Remembering the Rivalry: Brigham Young Cougars 51, Utah Utes 20 (1975)

It's rivalry week for the Brigham Young Cougars and the Utah Utes. This week's game will be the 86 game between the two schools. Each day this week, BYU FOOTBALL TALK will look back on one of the Cougars' great victories over the Utes. I have done my best to research each game and provide a summary. If you were there or remember these games, please fill in with any details that you feel were significant that I have left out.

November 15, 1975--BYU came into this game 4-4, needing a win to keep hopes alive for a second consecutive winning season, and third in four years. After struggling early in the year to find a new quarterback, Gifford Nielsen was the unquestioned starter by this time. He played a solid game connecting on 10 of 15 passes for 150 yards and a touchdown with one interception. Nielsen also added a score on the ground. Charley Ah You made a splash rushing for 77 yards and scored once.

This win marked the first time in the history of the rivalry that BYU had scored over 50 points, won by more than 28 points, and won four games in a row. Not only was this the first time BYU won four straight, BYU beat Utah State, 24-7, the week before to make this only the third time that BYU won the "State Championship" (1958 and 1966 were the other two times).

Stan Varner was an animal on defense recovering two fumbles and intercepting a pass. Varner wasn't the only one making big plays. The entire defense was exceptional limiting Utah to just 14 yards rushing.

After a horrendous 0-3 start, BYU had now won five out of six games.

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

Other recent posts on BYU FOOTBALL TALK:
Game Recap: Brigham Young Cougars 40, New Mexico Lobos 7
Game Preview: Brigham Young Cougars vs. New Mexico Lobos
Thursday Trivia: Last Shutout of New Mexico
Flashback: Cougar Stadium is Renamed LaVell Edwards Stadium
Poll Results: Which TD Pass Was More Important?
Should BYU Cougars Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall Be the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year?

Comments

  1. I liked that year because beer was cheap.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did you delete my comment again? I kept the language clean ths time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I have deleted just one comment. Which post was it on?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorry Jim, looks like there was a technical difficulty. I didn't delete your comment, or see any other comment from you.

    I would love to hear what you have to say. Anyone is free to disagree with me all they want. I don't mind that. All I ask is that everyone stay away from name calling and bad language.

    That and spam, like the second comment above that I removed.

    ReplyDelete

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