SALT LAKE CITY — Each team finished 9-3, which qualifies as a good season, but BYU and Utah could not overcome an obstacle that prevented both from reaching the coveted double-digit win mark.
For the Cougars, it was a game they needed to win. For the Utes, it was a philosophy that got in the way of the immediate goal.
The Missouri Tigers stood in the way of BYU having a great season. Simply put, BYU had no excuse for losing to a bad team, even one from the vaunted Southeastern Conference.
The original intent of the game was to beef up BYU's schedule in November, which has been mostly weak since the program became an independent five years ago.