PROVO — Provo will try and do something this Friday that hasn’t happened since the fall of the Berlin Wall: beat Timpview on the gridiron.
The last time Provo beat Timpview was Sept. 15, 1989, two months prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany signaling the end of Cold War.
The World Wide Web was still two years away from being launched publicly the last time Provo beat its rival, and BYU was the dominant college football program in the state.
Basically, it was a long, long time ago.
“We’ll really see where we measure up against these guys. We’re just excited for the game. I think it’s in the back of everybody’s mind, but our approach is it’s another opportunity to win a game. Even though it’s Timpview on the schedule, we don’t dwell on the past. We don’t put added pressure on them.” — Provo coach Tony McGeary
When Provo travels to Timpview this Friday to try and end its 29-game rivalry losing streak, this might be its best shot at ending the streak in decades.
Provo is off to a 2-0 start this season and looking very good in the process. Timpview, meanwhile, is 0-2 after losses to Lone Peak and American Fork.
It has the makings of a very good football game, which rarely ever happens when Provo and Timpview square off.
“We’ll really see where we measure up against these guys. We’re just excited for the game,” said Provo coach Tony McGeary. “I think it’s in the back of everybody’s mind, but our approach is it’s another opportunity to win a game. Even though it’s Timpview on the schedule, we don’t dwell on the past. We don’t put added pressure on them.”
That pressure might’ve got to Provo last year. McGeary said his team believed it could compete with Timpview heading into last year’s game, but it fell behind 21-0 at the half and never recovered in a 51-22 blowout loss.
That loss was nearly identical to Timpview’s average margin of victory during the past 29 years — 28.1 ppg.
Only five of the past 29 meetings have been decided by single digits — 1993, 1996, 1999, 2006 and 2017. Even Timpview’s 29-20 win over Provo in 2017 wasn’t that close as Provo scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make the final score respectable.
A strong defense is one of the biggest reason Provo believes it can compete with Timpview this Friday. It beat Logan 46-7 in the season opener and then Westlake 22-0 in Week 2.
“Coach (Abe) Poduska has done a great job. This is his second year as the D-coordinator so he’s a little more in tune and prepared and has one year under his belt. And the boys are having fun, we’re scoring on defense,” said McGeary.
In addition to a great offseason that physically got his players ready for the season, McGeary said this year’s senior class is unique in that it’s well-rounded at every position. Some teams have great skill position players but are thin in the trenches, while other teams sometimes have the reverse problem. This year Provo has the perfect balance.
The Bulldogs will find out on Friday if that’s enough to dethrone nemesis Timpview.