The Utes have had a memorable 20 year run. We take a look at the best moments from the past two decades
Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
Article By: Nick Battey
15. 2010 - #23 Utah 17 vs BYU 16
Brandon Burton blocked BYU's game winning field goal attempt to preserve a victory for the Utes over their rival. Utah had rallied from a 13-0 deficit to win the game, 17-16, and fans rushed the field to celebrate the win and a 10 win season.
14. 2008 - #15 Utah 31 vs Oregon State 28
Brian Johnson led Utah on an 11 point rally in the final 89 seconds to give the Utes a win that kept their BCS dreams alive.
13. 2018 - #18 Utah 35 vs BYU 27
The comeback. BYU dominated early while rushing out to a 27-7 lead. The Utes got on track right before the 4th quarter began with a touchdown. That was the beginning of an onslaught that was capped off by a Jason Shelley 33 yard touchdown run to give the Utes a 35-27 win as they headed off to the Pac-12 Championship.
12. 2012 - Utah 24 vs #25 BYU 21
This was one of the wildest games in college football history. Absolutely bonkers. Utah led by 17 in the 4th quarter but BYU rallied to make it a 3 point game. Then craziness happened. An incomplete pass by the Cougars led to a field rush but there was actually 1 second left. The fans cleared the field. BYU attempted a game tying field goal but the Utes blocked it. Fans rushed the field again... but there was a penalty and the Cougars had another shot. This time BYU missed again and no penalties were called and the fans could celebrate all night long.
11. 2015 - Utah 24 vs Michigan 17
Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to Salt Lake City while the nation eagerly watched. Utah led 17-10 in the 4th quarter with Michigan near mid-field. On 3rd and 3 with under 8 minutes left, Justin Thomas intercepted the Michigan pass and took it 58 yards to give the Utes the victory. Michigan and Utah would both go on to win 10 games in 2015.
10. 2018 - Utah 32 vs Oregon 25
Oregon and Utah have had some great battles over the past decade and 2018’s game was no exception. A backup QB and RB for the Utes had their backs up against the wall early, but a late game rally gave Utah a sweet win over the Ducks.
9. 2019 - #11 Utah 33 vs UW 28
There had to be a game from the amazing run the Utes had last year with Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss leading the way and the revenge game vs Washington was a great one. After losing to the Huskies four times in three years, the Utes finally broke through in Seattle with a 2nd half comeback to win.
8. 2013 - Utah 27 vs #5 Stanford 21
The first major upset for the Utes in the Pac-12 came in 2013 vs Stanford. A hard nose matchup between two physical teams came down to the wire with Utah putting together a goal line stand in the final minute to shock the Cardinal and helped them build towards a great run from 2014-2019.
The peak of Utah's 2014 season came against the Trojans. A Top-20 showdown in Salt Lake City had the nation talking and the game lived up to the hype. The Trojans went for it on 4th and 2 with roughly 2 minutes left but were denied by the Utah defense. The Utes made the most of it, scoring the winning touchdown on a Travis Wilson to Kaelin Clay connection with eight seconds to go.
6. 2004 - #5 Utah 52 vs BYU 21
Utah needed just one win to complete an undefeated regular season but first had to take down their bitter rival. A rowdy crowd helped will the Utes to a blow out win as they outgained BYU in yardage 538 to 294. As the clocked reached 0, the fans rushed the field and celebrated one of the greatest moments in Utah history.
5. 2004 - #20 Utah 41 vs Texas AM 21
The first game of the year against a top tier Big-12 opponent was a great test to see if Utah was where they needed to be for the elite season they believed they were capable of having under Urban Meyer. They passed the test with flying colors. Alex Smith led the Utes with 359 yards and 3 touchdowns, allowing Salt Lake City to be partying all night long.
The Utes traveled to Eugene to face an Oregon Duck squad coming off of a national championship appearance the previous season. The highly anticipated matchup quickly turned to a blood bath as the Utes demolished the Ducks in Eugene and handed them their worst loss at home since a 54-0 loss to Washington in 1977.
Utah became the first ever non-power conference school to make a BCS bowl game and boy did they prove they belonged. Urban Meyer's Utes crushed Pittsburgh and silenced any doubters as Utah finished the season 12-0.
This game proved to be one of the most pivotal moments of Utah's undefeated 2008 season. With everything on the line for both teams in Salt Lake City, Brian Johnson marched Utah 80 yards down the field and threw a touchdown pass to Freddie Brown with 48 seconds left to give Utah a 3 point win.
The #1 pick is the Utes' 2009 Sugar Bowl upset over mighty Alabama. The result stunned the college football world, but this Utah team was simply tough, talented and well coached. Utah stormed out to a 21-0 lead in the 1st quarter and that would be all the points they would need to beat Nick Saban and the Tide just one season before Alabama went on to win the National Title. This game put Utah squarely on the college football map and will be a moment in history Utah fans will never forget.
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