Utah’s pick-six streak extends to an NCAA-record 21 consecutive years, but is little more than a footnote for team embroiled in seven-game losing streak

One of the nation’s most impressive streaks lives on, not that it provides any solace to a team that’s lost seven straight games.
In the second quarter of Utah’s 31-28 loss to No. 22 Iowa State, Cyclones quarterback Rocco Becht’s pass was behind Jaylin Noel and went off the receiver’s hands and into the hands of Ute linebacker Lander Barton at the Utah 13-yard line.
Becht had a chance to tackle Barton, and had him around his leg, but the 236-pound linebacker quickly shook off Becht’s grasp and was off to the races.
Streaking down the left sideline, the crowd’s excitement grew with each passing step. As Barton started to run out of gas around the Iowa State 30-yard line, it looked like Noel was going to catch him from behind, but a key block from cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn ensured that wouldn’t happen, and Barton glided into the end zone with an 87-yard touchdown.
“I got to give all the credit to my teammates, blocking their (expletive) off that whole play,” Barton said in a postgame interview on ESPN 700. “… Zemaiah peeling back, blocking the receiver, I mean, I wouldn’t have been there without them.”
In the second-to-last game of the season, Barton extended Utah’s streak of consecutive years with a pick-six to 21 seasons — setting an NCAA record.
It was the second pick-six in as many years for Barton, who also had one in Utah’s win over Weber State in 2023.
Utah has had a flair for interception returns for touchdowns for 21 years now, including in some of the most important games in school history. The streak began in 2004, with the most interesting pick-six that year coming via defensive tackle Steve Fifita, who intercepted UNLV quarterback Shane Steichen at the three-yard line and dove into the end zone for the score.
Since that undefeated 2004 season, like clockwork, there’s been at least one pick-six for Utah.
Eric Weddle had one in Kyle Whittingham’s head-coaching debut against Arizona in 2005 and Stevenson Sylvester returned an interception for a touchdown to seal the Utes’ 2009 Poinsettia Bowl victory over Cal.
In one of the more notable games in Rice-Eccles Stadium history, when the Utes hosted Michigan in 2015 in Jim Harbaugh’s UM coaching debut, Justin Thomas intercepted Jake Rudock and returned it 55 yards to put Utah up 24-10.
Take your pick of the numerous pick-sixes against BYU — one of the most memorable was Sunia Tauteoli’s house call in 2016 after the ball popped off of Cougar receiver Aleva Hifo’s hands on BYU’s first play from scrimmage in a 20-19 Utah win.
The most important pick-six in program history? It came in 2021 in the Pac-12 championship game against Oregon.
Up 7-0 in the first quarter, Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd broke in front of the receiver and snagged the ball, sprinting 34 yards to the end zone.
The pick-six gave the Utes momentum and an early 14-0 lead, and Utah never looked back from that point, steamrolling Oregon 38-10 to win the first Pac-12 championship in program history.
As interesting as the 21-year pick-six streak is, when it happens in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and another home conference loss that came down to the last second, it becomes little more than a footnote, as far as Barton and coach Kyle Whittingham are concerned.
“It was fun at the time. Just didn’t want to go down (on the play). But overall, I just wanted to get a W today,” Barton said.
“That streak I guess is nice … Great play by Lander, by the way. The whole defense, they executed that interception return drill, which we work on every week in practice, flawlessly,” Whittingham said. “… I don’t really pay a whole lot of attention to that stat. It’s more about winning and losing.”
Assured of their first losing season since 2013, Utah finishes off one of its most disappointing years ever on Friday against UCF. After quarterback Isaac Wilson suffered an injury in the third quarter of Utah’s loss against Iowa State, it’ll likely be Luke Bottari leading the Utes’ offense in the last game of the year.
For the senior class, and anyone else departing after this season, it will be the final chance to play with their teammates.
“It’s been an emotional week. Come out here for five years and you have family with you. The whole locker room is my brothers for life. So to be out in Rice-Eccles one last time and take the field with them,” senior defensive end Connor O’Toole said. “It’s not about football for me, it’s the last time I’m playing with my brothers.”