SALT LAKE CITY — It’s been a while since the Utah Utes have kicked off a season anywhere but Rice-Eccles Stadium. Thursday’s opener at BYU ends a streak of starts at home that dates back to 2009.
Besides the change in venue, the trip to LaVell Edwards Stadium also means opening the season in front of a larger crowd. More than 65,000 fans are expected at the Rivalry Game, making it the biggest attendance for a Utah season opener since 2008 when the Utes prevailed in front of 108,421 fans at Michigan.
Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley is looking forward to the game in Provo.
“Definitely. It always feels good to play in front of a lot of people,” he said. “Everybody is watching and so it’s time to show up.”
Utah enters the Rivalry Game with some lengthy streaks. The Utes have won their last 11 season openers and eight straight games against the Cougars.
“The Rivalry Game being the opener certainly has the attention of our players,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said at Pac-12 Media Day. “But we go about our business the same way as we always do throughout the course of fall camp and getting ready for the season.”
Opening against BYU, though, is something new. It’ll be a first in the 100-game rivalry, which lately hasn’t had much of a rest. The Utes defeated the Cougars 35-27 on Nov. 24.
“It is uncharted territory. We’ve never had this quick of a turnaround with the Rivalry Game,” Whittingham said. “But nothing we can do about it. You just prepare and hopefully play well.”
Whittingham noted that facing BYU in the opener puts a whole different spin on it.
“The Rivalry Game is always a big deal in the state. Most years, it is the biggest event of the entire year,” he continued. “No conference implications, obviously with the way things are set up now, but always bragging rights.”
Utah, though, enters this meeting with some national attention and lofty expectations. Whittingham often notes that every game is important. There’s an added need to play well as visitors — with an obvious emphasis on Pac-12 games.
“In order to win championships, you’ve got to win on the road. You’ve got to win at home, that’s a given, but you’ve got to win on the road to win a championship,” Whittingham said. “We take the ‘us versus the world’ mentality on the road. It’s circle the wagons, and that’s kind of the approach we’ve taken.
“And nothing better than to be on the road and in the fourth quarter the stadium is emptying out and you’ve got a victory and 75 players have shut up 60,000 fans. Not a lot more gratifying than that,” he added at conference media day in July.
As far as BYU goes, Utah hasn’t lost since a 26-23 overtime setback in Provo in 2009. The Utes began their current win streak with 17-16 and 54-10 victories the next two seasons. After that, they’ve prevailed in six more games — doing so by a combined total of just 32 points.
”It is competitive, it is intense,” Whittingham said. “When you aren’t in the same conference, there is a different feel to it. But it is still every bit as gratifying as always.”
Utah football season openers in the Pac-12 era
| Year | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Montana State | Salt Lake City | W, 27-10 | 45,311 |
| 2012 | Northern Colorado | Salt Lake City | W, 41-0 | 45,273 |
| 2013 | Utah State | Salt Lake City | W, 30-26 | 45,237 |
| 2014 | Idaho State | Salt Lake City | W, 56-14 | 45,925 |
| 2015 | Michigan | Salt Lake City | W, 24-17 | 47,825 |
| 2016 | Southern Utah | Salt Lake City | W, 24-0 | 45,945 |
| 2017 | North Dakota | Salt Lake City | W, 37-16 | 45,905 |
| 2018 | Weber State | Salt Lake City | W, 41-10 | 45,988 |