Urban Meyer is back in Provo.
His first trip to LaVell Edwards Stadium, in 2003, involved frigid, snowy conditions and a 3-0 Utah victory over BYU.
Now, the former Utes head football coach is a panelist on Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” pregame show, which will broadcast live Saturday morning from the Edwards Stadium west parking lot ahead of the Cougars’ highly-anticipated rivalry clash with Utah.
“I coached in USC-Notre Dame, Florida-Georgia, Florida-Florida State, Ohio State-(Michigan), Toledo-Bowling Green. This (rivalry) might be the nastiest of them all,” Meyer told reporters Friday. “I mean, when I got here in ’03, I was shocked ... this is an emotion-filled game and this is a nasty one, man.”
Ever since Fox decided to bring “Big Noon” to Provo for the in-state showdown, Meyer says he’s been telling his fellow analysts to expect an intense environment both on and off the field.
“I’ve said it’s an absolute street fight, and they’ve been looking at me rolling their eyes, like, ‘Come on, come on,’” Meyer said. “Now they’re kind of feeling it, because you can feel it when you’re here.”
When Meyer arrived in Salt Lake City as Utah’s new head coach in 2003, the Utes had won just eight of their previous 31 contests against BYU.
Under Meyer — who went 22-2 in two seasons at Utah — the Utes never lost to the Cougars. Since Kyle Whittingham succeeded him beginning in 2005, Utah is 11-5 against BYU.
“I jumped all-in to the rivalry,” Meyer said. “We called them the team down south. You weren’t allowed to have any blue in the facility.
“I went around every office and threw out all the blue pens, all the blue markers. You were not allowed to wear blue at all. You could never say the three letters, B-Y-U. It was team down south.”
Meyer credited Whittingham — who played for Edwards at BYU — for helping him understand the significance and magnitude of the rivalry, along with expressing his longstanding love and admiration for Utah’s all-time winningest coach.
“(Whittingham) taught me the rivalry,” Meyer said. “He explained it to me, and I was like, ‘Really? Really?’ And then when that week came, I was educated by Coach Whitt, and Morgan Scalley and Dave Revill and my players, really. I mean, this is a deep one, man.”
“... I’m very close with (Whittingham), and he’s as good a football coach as I’ve ever been around. When we worked together, I tell people, those were my favorite two years I’ve ever had. I loved the state of Utah. Obviously we woke up a sleeping giant in the Utes, and he’s continued that success ... phenomenal coach, phenomenal friend, and you know, I know with the legacy piece, he wants this one so bad.”
But Meyer is also fond of the head coach on BYU’s sideline — Whittingham’s former defensive coordinator, Kalani Sitake, whom Whittingham hired at Utah after Meyer left.
“Kalani’s become a friend, too. He came to visit me a few times when I was in Florida,” Meyer said. “Love the guy. You know, the guy’s a great football coach.
“I didn’t realize they were 17-2 in the last 19 games. This one of the top programs in college football.”
Though Meyer, like many fans, was “crushed” that this year’s BYU-Utah game was not scheduled as the regular season finale, Saturday still holds a tremendous amount of intrigue. The Cougars are 6-0, the Utes are 5-1, and whoever wins will leapfrog the other in the Big 12 title chase.
All eyes will be on the duel between starting quarterbacks Devon Dampier and Bear Bachmeier. Unsurprisingly, Meyer is riding with Utah’s star passer.
“He was a little bit injured and banged up against Texas Tech. They didn’t look very good offensively. He looked unbelievable last week against Arizona State,” Meyer said of Dampier.
“Bear Bachmeier for BYU, young freshman, I just think it’s going to be a lot for him, the Utah defense, but he’s a heck of player, (he’s) tough. I just think the Utah defense will stiffen up. Obviously, people know I’m going to pick the Utes, but I think this will be a heck of a game in the most beautiful setting in college football.”
