Seven Takeaways From No. 15 BYU's Win in the Largest Holy War in a Generation

We are saying this a lot lately, but WHAT A NIGHT. BYU knocked off Utah in a third straight Holy War in what felt like a turning point in this rivalry. Here is what we learned from BYU’s 18th win in the last 20 games.

1. The Holy War delivered on its promise

PROVO IS JUST UNREAL 🎉🙌@BYUfootball fans know how to get HYPED pic.twitter.com/pYqdyEQrjx
— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) October 18, 2025

The Holy War is a top 10 rivalry in the sport, but there’s one thing that’s kept it from climbing: stakes. For decades, the rivalry has been played without much of anything on the line for both teams except bragging rights. This one was different. Big Noon Kickoff, prime time on FOX, ranked matchup with the Big 12 driver’s seat up for grabs. One could reasonably argue this was the most important Holy War ever and the game itself met the moment. Bravo to everyone involved from the athletes who played, the BYU marketing staff that created the atmosphere, and the fans who make this rivalry truly special.

2. BYU was physically the better football team in the trenches

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier scores a touchdown against Utah | BYU Photo

Much has been made about Utah’s offensive line being one of the 10 best offensive lines in the country, and rightfully so. They have two first round picks at the tackle spots, had allowed zero sacks, and had been generating 5.5 yards per carry between the tackles. BYU held Utah to just 3.7 yards per carry between the tackles and forced multiple redzone fourth down stops that won this game for BYU. BYU did exactly what it wanted to do against Utah’s defense: stop the power run game and force Devon Dampier to play QB from the pocket. On passing downs, BYU generated 24 total pressures and 3 sacks on 43 Dampier dropbacks. Utah's offensive line had allowed just 38 pressures and 1 sack against P4 opponents all season. On those pressured dropbacks, Dampier completed just 5/13 passes for 47 yards.

BYU was the more physical team on offense, too, running for 195 yards on 36 carries between the tackles (5.4 yards per carry). There was nothing gimmicky about BYU’s offensive game plan. It was good old-fashioned “our guys are better than your guys” and “run the [redacted] ball.” And Utah could do nothing to stop it, even when they tried.

3. The QB drama this offseason was the best thing that’s ever happened to BYU football

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier against Utah | BYU Photo

Personal story: Following an open practice during Fall Camp, it was evident that Bear Bachmeier was the guy. I left that practice with a surprising feeling. Losing their QB1 this offseason was a fortunate fall for BYU. I have never been more correct. Bear Bachmeier will go down as a legend at BYU. That much is clear just seven games into his career. Bachmeier ranks 25th nationally in QBR and has posted a QBR of 81 or higher in four of his last five games. The lights were not too bright for this kid as he led back-to-back 4th quarter touchdown drives after trailing for the first time all night.

As a passer, he was much better than the stats showed. Bachmeier was on target on about 70% of his 22 attempts. On throws 20 yards and in, Bachmeier was 12/14 for 139 yards and a touchdown, including 5/7 on intermediate throws (10-20 air yards). On deep balls, he was the victim of a drop and two uncalled pass interferences which skewed his passing numbers some.

BEAR'D HIS TEETH

📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/uhfOKKh13W
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) October 19, 2025

As a runner, he was the child of Steve Young, Taysom Hill, and Marshawn Lynch. With Bachmeier behind center, there is no such thing as a true passing down because he can convert on third and any distance with his legs. In this game, Bachmeier generated the single greatest individual effort in the history of the Holy War. Count the defenders that Bachmeier runs through on his game-sealing run. I count eight. I can only imagine the other three Utah defenders made business decisions knowing their fate would look a lot like #23. That touchdown will go down as a top five play of my lifetime in the Holy War. This kid just has it. And he still has 3.5 years of eligibility.

4. The mythos Utah football built up in the 2010’s is gone now

Speaking of that run, that was the moment Utah ceased to be the personal boogey man. For over a decade, Utah football was BYU’s Thanos. No matter what BYU did, Utah was inevitable. Larger than life. Sometimes mythical. Their players lived like superheroes in fans heads, especially on defense. Then, the scales fell from my eyes with every player that Bear bulldozed. For the first time, it was BYU that had the players out of a fantasy novel, and Utah was just another good football team with good players that just weren’t as good as BYU’s. One win can be law of averages and two wins can be a fluke. A third straight win over Utah is a trend, and with the recruiting classes BYU is building, it sure feels that the capital of football in the state of Utah once again resides in Provo.

5. Stars matter

BYU defensive backs Tayvion Beasley and Faletau Satuala against Utah | BYU Photo

For the second straight week, we learned that recruiting rankings do, in fact, matter. Two of BYU’s top three highest-graded defensive players per PFF were Faletau Satuala and Tausili Akana, both top 130 recruits in their respective classes. On offense, Bear Bachmeier, LJ Martin, and Carsen Ryan were all stars on Saturday and were each four-star recruits. Turns out, having better players helps you win more. Now if you want a fun glimpse at the future, go look at where this year's recruiting class ranks.

6. BYU is a playoff contender

The Utah team BYU beat last night was much better than their #23 ranking. Utah was (and still is) rated as a top 15 team in every predictive metric. With that win, it can no longer be said that BYU is a fraudulent undefeated team who hasn’t beaten anyone. BYU now has the 5th highest strength of record per FPI and 8th strongest per SP+. If the season ended today, BYU should be a playoff team. Hard stop. Now that these metrics are used by the playoff committee, let’s see if things will be different this year.

7. We are in a new golden age of BYU football

BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier and center Bruce Mitchell | BYU Photo

BYU has come a long way since I was a student at BYU. I watched every snap of BYU’s 2017 loss to UMass on the front row. I rushed the field in 2016 after BYU beat a 5-7 Mississippi State team in double OT. BYU certainly had some big wins during that era, but overall, fans spent a lot of time convincing themselves that BYU had a direction wandering in the independence wilderness. Fast forward a few years, and BYU is undefeated in late October and is trending toward a fourth 10-win season in the last 6 seasons. BYU controls their own destiny to win a Power Four conference. Fans have spent every Sunday for the last two years checking to see where BYU is landing in the rankings. BYU also has a top 25 recruiting class. I don’t know if this is truly the dawn of a new golden age of BYU football, but we fans should enjoy this moment as if it is.