Saturday was an all-timer in Provo.
BYU defeated Utah 24-21 in the rivalry’s most highly-anticipated matchup in years, as the Cougars made a loud national statement regarding their ability to compete for a Big 12 championship and provided their fans with some memories to last a lifetime.
Here’s a look back at some of the LaVell Edwards Stadium scenes that didn’t show up in the box score.
‘Big Noon’ in the morning
The party started with “Big Noon Kickoff,” Fox’s national pregame show that broadcasted live from BYU ahead of the rivalry showdown.
While “Big Noon” went live at 8 a.m. local time, students were ready to rock far before then. Many fans camped out the night before to get a good spot for the show, then rushed the set at 7 a.m. once they were permitted to enter.
Despite the early hours, BYU fans came in droves and went crazy for the “Big Noon” festivities.
Special guests
The stars were out at LaVell’s house.
Cougar legends Kyle Van Noy and Jamaal Williams were in attendance for the win, with Van Noy making his first visit back to a BYU game since heading to the NFL.
More recent Cougars such as Jakob Robinson, Max Tooley, Isaac Rex and Samson Nacua — among others — were in the stands and on the sidelines as well.
BYU’s men’s basketball team, who had played an exhibition game in Nebraska just a few hours before, hustled right back to Provo and made it to the stadium just in time for kickoff.
But the most famous guest Saturday night was none other than pop star Benson Boone — a former BYU-Idaho student — who had played three concerts in Utah the previous week.
Boone was shown on the video board several different times during the game — once cheering following a Will Ferrin field goal, and another time as one of his songs played throughout the stadium, leading the megastar to laughingly blush.
A+ announcing
A matchup as good as BYU-Utah deserved a great broadcast booth, and it definitely got one.
Fox’s announcing duo of Jason Benetti and Robert Griffin III were on the call Saturday, perfectly complementing the energy and excitement of the night.
BYU fans were quite happy with the quality of the broadcast commentary — especially after Griffin said the Cougars’ ceiling was a national championship.
Cosmo being Cosmo
Given the magnitude of the matchup, BYU’s daredevil/dancer/influencer mascot, Cosmo the Cougar, knew there would be many more eyeballs on him Saturday.
It’s safe to say he rose to the occasion.
On “Big Noon,” Cosmo rode a zipline from the stadium down into the parking lot to make his grand entrance.
Later on, he flipped over a line of Williams, Van Noy, Matt Leinart and Mark Ingram II, and he ended the show with a high dive belly flop into a pool of water, where he was joined by Ingram and fellow analyst Rob Stone.
During the game itself, Cosmo joined the Cougarettes for another crazy dance routine.
Bear goes beast mode
BYU’s freshman phenom QB was a star on Saturday, and his fourth quarter touchdown was clearly the play of the night.
On third down and 10, Bear Bachmeier took off on a designed run, shedding contact, making defenders miss and even dragging one behind him on his way into the end zone for a 22-yard score.
When it seemed like he would be stopped short of the goal line, Bachmeier’s offensive linemen came from behind to push him in, capping one of the most iconic touchdowns of 2025.
While Bachmeier’s performance garnered plenty of praise online, it was the long touchdown run that made him one of college football’s main characters of the week.
A sea of blue floods the field
What better way to end a rivalry win than a good old fashioned field storming?
BYU fans rushed the field upon the game’s conclusion, doing so for the first time since the 2022 season.
Amid the chaos, BYU President Shane Reese was hoisted in the air by fans to crowd surf, and he appeared to be having more fun than anyone else in the stadium.
While the Big 12 typically fines schools when their fans rush the field, Crumbl Cookies co-founder and CEO Jason McGowan personally covered the fine so Cougar Nation could enjoy the moment.