BYU fans shouldn’t take times like this for granted.

The Cougars have a winning streak in the BYU-Utah rivalry for the first time in 17 years. They are No. 6 in the country, an odds-on favorite to make the Big 12 title game, and have a clear path to the College Football Playoff.

It’s why I spent Sunday morning writing about Jake Retzlaff’s legacy — now firmly in the conversation with the best modern quarterbacks in BYU history. His knack for making miracles certainly helps.

But before we move on to Kansas, I wanted to put a bow on the controversial defensive holding call.

We’ve written what Kalani Sitake and Mark Harlan said about it. What about BYU’s defenders? After having a day to sit on it, middle linebacker Harrison Taggart gave his thoughts on the flag.

“The refs are going to call what they see,” Taggart said. “At the end of the day, I was always taught that if you put yourself in the position to bank on making a call for you, making a call against you, the game can go either way.

“It could have been us in that position. You just can’t bank on a ref making that call. If you put yourself in that position, the game deserves to go either way.”

Now on to Kansas.

The Big Thing

BYU’s defense will again be stressed when Jalon Daniels and the Jayhawks come to town.

Kansas’ offense was abysmal to start the year. But the Jayhawks have been sneaky good the last few weeks.

They put up 45 points against Iowa State. They haven’t scored less than 27 points since September. It is beginning to look a lot like the Kansas offense that was supposed to be one of the best units in the Big 12 (not 3-6 where they sit right now).

Defensive coordinator Jay Hill’s unit has been good against the top quarterbacks in the league this year. It held Arizona’s Noah Fifita to nine points. Kansas State’s Avery Johnson was also held to nine.

But the one question: How will BYU’s defense hold up against the running element of Daniels’ game?

Daniels has 315 yards on the ground. He’s averaging 4.4 yards a carry.

Last week, BYU sometimes looked confused by Brandon Rose’s mobility. He had 55 yards on seven carries. Utah picked up a number of third downs in the second quarter. The defense tightened up in the second half to pitch a shutout and keep the Utes at 21 points. But should that first half be concerning at all?

Hill didn’t seem worried.

“We had our chances over and over to get out of these drives, we just didn’t execute,” Hill said on BYUtv. “A lot of self-inflicted wounds in that second quarter. We didn’t get lined up one time on that big long run. We had them baited into the throw we wanted, we just took an improper angle.

“I probably should have made an adjustment a little bit quicker. We did it at halftime. I maybe should have it a series sooner. But that is part of the game,” he finished.

Question of the week

What is the hardest game left on BYU’s schedule? Arizona State, Kansas or Houston?

Fourth down

1. Keim down

BYU offensive lineman Brayden Keim has been one of the Cougars' most productive players this year. But Keim went out with an injury in the fourth quarter and Kalani Sitake said he could miss the game against Kansas. Sitake believes it is not a season-ending injury and expects him back.

2. Connor Pay returns

Speaking of the offensive line, center Connor Pay should return against Kansas. He missed the last four games with a lower leg injury. Bruce Mitchell played well in his spot.

3. Jakob Robinson’s thoughts

I spoke with Jakob Robinson a few weeks ago about his production season. He was a little disappointed in his lack of interceptions and said he needed more on film for the NFL. He got his third pick of the year against Utah.

4. Chase Roberts and the moment

Roberts was recruited by Utah out of high school and was neighbors with Utah fans growing up. Last week was his first BYU-Utah rivalry game and he came up with the 30-yard catch to help seal a miracle. Roberts has been waiting on his moment in that game since he grew up going to BYU-Utah matchups in Provo. Now he got his chance.

Up next

BYU vs. Kansas

Saturday, 8:15 p.m.

LaVell Edwards Stadium

TV: ESPN