Utah's 14-game streak meets No. 7 BYU

Utah's margin, BYU's defense

Against Power 4 opponents, Utah is +99 in point margin, sixth nationally and first in its conference. BYU is +35 in the same games, 22nd nationally and sixth in the conference.

Utah gains 462 yards a game, sixth nationally, and allows 372, 30th. BYU gains 351, 45th, and allows 317, 14th nationally and second in the conference. By yardage in those games, Utah has the better offense of the two teams and BYU the better defense.

Against Power 4 opponents, BYU is penalized 44 yards a game, 21st nationally and second in its conference, against 58 for Utah, which ranks 45th. Utah holds the ball 32:58 a game, eighth nationally, to BYU's 29:30. Utah is even in turnover margin, 32nd nationally, and BYU is -2, 55th.

Where it's decided

When Utah has the ball, it brings the most efficient run game in the country against Power 4 opponents. Utah's runs succeed 52.9% of the time, first nationally, and the Utes rush for 210 yards a game, sixth. BYU allows 112 rushing yards a game, 21st nationally, but ranks 39th in run defense success rate at 42.9%.

Wayshawn Parker leads Utah in rushing yards with 726 on 109 carries, and his 9 rushing touchdowns rank third in the Big 12. Parker's 13 touchdowns from scrimmage tie for second in the Big 12. Utah returned 85% of its 2025 rushing yards.

Utah's offensive success rate is 51.7%, second nationally, and its passing success rate is 50.5%, sixth. Devon Dampier leads Utah in passing yards with 1,876, with 18 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a 69.6 completion percentage. Braden Pegan, a transfer from Utah State, leads Utah in receiving yards with 505 and in catches with 39, with 6 touchdowns. Utah returned only 30% of its own 2025 receiving yards and brought in 2,037 from transfers, 925 of them Pegan's.

Utah's Hunter Andrews had his first career 100-yard receiving game last week, 112 yards at Cincinnati, topping his previous best of 44 against Wyoming in 2025. The BYU pass defense allows 206 yards a game and a 38.2% success rate, both 19th nationally. Cade Uluave leads BYU in tackles with 52, and Tausili Akana leads the Cougars in sacks with 3.5.

When BYU has the ball, it meets a Utah pass defense that gives up yards against Power 4 opponents but few successful plays. Utah allows 264 passing yards a game, 63rd nationally, yet ranks sixth in pass defense success rate at 35.0%. BYU throws for 223 yards a game, 48th, with a 42.6% passing success rate, 26th.

Bear Bachmeier leads BYU in passing yards with 1,750, with 12 touchdowns, 4 interceptions and a 63.1 completion percentage. Legend Glasker leads BYU in receiving yards with 585 and in catches with 32, with 4 touchdowns. BYU returned just 20% of its 2025 receiving yards.

BYU runs for 127 yards a game, 41st, with a 44.8% rushing success rate, 22nd. Utah allows 108 rushing yards a game, 17th nationally and second in its conference. Trey Reynolds leads Utah in tackles with 46, and Elijah Elliss shares the Utes' lead in sacks with 2.5.

BYU's road problem with the top 10

BYU last won on the road against a top-10 team in 2018, over No. 6 Wisconsin, and is 0-2 in those games since. BYU is 5-1 against Power 4 opponents this season, with the loss coming to UCF. Utah is 6-0 against Power 4 opponents.

Two quarterbacks who run

Bachmeier is one of only 2 FBS players this season with a 300-yard passing, 100-yard rushing game, along with Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker. Bachmeier is second on BYU in rushing yards with 336, and he needs 217 passing yards to reach 5,000 for his career.

Dampier is second on Utah in rushing yards with 394. Dampier needs 1 touchdown pass to reach 60 for his career.

Utah scores first, and early

Utah has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in 7 of 8 games this season. Against Power 4 opponents, Utah has a 56-6 edge in the first quarter. In those games the Utes score 35.3 points a game, 10th nationally, and end 46.2% of their drives with points, 20th.

Utah on BYU resumes

Kalani Sitake was Utah's defensive coordinator in 2009-14, and he is 3-4 against the Utes. BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick was Utah's co-offensive coordinator in 2010 and 2015-16. In 2016 Roderick shared that Utah staff with Morgan Scalley, then the defensive coordinator and now Utah's head coach.

BYU's Keanu Tanuvasa faces the program he played for in 2022-24, when he made 49 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 4 sacks for Utah.

Two BYU defenders play near home at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Safety Faletau Satuala grew up about 9 miles away in Bountiful and played at Bountiful, and linebacker Isaiah Glasker grew up about 15 miles away in South Jordan and played at Bingham.

Uluave arrived at BYU as a 4-star transfer from California. Kyler Kasper came to BYU from Oregon and is second on the Cougars in receiving yards with 430, with 5 touchdowns.

Utah sent 2 offensive tackles and a tight end to the NFL, 2 of them in the first two rounds. Spencer Fano went ninth overall to Cleveland, and Caleb Lomu went 28th to New England. BYU had 2 players drafted, a linebacker and a tight end, neither in the first two rounds: Jack Kelly went in the sixth round to New York and Carsen Ryan in the seventh to Cleveland.

Both leading rushers carry questions

Scalley said Nov. 1 that Parker has been dealing with a quad contusion and that Utah rested him in the second half at Cincinnati to let him heal, according to the Deseret News.

LJ Martin, who leads BYU in rushing yards with 344 on 44 carries and has 3 touchdowns, was listed Out on the Big 12 availability report for BYU's last 3 games. BYU cornerback Evan Johnson was listed Out on the report for the Arizona State game.

Utah offensive lineman Kelvin Obot was listed Out for the Utes' last 2 games, and linebacker Tayson Reid was listed Out against Cincinnati. The Big 12 report for this game is not out yet.

BYU has owned the recent Holy War

Utah leads the Holy War 59-34-4 in 97 meetings since 1922. BYU has won 3 straight and has not lost to Utah since 2019, when the Utes went 11-3 with All-American defensive lineman Bradlee Anae and BYU went 7-6.

BYU won the last meeting 24-21 at home in 2025, and LJ Martin ran for 122 yards. That BYU team went 12-2. Utah went 11-2 in 2025, and Fano won the Outland Trophy as a unanimous All-American.

Utah is 37-17-1 at home against BYU, and BYU last won in Salt Lake City in 2024, a season the Cougars finished 11-2 and the Utes 5-7.

Eight of the last 10 meetings were decided by one score. Since 2004, BYU and Utah have gone to overtime twice and split those games, most recently in 2009, when Dennis Pitta was an All-American tight end at BYU.

Three things to watch

Utah against a ranked team: the Utes ran their streak against unranked teams to 17 straight, dating to 2024, with last week's win at Cincinnati, and No. 7 BYU does not fit that description.

BYU on third down: against Power 4 opponents, the Cougars convert 46.8%, 12th nationally, against the Utah defense, which allows 36.6%, and BYU is 3-1 in one-score games this season.

The red zone: Utah scores on 82.8% of its trips against Power 4 opponents, and the BYU red zone defense allows 85.0%, 14th in its conference.