BYU football: Provo celebrates stunning win

PROVO — People danced in the streets.

They hugged perfect strangers.

They lit off fireworks.

And in general, they celebrated and celebrated and celebrated.

For a city home to a university that's won the title of "Most stone-cold sober" for 12 years in a row, Provo didn't look, act or feel like Provo Saturday evening.

In the wake of BYU's stunning 14-13 upset over No. 3 Oklahoma, spontaneous celebrations erupted throughout this city and lasted well into the early hours of the morning on Sunday.

BYU fans formed impromptu gatherings at places like LaVell Edwards Stadium, the Marriott Center, and the Wilkinson Center, among others, and several hundred of them showed up at the Provo Municipal Airport to welcome home the team when it landed at 1:45 in the morning.

It was a celebration unlike anything Provo had experienced in a long time.

"I've never seen everyone in Provo so excited after a game," said 21-year-old student Laurie Angell, who had been very sick for the past two days but nonetheless showed up at the Provo airport to celebrate BYU's arrival.

She wasn't the only one who felt that way.

BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall and his wife, Holly, had no idea that so many BYU students had showed up at the Provo airport when the team touched down just after 1:45 a.m. on Sunday. But after doing their best to wake their three sons — Cutter, Breaker and Raeder — the Mendenhalls, with BYU players following them, took time to acknowledge the support.

"It's a first for me," said Bronco Mendenhall of the early-morning reception. "I didn't know that the victory would have this kind of a widespread response already, but I think it's fantastic that these kids would stay up and come out to welcome our team. We appreciate it."

With the BYU students corralled behind a string of orange cones, BYU's coaches and players gave high-fives to their admirers before Mendenhall took a mic and briefly addressed them.

"Our hope is that we can continue to have these kind of meetings and reunions every week," he told the fans. "We can certainly feel your support all the way from here, and I think this is just the beginning."

As was the case with his coach, BYU defensive end Jan Jorgensen was taken back by the reception his team received when it touched down in Provo but expressed appreciation to BYU's students for coming out.