PROVO — No doubt the biggest annual football game in the state has lost some luster this year. When BYU plays Utah on Saturday, it won't be for the conference title, as many expected it would be. And neither team can finish the regular season with a winning record.
Still, there is plenty to play for.
For BYU, there's a bowl berth at stake and a chance to avoid the program's first losing season in 29 years.
As if the Cougars needed any added motivation to beat arch-rival Utah Saturday (1 p.m., Ch. 14) at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
And vice versa.
"For the tradition of BYU, for the guys that have gone before us, we want to keep that record (of non-losing seasons) going," said tight end Spencer Nead. "For us personally, this game's got big implications for us. We want to go to a bowl. We want to beat Utah. That's the biggest thing."
Gary Crowton, who hasn't experienced a losing season in four seasons as a head coach, agrees. He knows the BYU-Utah rivalry overshadows all other issues right now.
"It's important to win this game no matter what," he said. "You want to be able to beat your rival. That's as big as any game there is. It's bigger than any bowl game."
That's because both schools have to live with outcome for the upcoming 12 months. It affects recruiting wars and determines bragging rights.
"You know that every time you're out golfing or out to lunch during the off-season, there's a Utah fan and they're going to say something," Crowton said. "You know all those BYU fans who feel the same way you do. If you lose, they're going to look at you like, 'You let us all down.' You feel that kind of intensity.
"I want to win this game with all my heart," Crowton continued. "This is a game that while preparing for other games, this one always comes up in the back of our minds. I was watching Utah while getting ready to play Air Force and I'm trying not to think about Utah. It's hard not to."
Now, the time has arrived.
It's been an ugly season at times for the Cougars (5-6, 2-4) — a year plagued by inconsistency and inexperience. Midway through the campaign, Crowton handed the quarterback reins to redshirt freshman Matt Berry, who, last November, was serving an LDS mission in Panama.
BYU's chances on Saturday against the Utes might depend on Berry's arm. He will have to be able to throw the ball effectively against a Utah secondary that has shown signs of vulnerability.
Last week against New Mexico, Berry had a dismal performance, completing nine of 26 passes for 81 yards and two interceptions. His teammates struggled, too, failing to pick up blocks, dropping passes and running the wrong routes. In that debacle against the Lobos, UNM's defense disguised coverages, confused Berry and limited BYU to 188 yards of total offense and 94 yards passing. "We can't do any worse than that," said senior wide receiver Reno Mahe.
Crowton is confident that Berry will learn from his mistakes and that his progression will continue against the Utes.
"He had such a good game (against San Diego State), everyone was talking about how great he is," he said. "Then all the sudden there's all this pressure to be great every play or every game. You can't think like that. It's easy once you start feeling like you got the offense down, you start to feel like you've got it . . . You can never do that because defenses are always changing.
"The biggest thing is, he felt like he didn't want to make a mistake. He didn't want to lose the game for us. You can't play like that. What you have to do is play to win. I think he will. He's a winner."
This week against Utah, Berry will line up against the Mountain West Conference's top-rated defense. Crowton isn't expecting the Utes to borrow any schemes that UNM used. "They're the No. 1 defense in the conference," he said. "Why would they change their defense?"
BYU will probably have to put a fair amount of points to win. This season, the Cougars are 5-0 when scoring 34 points or more. They are 0-6 when scoring fewer than 34.
One more loss would mean a sub-.500 campaign, just one year after posting a 12-2 mark. "I don't want to have a losing season as a head coach. But I know it's not the end of the world if that happens because I feel very confident in the upside of BYU," Crowton said. "I've done a lot of things this year to try to build the future of BYU, and not just to win this year. This was a very unique year for us."
For the Cougars, finishing with a losing record would make for a unique year, indeed — in a very dubious way.
THE BIG GAME
BYU (5-6) at UTAH (4-6)
Rice-Eccles Stadium
Saturday, 1 p.m.
TV: KJZZ, Ch. 14
RADIO: KSL 1160 AM; KALL 910 AM
E-MAIL: jeffc@desnews.com