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Guest commentary: First-time bowl matchup of BYU and Utah stirs memories of past rivalry games

With the first meeting of Utah and BYU in a bowl game just a week away in Las Vegas, it is interesting to reflect on the unusual firsts and the pendulum swings that have marked this special rivalry.

The 2015 BYU Football Almanac identifies 1922 as the year of the first BYU versus Utah matchup. The game ended with a 49-0 Utah victory, which was a portent of things to come. BYU did not defeat Utah in the first 20 years of competition.

My brother was a sophomore at BYU in 1942 and witnessed the first triumph by the Cougars over the Utes.