The Unholy War

Yes people, I know that everyone around here calls this weekends rivalry game the Holy War, but that is not accurate. The Holy War has long been the game played between BYU and Notre Dame (before Notre Dame backed out of playing BYU because they were scared). So the BYU/Utah game is the Unholy War, and there is nothing holy about it. Fans are brutal, players are dirty and the history of this game is marred with despicable acts. So here on this blog we call it The Unholy War.

Folks we need to understand first and foremost how lucky we are as either BYU of Utah fans. We are experiencing the best that this rivalry has ever offered. Both teams have been good to great for the past few years and the games have all either been fantastic or monumental on the BCS level. Both coaches at both schools are doing a marvellous job with the resources they are given. All of that being said makes these games even more important. If BYU wins this weekend they will have won 3 out of 4 meetings and maintain their "Big Brother" status in the state. However if Utah wins this weekend then Utah does the unthinkable in a down year. Coming into the year no one really expected the Utes to win on Saturday and if they do they show that in a down year they can beat BYU in an up year. The ramifications of either outcome are sure to be crushing to the losing teams fans resulting in a humiliation that can only be cured by a win the following year.

As for this years game this is how I see it... When breaking down these two teams you find some interesting differences. BYU scores 35.5 pts/game passing for 300+ yds/game and is first in the country in 3rd down conversion rate. Utah on the other hand scores 29.8 pts/game and rushes for 176 yds/game. What is strange about this is that BYU's offensive strength is going against the weaker aspect of the Ute defense their pass defense. Conversely, the Utah offensive strength of running the ball goes against BYU's better defensive aspect. Looking at the QB's, Max Hall is setting all sorts of records down at BYU but with that said he has struggled against teams with speed turning the ball over like crazy. This year however has been somewhat different. Against TCU Max wasn't responsible for the turnovers his receivers and offensive line were (bobbled ball and blow protection) against FSU the defense let BYU down and forced him into some terrible situations, when you are down by 30 all you can do is throw the ball and the defense then sits on it. The lackluster corners at Utah will have difficulty stopping Max the way that Sean Smith and Bryce McCain did last year. Conversely, Jordan Wynn has looked pretty good in his limited experience with exception of the TCU game. his inexperience could prove to be an issue in the big atmosphere of the rivalry game but he should be able to take advantage of the speed advantages of the WR's versus BYU's corners. Utah's defense is clearly more aggressive and has looked better throughout the year, but that defense has tripped up plenty of times. BYU's defense is better than they were last year and should show better than they did a year ago. Lastly, lets look at the last time this game was played in Provo. Max was a first year starter and that team did not have the seasoned weapons they have now, Utah had Brian Johnson, Sean Smith, Paul Kruger and Bryce McCain. The game went down to the final drive and was won on a drive that included the infamous "4th and 18" play by Austin Collie. BYU won by 7. I think this year will mimic that year in a lot of ways. It will be a close game and it will not disappoint. But my official prediction for the game this weekend is.....

BYU 27 - Utah 21

Feel free to argue with me all you want (if you can) and post your own prediction. Enjoy Turkey Day. And Go Cougs.