In the beginning, Utah held on to interceptions and to fumbles.
In the end, the Utes held onto the Las Vegas Bowl.
It was two games, really. At the start, it was all Utah, forcing five turnovers and scoring after each to take a 35-0 lead. But after that, it was all BYU in a 35-28 decision. BYU scored to come within a touchdown with 3:23 to play. Utah ran the clock out afterward.
“We ended up with the win, which is all that matters,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “It’s the only thing that matters.”
Freshman quarterback Taylor Mangum threw 56 times for BYU and ended up with 315 yards and two scores but suffered three interceptions. Tevin Carter got two of those and returned one for a touchdown.
The game was the final one for coach Bronco Mendenhall, who is going to Virginia after 11 seasons as the BYU coach. The Cougars are hiring Kalani Sitake as head coach.
