Food fight! BYU and U. face off for good cause

PROVO — A food fight broke out Monday between University of Utah students and their rivals at Brigham Young University.

The combatants said Tuesday they won't stop until the Utes and Cougars meet on the football field on Nov. 22.

That's good news for Utah's food banks, because the food being flung is canned and lands in bins set up in the Union at the U. and the Wilk at BYU.

Make no mistake, however, the competition is real and off to a rousing start as students and alumni purchase $1 red U's or navy Y's at Smith Food and Drug stores or donate canned food on the campuses.

"Last year we lost the drive by only $57, and we're hoping to reverse the result," said Todd Hendricks, program administrator of BYU alumni activities.

U. fans raised $1,611 from sales of the letters last year, while BYU raised $1,554.

That's chump change compared to this year.

The BYU Bookstore sold $1,500 worth of navy Y's on Monday alone.

"The Twilight Zone in the Wilkinson Student Center is covered in blue," Hendricks said. "It's navy. We're quite thrilled. We couldn't believe it."

Y's will be available next week at Jerry's Hamburgers, Fat Cats and Premier Lube and Oil, too.

Not to worry, Ute fans, says John Fackler, U. director of business relations. U's are available at Famous Dave's outlets, and Krispy Kreme locations will sell letters for both schools during selected hours next week.

"It's nice BYU fans are rallying around the food drive because they're not going to beat us on the field," Fackler said.

Fackler said U. organizers have some tricks up their sleeves. One is an online donation form, which BYU doesn't have, at www.alumni.utah.edu. There's also a drive for cash donations at Saturday's Utah-Wyoming football game. Fackler said he had one strategy he wasn't planning on divulging, but he can't hide the help coming from new head football coach Urban Meyer.

"Every year this just gets bigger and bigger," he said. "When your team's doing well, it helps even more."

Meyer's poster says, "Beating BYU on the field is my problem. Beating BYU in the food drive is up to you."

"Just putting his face on posters has helped tremendously," Fackler said. "What works in football works in food."

BYU collected 24,000 pounds of donated food last year, a major boon to food banks, but the cash donations are critical.