Getty BYU head coach Kalani Sitake shakes hands with Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham.
The season gets started in a hurry for BYU and Utah, as the in-state rivals go at it in the 100th Holy War to open up their 2019 campaigns.
BYU is a 6.5-point home underdog in the game that has an over-under listed at 48, according to Odds Shark.
No. 14 Utah is coming off a season where they finished 9-5, ending the season with consecutive tough losses to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship game and in the Holiday Bowl to Northwestern.
BYU made it to a bowl game with a 7-6 record last season, topping Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Here are somethings to know and advice on who to back in this one.
BYU vs. Utah Stats & Need to Knows
Quarterback Tyler Huntley thrived in the Utah offense last season, collecting 1,788 yards and 12 touchdowns while completing 64% of his passes last season before missing the final five games with a broken collarbone.
“He’s just soaking in everything Andy has to say to him,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham told the Associated Press. “He’s done a great job of assimilating that and putting it into practice. The skill set Tyler has and what Andy is going to do with him line up. It’s a great fit.”
Running back Zack Moss and wide receiver Britain Covey are two other playmakers on the Utah offense to watch, but both are battling back from injuries — Moss with a hand injury he suffered in camp and Covey from a torn ACL last season.
Quarterback Zach Wilson leads the way for BYU offensively. Wilson had by far his best game of the season in the bowl game, passing for 317 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. He was a perfect 18 of 18.
Ty’Son Williams sits atop the Cougars depth chart at running back after transferring from South Carolina in the offseason. His best season with the Gamecocks came in 2017 when he rushed for 471 yards on 95 carries.
Utah leads the series with a 61-34-4 record, getting the most recent win last season 35-27 in comeback fashion, scoring 21 fourth quarter points. The rivalry began way back in 1896.
Here’s how the last 10 games have gone between the rival programs:
- Utah 35, BYU 27
- Utah 19, BYU 13
- Utah 20, BYU 19
- Utah 35, BYU 28
- Utah 20, BYU 13
- Utah 24, BYU 21
- Utah 54, BYU 10
- Utah 17, BYU 16
- BYU 26, Utah 23
- Utah 48, BYU 24
While Utah has won nine out of the last 10 games, each contest has been close between the rivals. And this one is being played in Provo.
“I don’t know if we’ve ever felt this strongly about an opening game,” Cougars coach Kalani Sitake said.
BYU vs. Utah Pick & Prediction
As the history indicates, there’s rarely a Holy War game that’s easily won. Despite winning the last eight consecutivley, Utah has only won by one score on seven of those occasions.
However, this year is different for Utah, a team that was overwhelmingly selected by the media to win the Pac-12 South and also picked to win the conference — something the school has never done.
The Utes are the pick in this one and should break the trend of this rivalry being a close game.
Pick: Utah -6.5
Over-under: Over 48
Score prediction: Utah 35, BYU 14
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