Utes throttle BYU

At left: The Utes celebrate their huge win in Provo.

Utah (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12) defeated BYU (1-2) tonight in LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo by a score of 54-10. It was the largest margin of victory the Utes have ever had in Provo. I had the pleasure of being at the game and without providing an exact order, I'd have to say it is easily one of my favorite sporting events I have ever attended.

The whole thing really was a stunner. I actually thought BYU would win this game, being at home as well as looking to avenge last year's 17-16 loss in Salt Lake City. I also didn't think there would be a ton of points from either team. When BYU turned the ball over three times in the first quarter and Utah only managed seven points out of it (on a defensive touchdown), I thought the Utes would have trouble scoring.

In fact, BYU led 10-7 with less than a minute to go in the first half. That is really hard to believe given the final score. The Utes scored before halftime and then turned into a buzzsaw for the second half. It literally was hard to keep track of all the touchdowns, as they kept rolling in at a very high rate.

It suffices me to say that Utah just played very well in all phases of the game (well, except the kicking game -- a missed field goal and extra point, but I'll look past that for now), especially in the second half. I honestly didn't know the Utes had that in them.

It was the first time I have been at a Utah victory in Provo and I was soaking it up. There is just something about beating your biggest rival on their homefield that is just a great thing. It's a great time to be a Ute. As a Utah fan, it was also fun seeing the stadium rapidly empty out starting late in the third quarter. It was just a really good night at the game.

On another note, I liked both teams wearing their home uniforms. The colors contrast enough to make it work. I'm told that is the theme for the 2011-2012 year as part of the Deseret Duel between the two schools. I hope the Utes and Cougars continue to both wear their home uniforms against each other in the future.

It's late, so I'm not going to get into all the details, but tonight was one of those nights where it was really rewarding to be a loyal fan to a team. I love my Utes! Way to go!