Utah 54, BYU 10

PROVO, Utah (AP)

John White scored three touchdowns, Jordan Wynn passed for two scores and Utah forced seven BYU turnovers to cruise to a 54-10 victory Saturday night in a rare lopsided game between the rivals.

The loss snapped the Cougars' four-game home winning streak and was their first to an in-state opponent since 2005.

Utah (2-1) trailed 10-7 late in the second quarter until Wynn beat a blitz and found tight end Jake Murphy open for a 30-yard touchdown pass. Wynn tossed a 59-yard scoring pass to Dres Anderson on the opening possession of the second half, and the Utes never looked back.

White scored on runs of 1, 62 and 35 yards.

The game's scoring started and ended with touchdowns by Utah's defense.

Jake Heaps passed for 305 yards and a 32-yard second-quarter TD, but tossed an interception and fumbled twice.

BYU's run game was non-existent as the Cougars carried 22 times for just 11 yards.

''We were outcoached, outplayed and basically outexecuted,'' BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said.

''Turnovers were the critical difference in the game ... but they were the better team.''

An ecstatic Utah coach Kyle Whittingham ran toward the Utah cheering section afterward and gave high-fives to everyone along the rail. Now he has a bye to look forward to, then a full slate of Pac-12 games and a chance to go to a BCS bowl.

First-year independent BYU (1-2) faces Central Florida on Friday.

''When you look at the first half, that was more the way I expected the game to go,'' Mendenhall said.

''We're still looking for the balance that we'd like to have. Credit the University of Utah.''

Wynn finished 16 of 30 for 239 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

White had 22 carries for a career-high 183 yards. He had 9 yards on nine carries at halftime.

This game - the first in 113 years the schools played as non-conference opponents - started as dramatically as last year's meeting ended.

On BYU's third play from scrimmage, center Terence Brown snapped the ball high and right of Heaps, who was in shotgun on third-and-13 from his own 18.

Heaps grabbed the bouncing ball but whiffed on his throw, and the ball rolled 3 yards behind him into the end zone, where he reached but missed again. Defensive end Derrick Shelby landed on it for a 7-0 Utah lead.

The Utes had a chance to make it 10-0 after linebacker Chaz Walker forced a Josh Quezada fumble on the next series. But a big hit by Travis Uale dislodged what would have been a DeVonte Christopher touchdown catch, and Coleman Peterson missed the 29-yard field goal try.

Heaps overcame the jittery start and some early boos to give BYU a 10-7 lead with 6:23 left in the first half on a 32-yard pass to Ross Apo, who beat cornerback Conroy Black down the sideline. It was a perfect pass from Heaps and put him over the 200-yard passing mark for the game.

But the game shifted on stellar play by Murphy, son of former Atlanta Braves All-Star outfielder Dale Murphy, who initially committed to BYU after high school but changed his mind after serving his church mission.

Murphy caught three consecutive passes, including the 30-yard TD catch, to cap a six-play, 63-yard drive. It gave Utah a 14-10 lead with 32 seconds left in the first half, and all the momentum it needed.

The Utes scored 30 straight points in the second half, capped by yet another defensive touchdown, this time after BYU backup quarterback Riley Nelson fumbled and Utah freshman V.J. Fehoko raced 57 yards the other way for the final margin.

The win showed that the Utes might have the firepower to compete in the Pac-12 Conference.

But for BYU, it could be a long season as an independent.