BYU celebrates their double overtime win against Arizona (Photo by BYU Athletics)
BYU and Utah triumph over the Big 12’s Arizona schools to set up a huge matchup between the two rivals on Saturday. The Holy War of 2025 looms as a very large edition of this top ten college football rivalry.
#2 BYU 6-0 (3-0 in the Big 12)
BYU did almost everything to lose to Arizona. The defense struggled in almost every facet of the game. The offense had uncharacteristic turnovers. It was rainy. It was on the road. Key players were injured. Yet, Kalani Sitake’s team found a way to win. Behind the running game of running back LJ Martin and quarterback Bear Bachmeier, BYU came back to win the game in double overtime, 33-27. Now for the Holy War.
#19 Utah 5-1 (2-1 in the Big 12)
The Utes played an ASU team who was without their star quarterback and did precisely what you’d expect out of them in that situation. They stomped Arizona State, 42-10. Utah is looking really good right now. Devon Dampier is the playmaker they were hoping he would be when they landed him in the transfer portal. In soggy Salt Lake City conditions, he was 7 of 12 passing for 104 yards. On the ground, he torched ASU with 10 carries for 120 yards and three touchdowns. Utah now heads south to Provo to battle BYU.
Utah State 3-3 (1-1 in the Mountain West)
USU had a battle with Hawaii. It was a really good game, and the Aggies were playing good football. Hawaii had a one-point advantage going into the fourth quarter, 27-26. That’s when it all fell apart for Utah State. They would get three possessions in the final quarter; each would end in a turnover: the first on downs, the second on a fumble, and the last on an interception. Utah State was outscored 17-0 in the fourth quarter and lost 44-26.
Weber State 2-4 (0-2 in the Big Sky)
Weber State’s offense owns its share of this rough record, but not quite as much as the Wildcats’ defense. WSU’s defense is giving up 40.6 points per game this season. Next week’s opponent is encouraging, though. Weber State will play at Portland State. The 0-6 Vikings are the only team in the Big Sky worse than the Wildcats in the conference standings. If Weber State can’t get something going against them, this rough season will go to an outright bad one.
Utah Tech 1-6 (0-3 in the United Athletic Conference)
The Trailblazers didn’t play an awful game, but they were simply overpowered by #3 Tarleton State. Utah Tech would score five times, three touchdowns, and two field goals. Tarleton State would score six times, all of them touchdowns. That kind of efficiency can be a big difference between being 7-0 and ranked third in the nation, or 1-6 and in last place in the conference. Tech will try to end that second win when their Cedar City rivals come to St. George.
Southern Utah 1-5 (0-2 in the United Athletic Conference)
SUU had a week off and will head south on I-15 from Cedar City to St. George to take on Utah Tech. This is a rivalry game, and a game to try and stay out of the basement of the UAC. Both teams have run a gauntlet on their schedules this season. Five of Utah Tech’s six losses were to ranked teams, and four of Southern Utah’s five losses have been to ranked teams.
Steve Young Award Player of the Week
LJ Martin, Bear Bachmeier, and Devon Dampier all had fantastic weeks. Dampier led Utah in a thumping of ASU and took care of the ball in the rain. Bachmeier overcame some turnovers to lead BYU to victory in double overtime. Martin had a career-best 162 rushing yards on 25 carries. Martin held on to the football in a rainy environment and was integral to BYU going 6-0 in back-to-back seasons. The college football standout player from the state of Utah this week was LJ Martin.
Writer’s Note: All FBS team rankings referenced are from the College Football Power Rankings here at TheForkball.com. All FCS rankings are from the FCS STATS poll.
