Holy Score: Utah struggles early, BYU dominates as both teams remain undefeated

Welcome to the Holy Score, a weekly assessment of Utah and Brigham Young football in which we assess their performances with no punches pulled or apologies forthcoming. If one of them stinks, we’ll tell you they stink. Most Utah and BYU fans are entirely reasonable — sarcasm alert! — but those who can’t handle the truth should read the message boards instead.

Week 3 results

Utah 38, Utah State 21
Site: Maverik Stadium
Line: Utah -20.5

Brigham Young 34, Wyoming 14
Site: War Memorial Stadium
Line: BYU -9.5

Scouting report

The caliber of opponent must be accounted for in any comparison between the Utes and Cougars. Both teams played Mountain West opponents on the road, helping create an apples-to-apples assessment. Also assisting our endeavor: Utah State and Wyoming are two of the worst teams in the Mountain West. The former has a single victory, over Robert Morris; the latter is winless and lost at home to Idaho. Subjectively, we view Utah State as the better team, but the difference is small enough to not play a material role in our evaluation.

Offense

Utah: From our corner of the galaxy, Week 3 unfolded perfectly for the Utes. Freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson got valuable experience with his first start, a road environment, a first-half deficit, 33 passing attempts and innumerable split-second decisions — all ingredients that will make him exponentially better prepared in case his services are needed later in the season. (Given Cam Rising’s style of play and history of injuries, Wilson’s services could very well be needed again at some point.) … And the Utes reaped all those benefits without losing the game … Wilson became visibly more comfortable as the game progressed. Reads he missed early, he made late. Throws he missed early, he made late. The game looked too fast for him in the first quarter, but his internal clock was up to speed by the third … Essentially, the Utes force-fed their backup without paying the price on the scoreboard. In that regard, the game could not have been scripted any better. Grade: A-

BYU: The running game continued to struggle without LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati. Remove quarterback contributions and the Cougars averaged 3.5 yards per rush … Speaking of quarterbacks, the full Jake Retzlaff experience was on display in Laramie, for better and for worse. He looked sharp in the first series, then was intercepted on the goal line. He missed badly on a third-down pass late in the second quarter but dropped the ball into tight windows on several occasions … But here’s the problem: Most Big 12 defenses are an order of magnitude better than the versions Retzlaff has faced thus far. If his proficiency doesn’t improve, the Cougars will have little chance for consistent success … We loved the play design on the first touchdown with Keanu Hill running a delayed cross into the right flat, which was vacated by the defense covering a wheel route … As noted in this space last week, the Cougars have a first-rate collection of tight ends. They should make maximum use of them … Also, let’s mention the special teams: Keelan Marion’s 100-yard kickoff return to start the second half put the game out of reach. Grade: B-

Defense

Utah: An unusual test for the Utes — one they won’t face again this season: The opponent’s starting quarterback, Bryson Barnes, was on Utah’s roster last season and well-versed in coordinator Morgan Scalley’s tactics. Utah tried to proactively adjust but struggled to contain the Aggies early. Eventually, Scalley dumped the changes and went back to the basics … The results were evident: Utah State had three drives of at least 50 yards in the first half but only one of that length in the second … Cornerback Smith Snowden’s interception was a thing of beauty … Utah State converted just 3-of-16 third-down opportunities … That said, the Aggies averaged 4.1 yards per rush and scored three touchdowns when the game was competitive. This was anything but a dominant performance by Utah’s defense against an opponent that did not score against USC … Of note: The Utes are averaging 7.7 tackles-for-loss per game, good for 20th nationally (and ninth among Power Four defenses). Grade: C+

BYU: Tough to find fault with the Cougars after they held Wyoming to 223 yards, a 74.3 passing efficiency rating and one touchdown when the game was competitive … Defensive end Tyler Batty set the tone on the first play when he tossed Wyoming tackle Caden Barnett aside and smothered tailback DJ Jones for a 1-yard loss … The Cougars recorded a key stop early in the second quarter when they stuffed Jones on third-and-2 at Wyoming’s 35. After the ensuing punt, they went 74 yards for a touchdown that produced a 14-0 lead … It has become clear to the Hotline after watching the Cougars and many of their foes in the Big 12 that BYU’s defense is good enough to compete — the front seven is one of the best in the conference. Grade: A

Overall

Utah: We are hesitant to offer context on the performance or draw conclusions because the Utes are a totally different offense with Cam Rising than they are with Wilson at the controls … Given that Rising is due back this week for the start of conference play, the victory at Utah State should be tossed into a drawer and forgotten about — except for the experience gained by Wilson. Grade: C+

BYU: It’s difficult to overstate the depths of Wyoming’s ineptitude, especially on offense. The Cowboys are No. 131 nationally in scoring, No. 132 in passing efficiency and dead last (134th) in the telling yards-per-play metric … A defense as sound as BYU’s should do as it pleases. Once the Cougars got their second touchdown, midway through the second quarter, it became a matter of ball security and grinding out the clock … We were impressed, but we expected to be impressed. Grade: B-

Next up

Utah: at Oklahoma State. It gets very real quite quickly for the Utes as they open Big 12 play against a fellow contender for the conference title — and on the road, no less … The Cowboys will pressure Utah in every facet and possess one of the top tailbacks in the country in Ollie Gordon … This is not an elimination game for the Utes by any stretch. But a victory would provide rocket fuel for their pursuit of a berth in the Big 12 title game and bolster their resume for an at-large bid to the College Football playoff … Utah is built to win games exactly like this.

BYU: vs. Kansas State. Massive test for the Cougars with a visit from one of the top teams in the Big 12. Kansas State just walloped Arizona and has an extra day to prepare … Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson will test the BYU defense with his arm, legs and array of playmakers, including the tailback tandem of DJ Giddens and Dylan Edwards … We’re keenly interested in Retzlaff’s attempt to decode Kansas State’s coverages. Don’t be surprised if he throws multiple interceptions. To that end, the Cougars must generate a successful running game.

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