Utah's defense forced five first-quarter turnovers to help forge what looked like an insurmountable lead, then withstood a furious comeback attempt in a 35-28 win over rival BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday.
Safety Tevin Carter, a senior and a prospect for the 2016 NFL Draft, intercepted two passes in the first quarter, returning one for a touchdown and the other inside the BYU 5-yard line to set up another score. The Utes opened a 35-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, primarily thanks to the defense, but BYU cut the lead to 35-7 by halftime and dominated second-half play.
"It's a little bit ridiculous on our part, I'll tell you that," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham told ESPN. "To go out 35-0 and have it end like this, it shouldn't have been that way. Credit (BYU) for hanging in there, never giving up, continuing to fight. We've got some things to fix with our offense, there's no doubt about that. ... (We had) just enough left in the tank."
One of the game's top draft prospects, Utah running back Devontae Booker, did not play due to injury.
BYU outgained Utah in total offense 386-197, but could not overcome its early miscues. Cougars coach Bronco Mendenhall was coaching his final game at BYU before taking over the program at Virginia. BYU reportedly will hire Oregon State defensive coordinator Kalani Sitake to replace Mendenhall.
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