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SALT LAKE CITY — Taking stock of BYU and Utah football with both teams on a bye week, one word accurately describes them both.
Unbelievable.
Consider these circumstances for each team individually through eight games: The ninth-ranked Cougars are unbeaten and gaining steam as the season turns to the final month; Utah, meanwhile, is a hot mess, losers of four consecutive games amid the distinct possibility to doubling the wrong kind of streak before season's end.
For all the confidence coach Kalani Sitake and players have gained the last two months, deep down they probably had more hope than belief the team would be this dominant heading into November. Yet here are the Cougars, a playoff berth drawing near provided they beat the four underdogs remaining on the regular-season schedule.
"We still haven't done much, man," said Sitake, continuing to emphasize his team's need to stay humble.
Working in their favor, the Cougars are improving as the season progresses. Earlier this season the defense got turnovers to ease the burden on the offense, but the storylines have changed the last two games.
The difference begins with healthy running backs LJ Martin and Hinckley Ropati, both of whom had been out of the lineup for several games. They combined to rush for 184 yards in last week's surprisingly easy — BYU was not favored — win over UCF last week.
Needing the Arizona game to shake off the rust, Martin has been BYU's most reliable weapon for quarterback Jake Retzlaff the last two games. The sophomore from El Paso, Texas, became the first BYU player to rush for over 100 yards this season in the last-second win over Oklahoma State — he ran for 120 yards — and followed it up with 101 yards on Saturday.
Retzlaff has yet to throw for 300 yards against a FBS opponent this season but has consistently made big plays at the right times. Depending on future results, the game-winning drive he engineered against Oklahoma State could go down as one of the most important in program history.
As you may know, Retzlaff is Jewish — a story that is gaining more traction than Zach Wilson driving all those hours to train with John Beck in Southern California. Continuing to hear more about it only means BYU is still winning.
Speaking of winning, the subjective has become foreign to Utah. Do you remember the 21st day of September — it's the last time the Utes won a football game.
All was well enough that blistering hot day in Stillwater, Oklahoma, when the Utes beat Oklahoma State in a game that was advertised to be between two leading contenders for the Big 12 championship. Foolish thinking that was, now that both teams are a combined 1-9 in conference games.
The Cam Rising injury situation has been hashed and rehashed countless times over, but the problems run deeper than him. Recurring issues at quarterback should not plague an established program the caliber of Utah.
Name the reasons for the repeated ineptitude at the game's most important position, they're all valid. A plethora of quarterbacks and offensive coordinators have come and gone for over a decade.
All along, the defense remains stellar. This season is no exception — Utah is yielding 16.5 points per game — but the frustration is mounting throughout the program.
Senior running back Micah Bernard said as much after Utah lost to Houston on Saturday. Responding to what's wrong, he said: "Can't answer that. I'm not going to answer that. I know what it is, but I'm not going to answer that."
No assembly required to figure it out, even without getting into the specifics. With BYU up next after the bye, a proud program appears on the brink of disaster.
"Every issue we have in the program is on my shoulders," said coach Kyle Whittingham, "and that's fine with me. But still have a lot of belief in this football team. We're just in a funk of sorts that we can't seem to break out of."
