Jaren Hall: Utah, BYU Rivalry ‘Is As Strong As It Ever Was’

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Even though the University of Utah has won nine straight games against BYU, it is still considered a hotly contested rivalry.

Not all of the games during this Ute winning streak have been blowouts, in fact, seven of the nine contests have been one-possession outcomes. Going back even further to 2000, 15 of the last 19 games have been decided by a single score, including a pair of overtime games.

The recent win total may be lopsided in favor of Utah but these games are nearly always competitive and come down to the end. That is what can be great for the rivalry but also frustrating in recent seasons if you are on the Cougar side of this game.

One person who feels this rivalry should be played and even thinks it is thriving is BYU quarterback Jaren Hall. Hall joins KSL’s UnRivaled each week for the Players Club and he has a history with this game from family, fandom, and now as a player.

#BYB QB Jaren Hall feels the game against Utah is still important despite the two schools no longer in the same league. #byuvsutah pic.twitter.com/fHTNfCjN4W

— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) September 9, 2021

“I think it’s just as strong as it ever was, regardless of conference or not. I think that’s a tradition that’s at both Utah and at BYU with us,” Hall said. “So I think we’ll be fired up and ready to go. But it’s every kid’s dream and me growing up here in Provo, I’ve known about the rivalry my dad played, and I got to watch my brother playing it now myself. So for me, being from here means a little something extra, for sure.”

Even with the recent results, the players who play don’t really experience the length of the nine-game winning or losing streak. Rather, they only really know, or care, about what happened during their time on the field. A decent amount of the players grew up as fans of either Utah or BYU and they look forward to being on the field in the rivalry game.

Having BYU win a few more games would enhance this rivalry, even more than the Cougars joining the Big 12, which is reportedly to happen by the end of the week for the Cougars.

For the fans, every single game that matters, and Hall grew up with this rivalry with his family. This game has special meaning to him. He gets it when he says this rivalry is still a really big deal.

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