LAS VEGAS — It’s a moment Bronco Mendenhall won’t experience again at BYU.
Following Saturday’s 35-28 loss to Utah in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, Mendenhall, who had just coached the Cougars for the final time, did not waste time heading to the BYU locker room.
As he was walked off the field, the head coach who is moving on to a new job at Virginia turned and waved to a large contingent of Cougar fans at Sam Boyd Stadium.
It was a sign of appreciation for the man who spent 11 years at the helm of the Cougar program, amassing a 99-43 record, the second-best coaching record in program history. The emotion of the day could be seen in Mendenhall's face as he headed toward the locker room.
"I appreciate the intense support and the passion for BYU football," Mendenhall said in his postgame press conference. "I've learned along the way — I'm not all the way polished with it yet — to embrace that. (I'm) lucky to have been a part of a fan base that cares that much about success and about winning."
Pregame pyrotechnics
The unique situation of Saturday's game being the first neutral-site contest in this storied rivalry set the stage for a matchup that won't soon be forgotten, and the show got started before kickoff.
The pregame pyrotechnics included the unfurling of a field-size American flag for the singing of the national anthem and fighter jets zooming in for a flyover above the stadium.
The Cougars and Utes also showed their true colors — BYU in its throwback royal blue uniforms and Utah in its all-red jerseys — which were on full display as the teams were introduced moments before the contest.
All the touchdowns
The scoring came in bunches on Saturday, thanks to five turnovers in the first quarter for BYU, followed by a Cougar rally that spanned the final three quarters. Here's a look at each one of the scores, which includes two defensive touchdowns, five rushing scores and a pair of passing touchdowns.
Of note: Utah senior safety Tevin Carter scored his first touchdown of the year on a 28-yard pick-six, while BYU senior tight end Remington Peck scored his first career touchdown in his final collegiate game.
Celebrity watch
The meeting of the two long-time rivals brought several familiar faces to Las Vegas.
They included Elder David A. Bednar, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, former BYU quarterbacks Max Hall and John Beck, former Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn, ex-Ute tight end Jake Murphy, Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper and Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds, among others.
In the Star Wars mood
The BYU-Utah showdown was a big ticket this weekend, sharing some hype with the highly anticipated release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which opened in theaters on Thursday. The Cougar marching band got in the galactic spirit, putting together a Star Wars rendition during the Fremont Street prep rally in Las Vegas on Friday night.
Email: bjudd@deseretdigital.com; Twitter: @brandonljudd