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Everyone knows the score. The Utes fan base has been letting chagrined BYU supporters hear it all week: five in a row.
But the century-old history of the Utah-BYU rivalry pushes another reset on Saturday afternoon when the Cougars visit Rice-Eccles Stadium for a nationally televised bout on Fox. Fresh off his streak of dominance against former BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, Utes coach Kyle Whittingham is looking to keep the status quo and Utah's pride intact at home.
New Cougars coach Kalani Sitake — Whittingham's former protege at Utah — seeks a fresh start.
"We can control what we can control and that's now," Sitake said. "We can't go back and change what happened in the past. I was actually on the other side for some of those wins. So you just have to appreciate the journey that we are in now."
The current journey pits two 1-0 teams that still face questions of how ready for prime time they are.
Utah's defense bullied Southern Utah last Thursday in a 24-0 win, but the performance wasn't as dominating as hoped. Troy Williams' debut went relatively well, with the junior quarterback throwing for a pair of touchdowns, but Utah's veteran offensive line didn't look like the unit that was expected to be one of the best in the Pac-12. The running game struggled.
In a rivalry game that has boiled down to a one-score margin eight out of the past 10 meetings, they're digging for more than they showed in the season-opener.
"We know what to expect and we've got to be ready to go," junior tight end Harrison Handley said. "It's about being physical — coming out there and punching them in the mouth."
The Cougars have taken their fair share of shots since 2010, when Utah's streak began. Taysom Hill, BYU's 26-year-old senior quarterback, reflected ruefully this week on his two meetings with the Utes, the first of which he witnessed the Rice-Eccles home crowd rush the field three times in a 24-21 win.
His only start against Utah was a 20-13 loss in Provo — during which opposing quarterback Travis Wilson made a "shushing" gesture to the home crowd after a touchdown. Hill said games like the rivalry with Utah — "situations you cannot replicate" — were part of the reason he decided to come back from his third season-ending injury last year.
"I certainly remember what it feels like to be that close and not to come out on the winning side of that," he said. "We will prepare as best as we can and make sure that doesn't happen again."
BYU kicked off the Sitake era last week with a win against Arizona, an 18-16 nail-biter that required a late field goal from a freshman kicker who barely made the travel squad.
But BYU flashed strength in the game as well: Between Hill and running back Jamaal Williams, the Cougars tallied over 200 yards on the ground. Many Utah players are also familiar with Sitake's heart-on-his-sleeve style of coaching, and they're assuming that BYU will be as motivated to play as they were after hearing their own pregame speeches from Sitake.
"They gonna come juiced up," senior cornerback Reggie Porter said. "They gonna come to play. We've got to be ready."
The recent one-sidedness of the series has come to define the current dynamic between the schools. From BYU's dominance in the 1980s to competitive back-and-forth in the 1990s and 2000s, some of the drama has flattened out for the once-classic Thanksgiving weekend game.
Utah hasn't lost since it announced it had accepted an invitation to the Pac-12 Conference in 2010. BYU went independent, but has found the road challenging. The program is still hopeful for a bid to the Big-12 this year — potentially vaulting the program into major conference exposure, title races and dollars.
The rivalry is still a major event in Utah, and is poised to be one of the big games in a soft weekend schedule for college football. But BYU is looking to prove that it can win one in Salt Lake City for the first time since 2006. The Cougars said they haven't been focusing as much on the buildup for Utah as focusing on internal matters and making sure they're prepared.
"Yeah, there is always going to be talk, it is a rivalry game, you know?" senior safety Kai Nacua said. "And our team, we realize we don't really need to talk. We just need to focus on what we have to do to win this game."
Perhaps not surprisingly given the coaching crossover, Utah has taken a similar approach. The Utes have studied their issues from SUU, and are focused on correcting them.
They believe if they are a better version of the team that beat the Thunderbirds, they'll add a sixth link in the chain — or from another perspective, start 1-0 in the Sitake era.
"It feels good to be able to say we've never lost to those guys," senior defensive end Hunter Dimick said. "But preparing for them, we know the previous game won't help you. It's 0-0 as far as we're concerned."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Key Utah-BYU matchups
Utah's Aaron Roderick vs. BYU's Ilaisa Tuiaki • Can Cougars' new D-coordinator stifle the offense he used to face at Utah's practices?
Utah's defensive line vs. BYU's Jamaal Williams • A strength-on-strength battle pitting forces that were dominant in last week's wins.
Utah's Kyle Whittingham vs. BYU's Kalani Sitake • Whit has won five straight against BYU after starting 2-3; did his former pupil learn from his rivalry-game ways?
Utah's receivers vs. BYU's secondary • Can Guy Holliday's guys find the weaknesses in a Cougars' secondary the former BYU coach knows well?
Utah's crowd vs. BYU's offensive line • Missing two projected starters, the Cougars' offensive line will have to avoid false starts, getting behind the chains in raucous atmosphere. —
BYU at Utah
P At Rice-Eccles Stadium
Kickoff • 5:30 p.m.
TV • Fox
Radio • KSL 1160 AM, 102.7 FM, Sirius XM 143 (BYU)/ESPN 700 AM (Utah)
Records • Utah (1-0); BYU (1-0)
Series history • Utah leads, 58-34-4 (or 55-31-4 by BYU's record book)
Last meeting • Dec. 19, 2015 (Las Vegas Bowl); Utah 35, BYU 28
About the Utes • Utah was the only Power 5 conference team to shut out its opponent last week, beating SUU 24-0. … Coach Kyle Whittingham is looking to improve on his 18-1 record against non-conference opponents, with a sole loss at Utah State in 2012. … Sophomore Mitch Wishnowsky was the Ray Guy punter of the week after breaking the school record for net punting average (55.5 ypp) in a game. … The game will be Utah's "red out" promotion - the athletic department is asking home team fans to wear red for the game.
About the Cougars • They have committed 19 turnovers in their past five games against the Utes, all losses. Four of the five losses were by seven points or fewer. … They are 72-122-6 overall against teams in the Pac-12 and in the midst of three-straight games against the league, with UCLA coming up next week. … They are 13th in the country in sacks after recording four in last week's 18-16 win over Arizona. … Quarterback Taysom Hill is 0-1 against Utah as a starter, having lost the 2013 game 20-13 at LaVell Edwards Stadium.