Provo • As they broke their huddle at the conclusion of every football practice in March, BYU players chanted the same two words in unison each time: “Beat Utah.”
They say it is because the rival Utes are the next opponent on their schedule. The showdown is 150 days from Monday — Aug. 29 at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo. But it is obvious that the Cougars and their coaching staff are still smarting over the 35-27 loss to Utah on Nov. 24, a loss that seriously exposed BYU’s lack of depth.
The Cougars were bulldozed in the fourth quarter after several starters left the game with injuries, and other players simply wore down and had nothing left in the final few minutes as the offense sputtered and the defense yielded yardage in huge chunks.