Football Holy War Erupts as BYU hosts Utah Saturday
Bombs will be falling in Utah this week, and fireworks will erupt Saturday as the University of Utah football team invades enemy territory and faces Brigham Young University in a noon game. Traffic will be crazy around LaVell Edwards Stadium.
The rivalry is one of the most intense in the US. The pre-game antics and the action on the field will all prove to be amusing. byu.scout.com has this surprisingly objective look at the game. Here are excerpts:
In recent years, the game has lived up to all the preceding hype and hyperbole, and Saturday’s matchup should be no exception. This season, BYU’s (ranked No. 23 in latest Associated Press and USA Today polls) potent offense has yet to put all the pieces together but has still looked impressive nonetheless. Meanwhile, Utah’s demoralizing defense has been spectacular of late.
Both coaches have their young charges playing close to peak levels at the right time right now heading into the traditional acrimonious rivalry matchup Saturday, which will gift-wrap a second-consecutive Mountain West Conference championship for Mendenhall with a Cougar victory – or an outside shot for Whittingham and Utah to share the MWC title if BYU loses both of its remaining games (against the Utes and San Diego State).
Keys to the game: BYU is playing at home where they enjoy the second-longest home field win streak of any NCAA Div. I team. Moreover, the Cougars’ victory last Saturday at Wyoming represented its 14th straight victory over a MWC league opponent – both at home and on the road.
The Salt Lake Tribune has this headline and story: Rivalry week brings out the best - and worst - of what sport is about. Here's one descriptive tidbit:
In the words of Utah fan Newel White, "It's intense, it's fierce, it's unforgiving to the loser and it makes sensible people highly irrational - isn't that what really matters in a rivalry?"
The rivalry is one of the most intense in the US. The pre-game antics and the action on the field will all prove to be amusing. byu.scout.com has this surprisingly objective look at the game. Here are excerpts:
In recent years, the game has lived up to all the preceding hype and hyperbole, and Saturday’s matchup should be no exception. This season, BYU’s (ranked No. 23 in latest Associated Press and USA Today polls) potent offense has yet to put all the pieces together but has still looked impressive nonetheless. Meanwhile, Utah’s demoralizing defense has been spectacular of late.
Both coaches have their young charges playing close to peak levels at the right time right now heading into the traditional acrimonious rivalry matchup Saturday, which will gift-wrap a second-consecutive Mountain West Conference championship for Mendenhall with a Cougar victory – or an outside shot for Whittingham and Utah to share the MWC title if BYU loses both of its remaining games (against the Utes and San Diego State).
Keys to the game: BYU is playing at home where they enjoy the second-longest home field win streak of any NCAA Div. I team. Moreover, the Cougars’ victory last Saturday at Wyoming represented its 14th straight victory over a MWC league opponent – both at home and on the road.
The Salt Lake Tribune has this headline and story: Rivalry week brings out the best - and worst - of what sport is about. Here's one descriptive tidbit:
In the words of Utah fan Newel White, "It's intense, it's fierce, it's unforgiving to the loser and it makes sensible people highly irrational - isn't that what really matters in a rivalry?"
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