No. 9 BYU (8-0, 4-0) at Utah (4-4, 1-4)

• Kick-off: Saturday, 8:15 PM MDT
• Location: Rice-Eccles Stadium
• TV: ESPN
• Live stream: espn.com/watch
• Radio: ESPN 700 AM/92.1 FM, KSL 1160 AM/102.7 FM
• Series: Utah leads 62-35-4
• Weather: mainly clear with temperatures in the low 30s at kick-off, dropping to the mid 30s by the end of the game.

The trends

For Utah: The Utes have lost four straight games, with their latest loss coming in Houston, where Utah’s offense once again failed to get going. The Utes tried to spark it by making a quarterback change to Brandon Rose in the third quarter, but mustered just 14 points in a 17-14 loss.

For BYU: The Cougars earned their eighth win of the season and kept their perfect Big 12 record alive with a 37-24 loss to UCF. Jake Retzlaff threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns and added another on the ground, while LJ Martin broke the century mark and BYU shut out UCF twice.

What to pay attention to

Turnovers have haunted the Cougars more than anything in their losses to the Utes.

In Utah’s last win in the series, 2019, Francis Bernard and Julian Blackmon both picked off Cougar quarterback Zach Wilson for touchdowns. In 2017, Tanner Magnum threw three interceptions and in 2015 BYU turned the ball over five times, including two pick-sixes, in a seven-point loss.

You get the point.

If BYU takes care of the ball – no turnovers – and forces a Utah goal or two, it’s hard to see the Cougars losing. That formula worked successfully in 2021. In a 26-17 victory that snapped Utah’s nine-game win streak, BYU never gave the ball away and forced two Utah turnovers: a Charlie Brewer interception and a Tavion Thomas fumble.

Conversely, to have a chance in this game, Utah needs to force quarterback Jake Retzlaff into a few interceptions, or force a few fumbles. Oklahoma State, arguably the worst team in the Big 12, picked off Retzlaff twice and as a result took BYU to the wire in Provo before Retzlaff led a game-winning touchdown drive with a minute left.

Forcing turnovers, usually a strong suit for the Utes, has not been Utah’s strong suit this season. Utah has only taken the ball away ten times, while giving it away fourteen times. Meanwhile, BYU has performed extremely well, with 18 turnovers, but also 11 giveaways.

Whichever team wins the turnover margin will likely come away with the win.

Key players

Jake Retzlaff, BYU QB: Recently named to the Davey O’Brien and Maxwell Award midseason watchlists, Retzlaff has emerged as the Cougars’ emotional leader on the field, and how he plays Saturday will largely determine whether the No. 9 Cougars can overcome the struggling hold off Utah’s bid. . The junior from Corona, California, needs to be the best player on the field for BYU to win because Utah’s defense will be the best he has faced this season, he said.

His primary responsibility will be to take care of the ball and prevent turnovers, while also keeping Utah’s defense honest with occasional runs for positive yardage. Coincidentally, Retzlaff has turned to the last BYU QB to beat Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium, John Beck, for advice on how to handle the rivalry and playing in Salt Lake City. Beck’s famous touchdown pass to Jonny Harline defeated Utah 33-31 in 2006. Jay Drew

Brandon Rose, Utah QB: It’s not ideal to have a quarterback competition before your ninth game of the season, but that’s exactly what Utah experienced during the bye week. Kyle Whittingham is keeping the winner under wraps, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Rose starts the game for the Utes under center.

Rose didn’t come in to change the game against Houston — he completed 7 of 15 passes, a pair of which were dropped by receivers for 45 yards, and threw an interception on the Utes’ final drive of the game — but it falls remains to be seen considering how he does with a full week of starter reps.

Utah doesn’t need Rose to be a world beater, but the Utes do need more production from the passing game than they are currently getting. If he starts, can the second-year quarterback get Utah back on track through the air? Maybe we’ll find out.

Quotable

“I would say the QB is the catalyst. When you look at individual rushers, individual receivers, there’s no one that just stands out statistically. It’s a collective effort, but the catalyst in my opinion is the quarterback and playing good football.” – Utah coach Kyle Whittingham

“We have to look at all the quarterbacks on their roster and be ready for them. I think Jay (Hill) has a good start with that. I don’t think you can make it difficult for Utah (coaches). We’ve been there before and tried to figure out who would be the best person to earn the spot. We have to prepare for all those guys.” — BYU coach Kalani Sitake

Next

• Utah: near Colorado
• BYU: vs. Kansas