Taking away points off turnovers is fine, if you are also willing to add the 7 points at the end of the game.  You sound like a good guy.  Your write up was thorough.  I have a 10 year old son, and a foolish person who is a Ute fan should be ashamed for acting that way.  I would be willing to be that same person is foolish in nearly every aspect of his life.  But how do I know.

I can appreciate your level of positivity.  I want to say one thing though because I suffered through it many times as a Utah fan.  I would say things like "if Klay didn't drop that ball at the goal line..." or "if we had Moss and Huntley for the PAC 12 championship game...".  I have come to realize though that that was exactly who the Utes were.  Teams are not only measured by their starters.  This is true in my son's little league football games as well.  It absolutely sucks to lose a starter, but if you cannot fill that roll with one of his teammates that can play at a similar level, then that still defines your team.  Utah was just that, a team.  Our 2nd string QB and RB were good enough to get to the championship game, but not good enough to win it.  That is a fact played out on the field.  There is no more room for conjecture.

Every sports fan's life will be more peaceful when they understand that even when a team has a bad game, that still defines who they are.  Utah and BYU's 2nd and 3rd string players are still a part of the team, and therefore define the quality of the team.  It can't be overlooked by saying "well Tonga wasn't in".  

Saying that BYU as a team is as good for an entire game as they are only the 1st half of the game is simply not accurate.  Two years in a row have proven that they are a good 1st half team, but not a good 2nd half team when it comes to playing Utah.  This largely can be attributed to a lack of depth, and maybe coaching philosophy and ability, I don't know.  Utah has become a better team not because their 1s are better, but becuase their 2s are nearly as good as their 1s. 

Utah lost two starting offensive lineman during the BYU game.  There was no drop off in production.  It has scarcely been mentioned because nobody noticed.  Everyone notices when Tonga is not in the game because he is a load to deal with and a great football player.  But the 2nd string guy who fills his spot is still a Cougar, he still needs to be considered "The Team".

Unfortunately in sports, the teams are who they are, even when they lose.  Even when starters are out.