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Utah fans fuel the fire behind heated rivalry

Man, 5 more days. It's almost as bad as waiting 2 weeks for the Super Bowl! Go Blue!

But it's still Monday here in Washington!

Harmon you have once again showed what a poor reporter you truly are. BYU shows just as much animosity and hatred as Utah shows BYU. You show us all how blind Cougar nation is, thinking how they are better than the rest of us. I'm amazed...

Antoher good article Mr. Harmon. The personal interest stories from the players are great in rivalry week. I am hopeful the Jan Jorgenson and the rest of the Cougars have a great game, no one on either side get hurt and they all play very well. Cougars by 3, 24 - 21.

no doubt... Harmon I will never read another "piece" article from you...you are a terrible (Walton) journalist....BYU hates Utah every bit as much

Way to cherry-pick those quotes Mr. Harmon. Zoobs have been drinking this Kool-aid for a while. I honestly don't know why they still think, let alone say anything about "caring less." When their actions say SO much more.

Just last year when I held my nose and went to the U/Y hoop game in Provo, I'm sitting behind some guy with a Y ball cap on that has "4th and 18" embroidered into the back. Are you kidding me?! And, they don't care about the rivalry, right?

I still see "Harline's still open" coming out of zoob pie holes. I recall some zoobies taking that sign to where the Utes plane landed in Oregon last season before the OSU game.

Trust me, they care. It won't help them much this year, but they care very much. When they say they don't care, it's in years they know they'll likely lose, like some 5-year-old on the playground.

Attention Dick Harmon: The University of Utah was founded in 1850 under the direction of Brigham Young, territorial governor. To suggest that the coaches at Utah (three of which are former BYU players) spend all year hyping this game due to some pychosis, that it has anything to do with religion, or to be so ignorant to think that any college football fan - let alone a Cougar fan - doesn't get into their rivalry contest for any reason, is absurd. Please stick to politics. Sports is obviously not your thing.

Ahhhhhh, Dick..... Welcome to 2008. The series is tied 10-10 over the last 20 years. The current players wouldn't remember the series being one-sided. The programs have been equal for two decades.

"Utah's philosophy on defense and offense is designed to take advantage of BYU weaknesses." Ummmm, Utah's philosophy on defense is to stop their opponents. They have 13 of them throughout the year. Utah's philosophy on offense is designed to keep their opponents off balance and to attack their weaknesses. Again, Utah has 13 teams they prepare for.

Your statement is true for this week. The statement is also true if you switch the school names around. BYU will also attempt to take advantage of Utah's weaknesses.

If you don't think the Y gets up for the games at the same level as the U then I'm guessing you never played a game of football in your life. Both teams have the same level of passion and are equally motivated for this game.

Read the blogs and you will find the fans are the same on both sides. It's called a rivalry. This rivalry was once controlled by the U, then by the Y, now it's equal.

52-33-4 UTAH!!!!

U and Y students mostly come from Utah and are mostly Mormon. The main difference is most Utes live at home with Mom. From outside Utah, you guys all look alot alike. I love the play at religious differences. Big deal from where I stand...

For once again showing us YOUR true feelings toward the U. of Utah!

You are absolutely a byu homer and a very poor writer. I for one are soooooo glad you are pro byu and anti Utah.

The level of passion is equal from the coaching staffs to the players on each team.

This is byu's BCS game. It's a huge game for them.

This is Utah's opportunity to go to their 2nd BCS game in four years. It's a huge game for them.

Wake up and join us in the year 2008. 1984 is nearly a quarter of a century past. Ronald Reagan was in his 1st term as president and none of the current players were born. Utah's domination ended 40 years ago and BYU's ended 20 years ago.

This game means exactly the same to both teams, period. If you pulled out a GPS and actually found your way to the U, you would find their current players would downplay the rivalry to the media as well.

Once again, your article reflects YOUR true feeling.

Your article would have been fine if published in the late 70s or during the 80s but doesn't make sense in 2008.

Dick is calling it how he sees it. I'm a die-hard Cougar fan too, and it seems the BYU players don't get as fired up as the Utes. I imagine it has something to do with age but Utah has its share of RMs too.

The fans on the other hand are a different story ... No difference. This is a fun rivalry.

You forgot to mention the significant body of BYU fans who are sick of being accused of "playing the church card" and "thinking we're better than everyone else". To all Ute fans, LDS and non-: can we stick to football please?

This player saying that Utah fans hate them because the Y has dominated the U for so long..PLEASE.. the last 20 year has not been domination. actually 2004 is what you call domination, 50+ points. The point is that Utah fans hate any Y zombies because they say dumb things like this, "we have dominated you". IT IS THIS SELF RIGHTEOUS AND ARROGANT attitude that we hate. We Utes trash talk as well, but we don't pretend to be anything but rabid fans. Essays like this Dick, insinuate that the kewgs are so well behaved and non affected, when they have BIG mouths like this jeorgensen dude.

I don't know where you are getting this, BYU fans and players are just as much into the Holy War as the Ute fans. The passion for this rivalry is what makes it so great. Do some research about the rivalry next time.

Rivalry week is a chance for the young bucks to lock horns and duel one another with their dull bravado's. Bragging is a young man's game, which lends a flavor of immaturity to many of the posts.

Why does Utah hate BYU? It is because of a double standard. If a Utah player spent time in jail,(as some have and probably will again--not a slam, just a fact), it is no big deal.No one expects any better from Utah! At BYU,a player who had these problems wouldn't make the student body, let alone the team. Now before you start throwing names of BYU players who did bad things, I hasten to point out that not only did most of them get booted, sometimes the coach did as well. If a BYU player or fan looses his cool and says something of does something the least bit "inappropriate", everyone from Utah (and other places) points their fingers and shouts, "hypocrite". If a Utah player steps out of line, so what? Why do some BYU fans hate U of U? Have you ever gone to a game in RES if you are a BYU fan? Last time I was there,we are treated to drunk, X rated Utah fans and my family and I vowed never to go back.So much for "hated' rivalries.

the biggest difference is that at res you can get a diet coke, not sneak it in like you have to at les

by the way i have had a companion smacked in the mouth by a byu coed (no this is not another joke)
when utes won triple overtime basketball game

and have seen byu fans throw drinks and a blanket over the head of oregon fans at a game in provo .

i once heard a man dressed in a blue suit and white shirt and tie yell to a ute basketball player who was black,,, "smile more so we can see where you are"

boorish behavior is not excluded by the honor code i guess

What a funny article. I can appreciate that Harmon "bleeds blue" and that is where this is coming from. But really? The writer tries to make an emperical assessment of something as subjective and malleable as which fans bring more vitriole to the rivalry? Not only is the whole premise of this column ridiculous, but the writer then attempts to add varnish to the false veneer by quoting how BYU players "feel" going into Rice Eccles.

The truth is, BYU has been out of the national spotlight for a long time. True, they had a few weeks this season carrying the banner of potential BCS buster, but that quickly faded. The only real noteriety either school has received came in 2004 and now, with Utah on the cusp of another BCS return this year. Both times the Utes have been the center of national attention, not BYU. So yeah, Utah must envy BYU and that is why they are passionate about the rivalry. If that sort of envy gets a team a BCS bowl win and puts them in position for another--I'll take it, with deleusions of BYU fans in tow.

When I first started attending BYU in 1989 as a freshman coming from the Seattle area I had never even heard of the University of Utah. I later thought that Utah State and Utah were one in the same school. I attended BYU with several other out of state students who thought the same. That would partially explain to me why the rivalry isn't as big of a deal to BYU students.

The way Utah fans have responded to Mr. Harmon's article proves how overwhelmingly one-side the hatred is.

btw, I see the Utes are counting the spring 1896 scrimmage in their win total; just shows how deparate they are for any win. When is the U going to stop counting their wins over high schools and intramural teams in their overall record?

The overall series record is 49-30-4.