Dominating the Rivalry

[Mule]

I still hear the narrative of “Utah is lucky and just wins all the close games against BYU”. While true that the games tend to be close, it’s almost entirely due to Kyle’s safe approach with the rivalry.

Over the last decade, if you look at the % of Time of Possession in which one team was leading (meaning excluding time when tied like at the beginning of the game at 0-0), it’s amazing how much we’ve dominated just about every game.

Dominance

Out of the 9 games:

– 5 games we lead from start to finish

– 2 games we nearly lead from start to finish (90% and 94%), including the 54-10 game in 2011.

– Then there are the 2 true come-from-behind games in 2010 and 2018 (“It’s Blocked!!!” and Jason Shelley on display)

Over the last 9 games, we have lead for nearly 80% (77% to be exact) of all minutes in which a team was leading (or 68% of all TOP). Utter dominance!!

One of these years, Kyle’s safe approach is probably going to get us. It almost happened in 2018. I know a lot of us would prefer to run up the score and leave no doubt. On the other hand watching Kyle toy with them like a cat with a mouse, giving them an occasional glimmer of hope, before then summoning his inner mortal kombat “FINISH HIM!!”….. ahhh, sweetness.

#10iscoming

[ALUF]

Because repeated outcomes for 11 straight years and 9 games is “lucky” haha! The delusion over there is something else

[dwainegf]

We are lucky. This year we need some luck in the Pac12 Championship game.
The TDS can continue to live in the past. WE need to keep moving forward.
BTW, what is our non bowl out of conference record since joi8ning the Pac12?
Something like 29-1. Lucky indeed.

[ProudUte]

The last time the cougs won by more than a TD was in 1996 (this may have been their best team ever).  That was 25 years ago. 

The games are closer than I would like them to be.  Yes, KW is conservative.  But, I don’t think he is playing with them.  We have been playing them early in the season and KW is certainly using the game to experiment and learn what his team can and can’t do well.  KW rarely tries to blow out any team.  That’s not his style.  The 54-10 game was a blowout because the cougs kept giving us the ball.  We weren’t trying to run up the score.

[MDUte]

Agreed, I think the only game I can remember where Kyle was trying to run up the score and embarrass a team was the Wyoming game when Coach Glenn guaranteed a win prior to coming into Rice Eccles. After getting up something like 43-0 before halftime, Kyle calls an on-sides kick haha!!

But even in that game, Whitt could’ve easily run up the score to 70-0. But he decided to shut it down somewhere in the 3rd quarter winning 50-0. Either way, don’t ever disrespect Coach Whitt!

[Mule]

The other reason these games are close is that there’s no reason for Kyle to tip his hand early in the season for conference opponents to then have more film on the Utes.

[Central Coast Ute]

I also don’t think Whitt wants to run up the score against his friend and Alma mater. Take 2019 as proof as they knelt on the goal line.

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Correct you are CCU.  We had the ball, 1st-&-Goal, from the ybU-p 3-yd line, with just north of 2-min remaining in the game.  And we were moving the ball at will against them.  Zach Moss wouldn’t have even needed 2-min to punch it in from the 3.  We let up on them.  Even though, had the shoe been on the other foot, you know full well the tdS would have made every effort imaginable to stretch their lead from 18 to 25 to end the game.  #CougarTradition

[noneyadb]

This narrative of a “vanilla gameplan” is getting really old. Whitt’s gameplans are the exact same vs BYU or any other opponent over the past 15 years with 100 different OC’s.