Ty Detmer looks ahead to this year’s BYU-Utah game, and back on his clashes with the Utes

When it comes to tossing touchdowns against Utah, no BYU quarterback has thrown more than former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer.
During four rivalry clashes between 1988 and 1991, Detmer dissected the Utah secondary for a combined 1,425 passing yards and 18 touchdowns. He went 3-1 against the Utes, including 3-0 as a starter.
“They (Utah) are a different program now. They have done a great job building it,” Detmer told the “Y’s Guys” podcast this week. “They weren’t known for their defense during that time. It was a different day and age. It was just one of those things where we had the upper hand, and we knew it.”
BYU rolled into Rice-Eccles Stadium in 1988 riding a nine-game winning streak against Utah and 15-1 over the previous 16 meetings. Detmer, a redshirt freshman, replaced Sean Covey in the second half and proceeded to pass for 238 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw two interceptions, which added to BYU’s eight turnovers on the day.
Utah quarterback Scott Mitchell stole the show with 384 yards through the air and three touchdowns. As the Utes celebrated a 57-28 victory, Detmer educated himself about the BYU-Utah relationship and the direction he wanted to see it go moving forward.
“Being from Texas, I didn’t really understand the rivalry,” Detmer said. “I redshirted the first year and got a little taste of it, but to lose to them the next year really magnified how much it meant to the people in the state, especially BYU fans. That opened everybody’s eyes, and we came out a “blazing the next year, ready for battle.”
Playing in the comforts of LaVell Edwards Stadium, BYU’s Detmer-charged attack set a rivalry record by scoring 70 points, including touchdowns on the Cougars’ first eight possessions.
“We were clicking. Everything we did went right,” Detmer said. “It was one of those games. We hated the taste we had last year. This was a lot better.”
Mitchell was injured earlier in the week during practice and didn’t play, but it hardly mattered. Detmer needed only 18 completions to amass 358 yards and four touchdowns in just over two quarters. He also ran for a touchdown.
“There is no better feeling,” Detmer said. “And to be able to enjoy it on the sideline with your buddies and watch the young guys play — that was a lot of fun too.”
Detmer and the Cougars returned to Rice-Eccles Stadium in 1990 expecting a dog fight.
“The way the year before went, our team knew (Utah) would be fired up and try to avenge that one,” Detmer said. “It was a fun game in a hostile environment. They used to have Plexi-glass behind the bench that their fans could bang on all game long. It was annoying, but they quieted down and we kinda ran away with it.”
Detmer strengthened his case for the Heisman Trophy with 451 passing yards and five touchdowns in a 45-22 victory.
Back in Provo and fresh off a 52-52 tie at San Diego State, Detmer threw for 378 yards and accounted for six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) in another one-sided, 48-17 win.
“After the SDSU tie, all we had to do was beat Utah to win the WAC and go to the Holiday Bowl,” Detmer said. “We came in ready to go. We wanted to send our seniors out the right way.”
Utah jumped out to a surprising 10-0 lead before Detmer and the Cougars outscored them 48-7 the rest of the way.
No. 9 BYU (8-0, 5-0) and Utah (4-4, 1-4) resume the rivalry Nov. 9 (8:15 p.m., ESPN) in Salt Lake City and Detmer likes the Cougars’ chances.
“They are firing on all cylinders,” he said. “They are playing really good defense and getting turnovers. Special teams boost them every week and the offense just keeps getting better and better. It’s nice to see (Jake) Retzlaff having a great season.”
The Cougars arrived at the bye week as the top scoring offense in the Big 12 (37.6 points per game) and second in the 16-team conference in turnover margin (+6).
“(Jake) put the time in during the spring and summer and is doing a really nice job making plays, but also, more importantly, he’s taking care of the ball,” Detmer said. “The win over Oklahoma State in dramatic fashion energized everybody and just gives the team confidence that no matter where we are at, we can go win the game if we need to.”
Detmer expects to see a revitalized Utah team despite their current four-game skid.
“I know (Utah) will be ready. It will be a different type of team that (BYU) will see than what they have put on film the last couple of weeks,” he said. “You have to go in and limit their big plays early, withstand the emotion and start grinding it out on our end and not turn it over.”
It’s been 33 years since Detmer’s last game against Utah and it’s been 18 years since BYU won in Salt Lake City. While thousands of players have come and gone, the atmosphere around the big game has remained the same — especially at Rice-Eccles.
“It’s definitely a hostile environment. It’s what it should be in a rivalry game,” Detmer said. “Your job is to go in there and win the game and quiet the crowd. When that happens there is nothing better and when it doesn’t, there is nothing worse.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.