Cougs Daily

Social Media Reacts to BYU's Wild Comeback Win Over Rival Utah

Casey Lundquist

BYU kicker Will Ferrin hits the game-winning field goal to knock off rival Utah
BYU kicker Will Ferrin hits the game-winning field goal to knock off rival Utah / BYU Photo

On a wild night in Rice Eccles Stadium, the BYU offense drove the length of the field to setup a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds. A Will Ferrin field goal gave BYU its first win in Salt Lake since 2006. At halftime, BYU trailed Utah 21-10, making it the largest comeback of the Kalani Sitake era.

As you might expect from a rivalry game that involved controversial calls, last-second drama, and College Football Playoff implications, social media was buzzing after BYU's win over Utah.

The Referees 'Stole' the Win from Utah

In an unprecedented rant following the game, Utah director of athletics Mark Harlan took the stage at the postgame press conference and said the referees "stole" the win from Utah.

Understandably, there was a lot of chatter about the controversial holding penalty that extended BYU's game-winning drive. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was seen yelling at the referees after the game.

For those Big 12 fans watching the BYU-Utah rivalry game for the first time, the drama did not disappoint.

The game captured the attention of national analyst from NBC, Yahoo Sports, and ESPN.

For those college football fans that stayed up until 2 AM ET, they got to see "one of the craziest football games you will ever see" according to one post.

The ESPN broadcast captured a classic moment of BYU wide receiver Jojo Phillips doing the upside down "U" to the Utah fans in the north endzone.

The broadcast also captured a classic image of four Utah students who were stunned by the outcome. This image will be turned into memes for years to come.

After the win, the streets of Provo were filled with fans celebrating the win.

BYU cornerback Tre Alexander wore a shirt that made reference to Cam Rising's comments at Big 12 media day.

Countless former BYU players took to social media to celebrate the win, including former BYU legend Kyle Van Noy.

Other national accounts like Barstool sports also chimed in.

BYU special teams coordinator Kelly Poppinga added a fun nugget on "X" about the game-winning field goal. Before that play, Poppinga asked kicker Will Ferrin where he wanted the ball to be placed. Ferrin responded, "It doesn't matter where, it's going in."

Even Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson chimed in.

Utah governor Spencer Cox was in attendance. He also used the opportunity the take a jab at the College Football Playoff committee.

With the win, BYU improves to 9-0 and 6-0 in conference play. The Cougars have everything in front of them. BYU needs to go 2-1 over its final three games to secure a spot in the conference championship game.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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