No. 3 Utah is still unbeaten. The Utes rallied from a halftime deficit to beat No. 9 BYU 28-20 on Saturday, Nov. 7, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Utah’s defense shut out the Cougars in the second half and intercepted quarterback Bear Bachmeier four times.
The win in the rivalry known as the Holy War moves Utah to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the Big 12. It also ends a three-game losing streak against BYU, the Associated Press reported. BYU fell to 7-2 and 4-2 in conference play. The rankings are from the College Football Playoff committee.
How the game unfolded
Utah came out fast. Quarterback Devon Dampier ran 22 yards for a touchdown on the Utes’ third offensive play, then hit receiver Braden Pegan for a 46-yard score. Utah led 14-0 less than five minutes into the game.
BYU answered. Kicker Matthias Dunn made field goals from 31 and 38 yards. Then Bachmeier found Legend Glasker for a 75-yard touchdown. Running back LJ Martin, back from an injury that had kept him out for weeks, scored on a 4-yard run to give BYU a 20-14 halftime lead. BYU also recovered two Utah fumbles and forced four punts in the second quarter, according to the AP.
The second half belonged to Utah. The Utes held BYU to 39 yards in the third quarter, the AP reported. Dampier hit Pegan again, this time from 14 yards, for a 21-20 lead late in the third. Early in the fourth quarter, with 12:03 left, Dampier scored on a short touchdown run to make it 28-20.
BYU had chances to tie it. With 4:39 left, Utah’s Trey Reynolds intercepted Bachmeier at the Utah 2-yard line. On the last play, Bachmeier’s Hail Mary was picked off in the end zone by Nate Ritchie with 2 seconds left.
Key numbers
- Devon Dampier, Utah QB: 177 passing yards, 87 rushing yards, two passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns. TheScore also noted his 29-yard catch on a fourth-down trick play.
- Braden Pegan, Utah WR: two touchdown catches (46 and 14 yards).
- Bear Bachmeier, BYU QB: 21 of 35 for 272 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions, plus 59 rushing yards.
- Legend Glasker, BYU WR: seven catches for 118 yards and a touchdown.
- Utah defense: no points allowed after halftime and three second-half takeaways.
Why the win matters
Before kickoff, Yahoo Sports said the winner would have an inside track to the Big 12 championship game. Utah now stands alone at 6-0 in the league. TheScore reported that the Utes have won 15 straight games, and Dampier’s performance has pushed him further into the Heisman Trophy conversation.
For BYU, the loss stings. The Cougars started 6-0, including a win over Notre Dame on Oct. 17, but have now lost two of their last three games.
What to watch next
- Utah travels to No. 22 Arizona on Saturday, Nov. 14. Arizona is coming off a 29-28 win over TCU on Friday night.
- BYU hosts Baylor on Nov. 14.
- The College Football Playoff committee releases its next rankings Tuesday. Saturday’s slate includes seven ranked-vs.-ranked games, which could shake up the order.
- Tonight’s prime-time games could shake up the top of the rankings too. Check out our preview of No. 1 Miami at Notre Dame and No. 2 Georgia at Ole Miss.
Upstormed News will keep following the playoff race as the season heads into its final weeks.
Why it matters for families
Rivalry games like the Holy War are a fall tradition for many families in Utah and beyond, often passed down from parents to children. Saturday’s game was also a good lesson for young athletes: Utah fell behind, kept its composure and won the second half with patient defense. For more football action, see how the Jaguars routed the Ravens on Thursday night.
Read more: Wembanyama Scores 52 With 24 Rebounds as Spurs Edge Mavericks 112-111
Can anyone stop unbeaten Utah on the road to the playoff? Tell us in the comments.
Sources: Associated Press via FOX 13 Salt Lake City, “Utah snaps three-game losing streak to BYU with 28-20 win over Cougars” (November 7, 2026); Field Level Media via Yardbarker, “No. 3 Utah owns second half to race past No. 9 BYU 28-20” (November 7, 2026); theScore, “No. 3 Utah beats BYU in Holy War rivalry to stay unbeaten” (November 7, 2026); Yahoo Sports, “BYU vs. Utah live updates, score: Follow along in a high-stakes Holy War matchup” (November 7, 2026); NCAA.com, “College football Week 10: Live updates, schedule, scores, CFP rankings” (November 7, 2026).
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