Remembering the Rivalry: Brigham Young Cougars 45, Utah Utes 22 (1990)

November 17, 1990—This year, the Utah Utes proved to be nothing more than a mile marker on the Heisman trail for the Brigham Young Cougars and Ty Detmer. The eventual Heisman Trophy winner had a “typical day at the office.” He went 28 of 50 for 451 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Over half of Detmer’s 451 yards passing went to two Cougar receivers. Tight End Chris Smith had 125 yards on 8 receptions, and Brent Nyberg had 116 yards on four catches.

Utah managed to stay close for the first 15 minutes, 14-10, but a 21-point Cougar outburst in the second quarter sent BYU to the locker room up 35-10. Game over.

BYU had some ball security problems fumbling five times. Fortunately, BYU also had the ball bounce their way losing just one of those fumbles.

Although the Cougar defense yielded a lot of yards (437), they redeemed themselves by forcing five turnovers (3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries).

The day wasn’t without tragedy. Running back Matt Bellini, BYU’s all-time leading receiver in receptions and yards, tore ligaments in his right ankle, and saw very limited action the rest of the year.

Have memories of this game? Share them below in the comments section.

Visit the Special Features page for links to other installments of Remembering the Rivalry.

Other recent posts on BYU FOOTBALL TALK:
Remembering the Rivalry: BYU 38, Utah 28 (1985)
Remembering the Rivalry: BYU 56, Utah 6 (1980)
Poll Results: If BYU Wins The Last Two Games, Should Bronco be the MWC Coach of the Year?
Remembering the Rivalry: BYU 51, Utah 20 (1975)
Game Recap: Brigham Young Cougars 40, New Mexico Lobos 7
Game Preview: Brigham Young Cougars vs. New Mexico Lobos

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