I was at the UCLA game 2008, the 2009 Utah game, the 2013 Taysom Texas game, among others... but this one was the most exciting game strictly from the football fan in me. It had a little bit of everything.

I was one of very few I know who predicted a winning score for us, but I didn’t expect that back-and-forth battle of wills. I picked us to win by about 10, based off not believing the USC hype train after one good game, plus a freshman quarterback in his first road start, and a coach who hasn’t won a significant road game in several years. That Slovis kid, though... he came back over and over with some big throws. I was impressed at his poise for someone so young and inexperienced at this level. He will be a good one for them.

USC fans were great and very classy, while winning and in defeat. I talked with several around us, who complimented our team and how great of a game it was for everyone. They also shared our dislike for Utah, specifically mentioning how they need to prove themselves before all this talk about being the best in the PAC12. USC fans can’t stand Utah.

The experience in the stadium is much better than it used to be. From the bigger video boards several years old, the good new in-stadium WiFi, the Gameday app providing replays and stats, bathrooms on the top level, perches on the connecting corner pieces where you can watch, and the stadium creamery where you can sit down and enjoy a very BYU-style meal before the game while in the venue... it’s been a good experience these past couple games, even if the actual game against Utah wasn’t great.

What I didn’t like... the coaches seemed like they were primed to lose that one. Going for it in the redzone, late in a tie game when neither team had scored in the half... that’s the kind of move which will lose you a game. I know what analytics say, but analytics don’t account for all situations.... and that was not a situation where you can fail to put points on the board. Then, we call a timeout on a very long field goal try on a 4th and one... we had them stopped and held to three points. It didn’t make sense to give them time to re-think it and waste a timeout. We kick a very short field goal, allow them to kick theirs, and at very worst it’s a tie game and that last touchdown may have won it for us. I know you can’t account for all situations... but Sitake makes inexplicable calls like this pretty often late in close games. It was a well-called game in almost all aspects, but our game management still leaves a lot to be desired.

As for the team, I thought they showed a lot of fight and heart in adversity. They came back from an early touchdown and never seemed rattled. This group of players could be a very good one with the skill at QB, tight end, offensive line, and RB. A nine-win season suddenly seems very doable, with ten wins being a long-shot possibility. I still think we lose to Washington... but we should probably be favorites in every other game. We’ll see if it plays out that way, and I think we probably still lose one more later. But 9 wins and a bowl win would be huge for this program.

All in all, this was a great experience and game. Hoping for another one next week!