SALT LAKE CITY — Former BYU quarterback Jaren Hall skipped right over the pleasantries, acknowledging that when Utah and BYU football face off, it’s not “just another game.”
Hall joined the KSL Sports Zone on Thursday to relive the 2021 matchup and talk about rivalry week.
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Hall spent four years with BYU football from 2018 to 2022. The program faced Utah three times in that stretch, but none more notable than in 2021, at least for Hall.
Having grown up in that state and eventually seeing the rivalry firsthand, Hall turned down the notion that it’s just another game on the schedule.
“Everyone knows, regardless of what you say, it’s not (just another game),” Hall said. “There’s always more that goes into it. Especially as a player, you feel that. As a fan, you understand it.”
In 2021, the Cougars ended a nine-game Utah win streak in the series.
Hall completed 18 of 30 pass attempts for 149 yards and three TDs as BYU won, 26-17. Looking back, the amount of talent in that game is striking. Tyler Allgeier, Puka Nacua, Dalton Kincaid, Blake Freeland, Cole Bishop, Jonah Elliss, Devin Lloyd, and many more.
Hall suggested that year elevated both Utah and BYU in college football’s national ranks.
“I think that’s when the force behind the two programs coming out of Utah kind of instilled themselves in college football,” Hall said. “I feel like that’s when it happened. Both teams have a lot of respect in the college football atmosphere. I think it stemmed from that. Since then, it’s really been up for both programs.”
September 11, 2021
–@jarenhall3 scrambles and then hits @kloading18 for a 33-yard gain. On the next play, Hall finds @lionel_nacua for a 2-yard touchdown right before the half in the Cougars’ 26-17 win over Utah.
–#byufootball #byuthrowbacks #gocougs pic.twitter.com/n8RUDXCV9o
— BYU Throwbacks (@BYUThrowbacks) June 3, 2024
Considering both programs find themselves in an objectively better spot as members of the Big 12, Hall’s take makes a lot of sense.
This weekend, the matchup features stakes higher than they’ve been in a long time. The first-ranked matchup since 2009, the first conference matchup in Provo in over a decade, a cleaner shot at the Big 12 title game, and, maybe most importantly, bragging rights.
Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.
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