In a game of countless big moments — these 3 determined the outcome

In a rivalry game loaded with everything from the insane to the inexplicable, the three biggest plays that shifted the battle in BYU’s favor all happened during a six-and-a-half-minute stretch of the fourth quarter.

The Wall

Following Parker Kingston’s 12-yard run to give BYU a 17-14 lead, the Utes faced second-and-13 at their own 36.

“I read pass from the beginning,” said Cougar safety Tanner Wall. “When he let it go, I knew I was going to go get it.”

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Utah quarterback Devon Dampier threw a deep ball intended for Daniel Bray, but Wall, a senior from Arlington, Virginia, leaped over the top of Bray and picked it off at the BYU 36.

“I told the guys that those (who) make plays in this game go down as legends forever in BYU fandom,” said Wall about his pre-game visit back at the team hotel. “I’m grateful I made that play tonight and the way it shifted momentum for us to go down and score to put the game away.”

Wall’s interception was BYU’s second takeaway of the game. During the Cougars three-game winning streak against Utah, BYU is +7 in turnover margin.

A Bear run

Nine plays after Wall’s big play, quarterback Bear Bachmeier made an even bigger one. The youngster, who only months ago thought he was going to play for Stanford, put the game, the program, and all of Cougar Nation on his back and produced a run that will be talked about in rivalry lore for years to come.

BYU marched to the Utah 22 with 4:33 to go. Facing third-and-11, Bachmeier broke the huddle and moved into the shotgun position. The Cougars put receivers in formation to go catch a pass, but Bachmeier had no intention of throwing the ball.

This was a run all the way. A Bear run.

Taking the snap, the 6-foot-3, 230-pound, 19-year-old shook off the first Ute who touched him at the 24 and then he slipped past the line of scrimmage. Two more players got a piece of him at the 20. Three additional Utes dove at him near the 12 — but just kept going.

“I was trying to get the first down,” Bachmeier said. “I was (still) standing for some reason after some guys tried to tackle me (and) I saw the goal line.”

Once inside the 10, two more Utes took their shots at him. Safety Jackson Bennee dove for his legs and grabbed one of them, only to be dragged like a pick-up truck for the final 4 yards to pay dirt.

“I thought my guy was going to tackle him, but Bear made a play and the rest was history,” said BYU running back LJ Martin. “I mean, you saw him jump over a guy and carry each one into the end zone.”

Had the FBI been on the job, they would have found 10 different sets of Utah fingerprints on Bachmeier’s jersey by the time he scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

“We didn’t play the quarterback run well,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “The quarterback draw was damaging.”

Bachmeier (11 rushes for 64 yards) and Martin (26-122) combined for 37 rushes for 186 yards, including the touchdown that mattered the most — and one that will be remembered mostly by the first true freshman quarterback to win in the 97-game history of the rivalry — and those 10 Utes who tried to bring him down.

Jack-knifed

On Utah’s ensuing drive and on fourth-and-15 at Utes’ 30, Dampier dropped back to pass. BYU’s Jack Kelly, who missed last week’s Arizona game with a shoulder injury, blitzed from Dampier’s right side.

As Kelly raced untouched around Utah’s right tackle, Dampier moved up in the pocket. The shifty quarterback has an impressive knack for eluding pass rushers, but he couldn’t escape Kelly’s closing speed. The linebacker from Kearns high caught him and dropped him for his fifth sack of the season and the Cougars took over possession with 3:04 to go.

Playing in front of the largest crowd at LES in 21 years (64,794) BYU stopped Utah on four fourth-down plays — one in each quarter, and everyone of them proved costly.

“We want them to go for it on fourth down. We want them to be aggressive like that because it’s as good as a turnover,” said Wall. “We wear that on our chest. In a situation like that, we dare you to go for it.”

The other three fourth-down stops warrant honorable mention as big moments in the game that left Whittingham, after possibly coaching his final game in the rivalry, feeling perplexed — “out-rushed them, out-threw them, couldn’t score more points than them.”

Honorable mentions

• The Utes drove to the BYU 12 on their first offensive possession of the game. Opting against a chipshot field goal on fourth-and-1, Dampier handed the ball to Bray who appeared to have room around the edge, but charging cornerback Mory Bamba came up and dropped him for a 1-yard loss.
• In the second quarter, on fourth-and-seven at the 28, Utah attempted a field goal, but Dillon Curtis missed to the left; however, just prior to the kick, BYU called a timeout, which negated the play. Whittingham put his offense back on the field and Dampier threw an incomplete pass. The Cougars took over possession to preserve their 7-0 lead.
• Trailing 10-7 with 8:52 remaining in the third quarter, Utah marched to the BYU 8-yard line. Instead of attempting a game-tying field goal, the Utes went for it on fourth-and-3. Dampier ran to his right but was stopped short of the marker by former Ute Keanu Tanuvasa and John Taumoepeau to end the drive.

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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.