will be Friday October 1st against the Utah State Aggies. This will be another challenging game for BYU as they compete against another rivalry team. 

The Aggies sit at a 3-1 streak and will host BYU Friday night, who have only won their games at home, so hopefully an away game won’t be any different for the Cougs.

The head coach of BYU, Kalani Sitake, is excited for this game in particular because of the environment they are going to compete in as he has “a lot of respect” for USU’s fanbase as well as its team. (Deseret News)