It’s been four years since BYU set foot in the Huntsman Center and the 2019 rendition of the rivalry did not disappoint. BYU’s Yoeli Childs played in his first game of the season and hit the ground running, helping push BYU to a 31-17 lead at the 8-minute media timeout.

The Runnin’ Utes chipped away at the lead and locked down on defense over the course of the game, pulling into single-digit differences into the second half. Utah caught a break late in the second half when senior TJ Haws fouled out and Childs left the game with an NN unfortunate injury. A combination of Timmy Allen and Rylan Jones led the Utah comeback and forced overtime, at which point all momentum was on Utah’s side and BYU had run out of gas, with Utah winning 102-95.

Here are the takeaways from the comeback victory:

Timmy Allen leads the way

On a team as young as Utah’s squad is this year (2nd youngest in college basketball), veteran leadership is hard to come by, and it comes in the form of sophomore Timmy Allen. Allen had 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 42 minutes. He was a force on the block, showing off his footwork and having his way with BYU defenders, scoring just about any way he wanted. On a night where the offense got off to a slow start, Allen was a constant force in keeping the Utes within striking distance towards the end of the first half. As the rest of this team fills in their roles, Allen will need to continue to be a reliable source of production if Utah is to make some noise in Pac-12 play.

Rylan Jones joins the rivalry

Can a freshman become a legend in their first rivalry game? If Ute Nation did not know who young Rylan Jones was before this game, they may be ready to crown him the future of Utah basketball after his second half and overtime performance. Not only did Jones score 18 of his 25 points after halftime, but he knocked down the biggest three-pointer of his young career so far, nailing a 26-footer to tie the game up, just moments after missing a layup under the basket to take the lead. His poise and control of the offense and willingness to play defense (he drew a couple charges) is the sparkplug that this team needs, and it carries more weight from the point guard position. Jones matched BYU’s Jake Toolson’s big second half by matching him shot for shot, and ultimately lifted the Utes over their rivals to the south.

The “legacy Ute,” wasted no time, building his own legacy in the storied rivalry. His career night is likely just a sign of things to come, as throughout his time in high school, he was known to elevate his game in the biggest moments.

The Utes took a step forward

While it helps when an opponent’s best players are out of the game, a team must still be able to take advantage when the opportunity presents itself, and Utah did just that tonight. Even while Haws and Childs were still in the game late in the first half, the Utes were slowly chipping away at BYU’s lead, which was as many as 16 points in the first half. By halftime, Utah’s young athletes were getting quick, easy looks at the basket and cut it down to as little as five before ending down eight at the break.

When Childs went out, it was a three-point game with 4:48 to go and it was a four point game when Haws fouled out with 3:02 left in regulation. At that point, all momentum was on the side of Utah, but they still needed to come up with stops on defense, as Toolson caught fire for BYU.

When Jones missed the layup with 30 seconds to go and BYU hit two free throws on the other end, he and the Utes did not flinch, as Jones nailed the 3-pointer that tied up the game. Utah scored 16 points in overtime to BYU’s nine and took a big step forward in gaining some big game experience early in the season.

Next up

Every day is a great day to be a Ute, but some are better than others. A basketball win over BYU feels good no matter whether Utah wins a close one, blows them out, wins pretty, or wins ugly. The Utes were underdogs at home in this one, so the win is even a little sweeter knowing that BYU was favored. The Runnin’ Utes are now 6-2 on the season and host Central Arkansas on Saturday afternoon.