It’s a big weekend in the Beehive State, as No. 9 BYU heads to No. 3 Utah for easily one of the most consequential rivalry matchups in series history on Saturday morning.
Two of the leading Big 12 quarterbacks, BYU sophomore Bear Bachmeier and Utah senior Devon Dampier, shape the contest, and Brandon Walker, the host of the Brandon Walker College Football Show, is looking for a big night from the former on the road at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.
Saturday marks the first time in the game’s 98-year history where both schools are featured in the top 10 of the AP Poll. The Utes are a slight favorite by 4.5 points with an over/under set at 48.5 points.
The Cougars rebounded from a double-overtime defeat at UCF to top Arizona State 27-20 at home last week, but Walker is looking to Bachmeier, throwing for 236 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception against the Sun Devils, to be the reason BYU comes out on top.
Walker’s take on Bachmeier arrives just two weeks after then No. 8 BYU knocked off No. 2 Notre Dame 28-24 in Provo.
“BYU needed a Herculean effort from (Bachmeier) to beat Notre Dame. He hasn’t been bad at all, but he hasn’t been that ‘Get on my back; I’m carrying us to every win’ since; they’ve just kind of been pretty good offensively, and he might need to do it again this week.”
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Without star rusher LJ Martin, listed as “doubtful” in the latest injury report for BYU, it’ll be Bachmeier splitting carries with Sione Moa (2 touchdowns vs. ASU) this weekend. Bachmeier is recording 13 or more carries through his last three starts, as the Cougars seek out a solution on the ground.
Assuming BYU goes without Martin, or in the best-case scenario gets him back for limited touches, the fact remains that Utah brings the third-leading defense to the field on Saturday. Specifically in the red zone, the Utes lead the Big 12 and rank fourth nationally across FBS programs.
Conversely, the Utes bring a lot to the table offensively – specifically in first-half scoring – between Dampier (1,876 passing yards) and a hard-nosed running back in Wayshawn Parker; Utah is tied for 6th nationally with Kansas and West Virginia in explosive plays (86), according to StatRankings.
If you’re the rest of the Big 12, you’d be leaning toward BYU to hand Utah its first loss of the league schedule. Utah winning on Saturday doesn’t eliminate the possibility of that first loss, but it certainly improves Morgan Scalley’s grip on the conference race with just three weeks left.
