BYU football: 15,000 BYU fans headed to Dallas for 1st game

One Cougar fan living in Omaha, Neb., said he is struggling financially, having recently graduated from law school. But he's headed to Dallas anyway. He figures the trip could cost him upwards of $1,500, including $150 for his ticket to the game.

So why is he is going?

"This game is huge," he said. "And yes, BYU can win it. Will they? I have no idea, but I will dance in the streets like a drunken baboon if they do."

When Cedar Hills resident Scott Baird heard the announcement about the BYU-OU game in January, he excitedly told his wife, Tami, about it.

"Well, you better start saving your money so you can go," she replied.

Baird, who works for Salt Lake County, has a side job doing oil paintings and teaching art classes — which is how he paid for his trip to Dallas. "So it didn't really come from the family budget," he said.

Baird and three friends bought a package that included airfare, hotel and rental car for $485 per person, not including $82 per ticket.

Another Cougar fan, from Connecticut, said he is making the 1,700-mile trip to Dallas at a cost of $750 "for the chance to witness what I guarantee will be an upset. If BYU wins, it will be a huge upset on national television. And if OU wins, I'll be hugely upset."

Matt Grant, who lives in the Dallas area, said he'll be attending the game with his family of seven — at a cost of $82.95 per ticket.

As for the outcome, Grant isn't too optimistic. "There will be a sea of red (Oklahoma fans) at the game, and I admit I don't like our chances," he said. "Counting food, parking, and tickets we could have bought a nice LCD flat screen to watch a lot more games instead of the four hours we will spend at the game. I think most here, including my family, are going for the experience — the 60-yard HD screen, the 100,000 seats, and the fact it's the first game in the stadium."

Chad Vest of Spanish Fork said he is going to the BYU-OU game, along with his wife, thanks to his sister's generous in-laws, who are taking care of the flight and hotel arrangements. "We'll take plenty of money for food and souvenirs since nearly everything else was given to us for free," Vest said. "It's Christmas in September. How do you repay someone for a gift like this? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we can't wait to go down there and take it all in."

Lamont Larsen, a BYU graduate who grew up in the Dallas area, is driving to the game from Denver with his father and brothers. "It will be the biggest game for Texas BYU fans since the 1997 Cotton Bowl," he said. "We don't have to beat OU; we just have to show that we can hang tough with the 'big dawgs.' But if we beat OU, we will shock the world. Tickets … $50. Gas money … $200. Parking … $30. A (BYU receiver) McKay Jacobsen 50-yard touchdown catch … priceless."

e-mail: jeffc@desnews.com