PROVO -- Among the great college football rivalries, like Alabama-Auburn, Ohio State-Michigan, USC-UCLA and Florida-Florida State, the one played here, BYU-Utah, is one of the most intense.
But from a national perspective, it is also one of the most obscure.So it is that when Cougar coaches recruit talent from outside the state, high school and junior college athletes who don't know much about the dynamics of BYU-Utah are attracted to the Cougars' impressive non-conference schedule, not necessarily the allure of playing the Utes.
Yet it usually doesn't take long for such players to become indoctrinated to the rivalry.
Former Cougar receiver Glen Kozlowski was a prep star in southern California before coming to Provo. He played as a true freshman and remembers in his first Utah game being slapped hard on the helmet by a Ute defender early in the first quarter and realizing this wasn't just another contest against, say, UTEP.
"I'd never played in a game where it was life and death for the fans," says Koz, who went on to an eight-year career with the Chicago Bears. "It took me only a few plays to realize this was special. There's not a better game to play in. I'd compare it to the Bears-(Green Bay) Packers rivalry."
Of course, in Kozlowski's day, in the mid-1980s, BYU dominated the series. He never once lost to Utah. But, in the 1990s, it's become competitive and the rivalry's reputation has grown.
Still, out-of-staters generally don't know much about the series prior to jumping shoulder pad-deep into it.
"Before I came here I knew about it slightly. I rarely heard about it," says BYU tight end Carlos Nuno, a native of Modesto, Calif. "At BYU, you hear about it all the time. Until you lose to them, you don't understand it. My first year I got a taste of the rivalry (the Cougars lost, 20-14 at Cougar Stadium). I don't want to experience a loss to Utah again."
"My first year I redshirted and they beat us at home (also 1997)," recalls linebacker Justin Ena, who's from Shelton, Wash. "I could tell by the emotion of the seniors this was an important game. I don't want to see any of our seniors go out as losers to Utah."
Because of its position as a perennial college football power and its built-in connection to the LDS Church, BYU is successful mining players from out of state. The Cougars have players from 21 states, from Alaska to New Hampshire, from Hawaii to Florida.
The BYU media guide lists 28 players on the roster from Utah, 25 from California. Of the 44 listed on this week's two-deep chart, four starters hail from the Beehive State and seven more are listed as backups.
Despite not always living in and around the series, the out-of-staters say they want to beat the Utes as badly as the in-staters.
"They grew up with the rivalry as kids. It's definitely talked about more by them," says Ena. "But it's just as big to us."
In a way, it's a matter of transferring emotions. "We've all had our own little rivalries at home," Ena says. In Washington, he was exposed to the Washington-Washington State game. His older brother, Packy, played for Oregon State and participated in the annual "Civil War" with Oregon. He says BYU-Utah has a similar feel.
"You can just feel the energy in the air for those games," Ena said. "Everybody goes crazy. It's fun to see that."
Homegrown players, like quarterback/receiver Brandon Doman, can't help but bring up Utah and The Game on a regular basis. After all, they played against the in-staters from Utah in high school. They know the history, the memorable moments.
"I hear those war stories about the rivalry," Ena says.
Ena was born in Provo, the son of BYU alums, and later moved to Washington. Growing up, he listened to his dad talk about U. fans painting the "Y" and statues on campus red. Now, as a student, BYU-Utah has become a part of him.
"When you come to BYU, you know BYU and Utah are huge rivals," he says. "It doesn't matter where you come from. It's huge. It will be no holds-barred on Saturday."