Week 2 Preview: BYU vs Utah

BYU and Utah both started the season off with wins and enter this week's holy war looking to prove that the best is yet to come. Intrigue abounds (even more than usual) for the biggest game in the state this season as Kalani Sitake makes his return to the hill, and squares of against his mentor Kyle Whittingham, who of course is a disciple of legendary BYU coach Lavell Edwards.

What's on the line

For BYU this game is big. The Cougars haven't beat Utah in quite some time and would love to do nothing more than come out on top of the holy war for a change. Kalani Sitake and company also need to seize this opportunity to beat another P5 opponent in their quest to prove they belong with the big boys.

For Utah this game is significant if for no other reason than a win would continue their dominance in the rivalry and possibly give them a boost in in-state recruiting. Most Utah fans would like to think that this game doesn't mean much to their team anymore, but they are kidding themselves.

Who has the Edge? 

BYU's Offense vs. Utah's Defense
In week one BYU didn't struggle moving the ball, but scoring was another story. Utah's defense had a strong showing against SUU in week one as they limited the T-Birds to 0 points. Utah's defense showed that despite losing several key players from last season, they are still a force to be reckoned with. The tip of the hat goes to Utah's defense in this match up.

Utah's offense vs. BYU's Defense
There are a lot of questions surrounding Utah's offense this s year, and Thursdays underwhelming 24 points against an FCS team didn't do much to answer them. Meanwhile BYU held Arizona's potent offense to only 16 points. BYU had the edge on this match up.


Special teams
Both teams have solid punters, and Utah's place kicker has been consistent. BYU's place kicking on the other hand had proven nothing other than a knack for the dramatic. The edge goes to Utah in this match up simply because we actually know what to expect from their guys.


The Bottom Line 
Both teams feature solid defense. I don't expect this to be a high scoring game by any stretch of the imagination. This game will most likely be yet another closely contested holy war.  Utah's offense will sputter and struggle to do much against BYU's stout defense.  Meanwhile BYU's offense should be able to do just enough to squeeze by in the end with the leadership and experience of senior QB Taysom Hill being the key factor.  BYU will come out on top, and finally break their losing streak to Utah.  The final score will be BYU 27 Utah 20, with the deciding touchdown coming late in the fourth quarter compliments Taysom Hill.