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Utah turned five takeaways into five touchdowns and took a 35-0 lead in the first 11 minutes, but the Utes found themselves needing to convert a third-down play to run out the clock in a seven-point victory after BYU rallied last December.

Even when the rivalry game was outsourced to the Las Vegas Bowl, it became tense in the end — as always. Or almost always, in the almost annual series. Utah has produced three routs in this century, including twice when the Utes were completing perfect regular seasons and qualifying for major bowls.

Usually, the winning team has agonized until the end in the country's most dramatic rivalry of the past decade, as judged by the number of games with margins of seven points or fewer.

It's true: Utah vs. BYU is almost as competitive as Utah vs. Colorado, the Pac-12's arranged pairing.

Georgia's rivalries evoke the best themes, as the Bulldogs meet Florida in the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" and face Georgia Tech in "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate." Minnesota plays for the coolest trophies, Paul Bunyan's Axe (with a 6-foot handle) vs. Wisconsin and Floyd of Rosedale (a bronze pig) vs. Iowa.

The biggest Utah-BYU distinction, with the rivalry being renewed Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, is close games. They don't occur every year. Otherwise, no vehicle would have "54-10" license plates. But starting with Utah's 20-14 victory in 1997, 15 of 18 games have been won by seven points or fewer. Eight of the last 10 games, for the sake of national comparison, fit that description. Only the Arizona-Arizona State and Georgia-Georgia Tech rivalries, with six each, come close.

One Pac-12 series has produced more tight games than Utah-BYU, since the conference expanded in 2011: Utah-Colorado, with all five meetings decided by seven points or fewer. Those teams had not met since 1962, prior to being brought together in the Pac-12, so there's less of a sample.

And other than Reggie Dunn's kickoff return for Utah's winning touchdown in 2012 or Trevor Reilly's throwing the football into the stands after his clinching interception for the Utes the next year, Utah-Colorado has not produced anything close to memorable moments on a Utah-BYU scale.

The last 10 meetings have delivered two overtime games, one contest decided by a field-goal attempt that was blocked and another that hit the upright, a touchdown on the final play of regulation and a fourth-and-18 conversion on the winning drive. And then last December's episode in Las Vegas, after the teams had not met in the 2014 and '15 regular seasons, produced Utah's 35-0 run in the first 11 minutes and BYU's 28-0 response in the last 31 minutes of a losing effort.

The Utes have won eight of the past 11 games and 12 of the 18 contests in this close-game era. Utah claims the only three routs in this century: 52-21 in 2004, with the Utes headed to the Fiesta Bowl; 48-24 in '08 on the way to the Sugar Bowl; and 54-10 in 2011, a result that's less easily explained.

BYU's only wins in this period required John Beck's touchdown pass to Jonny Harline on a play that lasted 13 seconds in '06, Max Hall's fourth-and-18 pass to Austin Collie to sustain a drive when the Cougars trailed by one point in '07 and Hall's TD pass to Andrew George to end the game in overtime in '09.

The Cougars could have won in 2010, but Brandon Burton blocked a short field-goal try. They could have forced overtime in 2012, but Star Lotulelei blocked a long attempt and then — after Utah was penalized for fans storming the field and BYU got one more play — the Cougars' kick hit the left upright as the game ended just before midnight.

Those were BYU's most recent visits to Rice-Eccles Stadium. Who knows, freshman kicker Jake Oldroyd might get another game-winning chance after beating Arizona in his debut Saturday. Or maybe the Utes will take another big lead and keep it, unlike last year, on their way to a sixth straight win.

What's certain is this rivalry is always worth watching. And in 2018, Utah-BYU will be promoted to Thanksgiving weekend, the traditional Utah-Colorado slot.

kkragthorpe@sltrib.com Twitter: @tribkurt —

BYU vs. Utah since 2005

Year Score Comment

2005 Utah 41, BYU 34 (OT) Brett Ratliff thrives as fill-in QB

2006 BYU 33, Utah 31 Beck to Harline on last play

2007 BYU 17, Utah 10 Hall to Collie on 4th and 18

2008 Utah 48, BYU 24 Hall: six turnovers in second half

2009 BYU 26, Utah 23 (OT) Hall to George in overtime

2010 Utah 17, BYU 16 Brandon Burton blocks field goal

2011 Utah 54, BYU 10 Utes score last 47 points

2012 Utah 24, BYU 21 Crowd storms field three times

2013 Utah 20, BYU 13 Travis Wilson outplays Taysom Hill

2015 Utah 35, BYU 28 Las Vegas Bowl brings rivals together