Voices

"As soon as we got off the bus near the stadium, we were met with profanity and people throwing things at us at that end of the stadium heading into our locker room. Coach (Fred) Whittingham was hit in the head with a banana, and it was all we could do to contain him from going into the stands. Afterward, I realized this rivalry is a big deal and is very intense. During the game, Kyle Morrell made a hit out of bounds and there was a fight with coaches throwing fists and everything. Yes, this is a rivalry and it is intense. The four years I played, no matter what the records were, players came out to play, and it was the biggest game of the year." — Jim Hermann, former BYU defensive tackle

"Growing up in Texas and watching the intensity of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, this rivalry is every bit as good as that. The reason I say that is because it's a 52-week, 365-day-a-year competition between the two schools. Not only about the football teams, the heritage and families — it goes beyond that. That's why I equate it to the Texas rivalry." — Matt Thomas, radio voice of the Utes

"There's a lot to remember about it. It's like a championship game every year, no matter what the situation was, a season could be made on this game. No matter what is going on with the standings, something can be salvaged from this. It's bragging rights, man, whether you go over the Point of the Mountain with your head up or head down." —Reno Mahe, former BYU running back

"I've said it over and over, that this is the part of my work that was the most fun. Utah-BYU is the best week of the year. I don't think there's anything like it in all of college sports because of the way religion creeps into it. To me, individual games don't stand out as much as the plays everybody made, and there are so many. I remember Gary Barker returning an interception 100 yards (in 1967), Randy Gomez's pass to Frank Henry (in 1978), the 57-28 game with Scott Mitchell (in 1988). Utah-BYU . . . there's nothing like it." — Bill Marcroft, longtime Utah radio broadcaster