No. 7 BYU Scores 20 Unanswered Points to End Half Against No. 3 Utah

The 3rd-ranked Utah Utes started the game against the No. 7 BYU Cougars firing on all cylinders. Their first offensive drive ended with six points and a boatload of momentum.

Utes quarterback Devon Dampier used his legs to break the plane and strike first for the Utes in the 104th 'Holy War'. With both teams splitting games in the last 40 matchups, the hype surrounding this game was well deserved and is living up to its rivalry name.

The Utah defense forced a three and out on BYU’s opening drive, which led to Dampier's 46-yard touchdown strike to Braden Pegan for a 14-0 lead. That would be the last time Utah scored.

Before anyone could blink, Dampier was 3 of 3 for 112 yards in the game while contributing to two scores. Utah's first quarter was outstanding to say the least. It adds to the trend for Morgan Scalley's team in his first season at the helm. The Utes have outscored opponents 103-9 in the opening quarter so far this season.

But BYU was never out of the contest. After the Cougars settled in, they responded with a firework play of their own.

BYU finally arrived at the game, forcing a three and out on the next three Utah offensive drives and a 75-yard touchdown bomb from Bear Bachmeier to Isaiah Glasker. With the play, the Cougars' playmaker became the third true freshman in Big 12 history with 600 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards.

The Cougars' defense came away with two fumble recoveries to end the half with a 20-14 lead.

This game has major College Football Playoff implications for both teams. The second half will hopefully have more fireworks. If any of the previous matchups between the Utes and Cougars are a predictor, this one could come down to the final play. It has before and likely will again for one of the most underrated rivalries in college football.

For Utah, they can take a step forward with the win, but will need to stage a second-half comeback to make that happen. Dampier will look to lead his team to the first victory in the past four meetings. If Utah does end up with a win, they will prevent the largest winning streak in the series since 1992.

As for BYU, Bachmeier will be key to the Cougars in the second half and nothing will come easy. The dual-threat QB knows what's at stake and should step up to another level. Watch the second half on ABC.