Favorite and least favorite rivalry moments?

[SteelUte]

This game this time of year takes me back to the 04-06 seasons.
I was working for a friend of mine who was a die hard BYU fan. Shortly after he got engaged to his wife she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She passed away the week of the rivalry game in 05. Utah won in 04 and 05, and our friendship was one of teasing and fun rivalry talk, but I avoided gloating due to more serious life matters.
2006 came, and I was in the stands watching the Beck-Harline play unfold in ultra slow motion. After a tough game back and forth it all came down to one play and that one play seemed to last for minutes! We all know the outcome. It was painful. I remember Weddle and Beck embracing and how classy that interaction was. On the way home I called my friend and cried as I celebrated the win with him to give him some joy a year to the day after he lost his wife.
I know Beck to Harline is torture for many of us, but for me it means something different. Watching your rival win and somehow finding a sliver of joy for that side.
Besides that, I hope we beat those jerks this weekend and start to get some good things going our way again! Let’s go Utes!

[Utah]

I don’t have any favorite moment. This game really just sucks. It’s not fun to win, because they are asshats and they are poor losers. It’s not fun to lose because losing sucks, especially to them because they are asshats.

[utefansince79]

A few favorites

34-31 in Provo in 93. Greatest sporting moment of my life and was in Provo to witness it.
34-31 next year in Salt Lake. Both teams had fine teams hat year. Showed that the previous year wasn’t a fluke (last 2 Utah wins in 1978 and 1988 had been followed by Cougar blowouts the following year)
2000 (forget exact score) Doman led a last minute drive to give Lavell a win in his final game. A fitting end to a great career.

Least favorites

6-56 in 1980. Everything that could go wrong went wrong.
12-17 in 1982. Utah outplayed BYU but 2 turnovers in the end zone, doomed us.

[Trumpet Ute]

95 was 34-17 in Rice Eccles.
Wore the ‘93 “31-34” tshirts under my marching band uniform. Joyfully displayed that in the 4th qtr, when it looked like our side of the score was going to stay at 34 and they couldn’t get anything going.

In Recent years, my hopes to win have been tempered. Since the MWC years ended, a must win is only to get the most peace and quiet from them for the next year…

[RoboUte]

Favorite, Brandon Burton’s blocked FG. Least favorite, this coming Saturday.

[Utehomer42]

This really shows how spoiled we have been in recent memory, but I am eighteen and a freshman down at the U. The only lost I have a memory of is the last game, I was 3 years old the last time BYU had beaten us before that game in 2021. So I do not know the pains of that the 70s and 80s brought, which my family always keeps telling me how lucky I am to grow up in this era. I am very spoiled, but as a diehard Runnin’ Utes fan I have nothing to boast about living in this era besides the few years with Kyrstoviak.

[ALUF]

2021- man that was tough, I know we had 9 in a row but it was sucky listening to them chirp that they didn’t lose in the pac that year

2019-that was fun as they really thought they had a chance to beat who I thought was our best team of all time

2018-the comeback game was easily my favorite of the bunch just seeing Shelly run in and run back to the sideline jumping up and down and then him flashing the 8

2017- I was in Provo for that one and didn’t say anything to the fans around me but they were all so..friendly, suffice it to say I’m glad we survived that one

2016-the 2 point conversion game was awesome! Sat next to a byu fan who was cool and we had friendly banter the whole game. Super fun

2015-the bowl game, I honestly believed we would score 70 on them but then we got more conservative than Ted Cruz lol

These are just my recent memories but man what a fun rivalry

[Jim McMahon]

So painful as a BYU fan. Just look at all those wins in the 2010’s. Ouch. We were close in many of them, but could never get over the hurdle. So many brutal losses.

Thanks God for 2021 haha. 10 in a row would have done me in.

[Tony (admin)]

Prob the most fun was the first quarter of the famous Vegas Bowl. I had just watched Men’s Basketball beat Duke in Madison Square garden from about the 3rd row. Walked a few blocks to a hooters and watched the game there.

[Rick Walker]

Everything about this memory and moment is good vibes

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Favorite moment was winning 9 in a row. Least favorite was losing that 10 in a row game and listening to the BYU fans act like they had just won the Pac 12. Good news is we will either be 10-1 or they will be 2-9.

[Jim McMahon]

Classy post about your friend in 2006. That’s awesome. That is my favorite memory and why this rivalry game means so much to me. I remember watching that game at my brother’s house and all of our family was there. It felt very much like 2005 and that we were headed for a similar outcome. Then that ball hung in the air and when Harline caught it, we all lost our minds. I think we jumped and screamed for 10 minutes straight.

2012 was absolutely brutal. I was in grad school back east and me and some buddies stayed up until about 2am if I recall correctly, only to see BYU get gifted several chances at the end and not be able to do it. Painful.

2000 was also up there. I was at that game with my brother. We were gifted tickets for our birthday from my buddy’s dad who is a huge Utah fan. They were on the 3rd row at the 50 yard line behind the Ute bench. We were in a sea of red. For the most part, Utah fans were super cool to us, but boy, did we silently cheer when Doman led that comeback and then we got the heck out of there haha.

I was also at the 2007 and 2009 games for 4th and 18, and when BYU won in overtime with the walkoff TD. The 2010’s were absolutely brutal as a BYU fan. Oof…

Would be nice to get a few back. I’m super nervous for this Saturday. While some BYU fans are running their mouths, most of us know that Whitt has owned us, and that your backs are against the wall. I bet it’s a super close, ugly game that goes down to the wire. I’m already sick to my stomach over it.

[thirtyfour-thirtyone]

Worst:
Johnny Harline. I can still see that circus defense in my mind. Ouch.

Best:
Honorable Mention: 1997 – Darnell Arceneaux cleans up after Jonathan Crosswhite (again), and our defense (John Frank the tank) ate Kevin Feterik alive. I think we ran a surprise 3-man front most of the day, and still got pressure and sacks.

2004: We beat the snot out of them to secure a trip to the Fiesta Bowl. What a day.

2008: My only time rushing the field. We want Bama 🙂

In the immortal words of Morgan Scalley, and Jaylon Glover, F#%$%k BYU!

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