It's been billed around the state, and around the country, as the biggest BYU-Utah football game in history. Both teams are ranked, own a combined 22-1 record and Saturday's showdown carries both conference championship and national implications. Fans, on both sides of the rivalry, are passionate and eager to see their team emerge victorious.But on the eve of The Game, during BYU's traditional pregame fireside — this one took place Friday night at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square — coach Bronco Mendenhall acknowledged that for ardent fans, the outcome will be a "life-changing experience," if they allow it to be.Mendenhall said that's definitely not the case for him or for his family."This game is no different for me than any other. Some might consider that blasphemy for me to say that. ... But as a team we try our best no matter who we're playing. Sometimes it's good enough, sometimes it's not."Then he asserted that he won't use the scoreboard to evaluate his team's performance against the undefeated, favored Utes."If you think that we'll allow comments from the outside world to tell us if we did our best or not, you're mistaken. ... Just so we're clear, I never measure our success by the score," Mendenhall said. "We're sent here (to earth) to do the very best that we can. From the way I understand it, when we end this life, there's not going to be someone keeping score, saying, 'You finished first, you finished second.' The bottom line is, did you finish?"The coach quoted 2 Corinthians 5:7: "For we walk by faith, not by sight.""Some of you may judge our program tomorrow by looking at the scoreboard at the end of the game and saying whether our program has value or not," Mendenhall said.Regardless of the final score, "we will continue to walk by faith. We will continue to persevere for the things we believe in. My hope and sincere desire is that we way play in a way that we can find value in our program and know where that value is coming from — that's the principles of the gospel, eternal life and the message of salvation to us all."Speaking of sight, Mendenhall's wife, Holly, took 7-year-old son Breaker to Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City for an eye examination earlier this week.Upon checking in, the Mendenhalls were told by those attending to them that they were in "Ute Country." In an examination room, Breaker was told to read letters on an eye chart. At one point, the person conducting the examination pointed out, in a snarky tone, there were no "Y's" on the chart.To which the Mendenhalls' oldest son, Cutter, retorted, "Haha! There aren't any U's, either!"Holly spoke about the amazing interest, and passion, generated by the rivalry game and urged fans to exhibit kindness and good sportsmanship. "We need to be more Christlike," she said.The views of parents easily rub off on their children, she said. While vacationing in Montana with her family, Holly pointed to the sky to show one of her sons a red helicopter. "That's not a red helicopter," the boy responded. "That's a yucky, stinky Ute helicopter."Holly said she is thankful for the BYU-Utah game and that it's a "great rivalry." She only wishes that the rivalry was "healthier" and that fans wouldn't go to extremes to display their emotions in a way that offends those cheering for the other team.Holly is genuinely surprised by the bizarre questions she receives from people sometimes."I was in the grocery store the other day and a woman asked me, 'Do you think your husband will throw the game so the conference can get a lot of money?' How do you answer that? I just said, 'Uh, no.' ... This rivalry brings out a lot of emotions."Linebacker Matt Bauman and defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen also spoke during the fireside.
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