PROVO, Utah — In the brisk Provo morning, students bundled up in their tents. Many of them have been there for hours, some of them for days. It’s all in anticipation of the football game between the University of Utah and BYU — steadfast rivals.
BYU freshman Brooklyn Hansen had been camping out since 3:30 a.m. on Friday for the Big Kickoff Show ahead of the game on Saturday. “It’s worth it,” she said. “I’m here early, we don’t need a group for this, so we have some posters and hopefully will get on camera.”
The game itself kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, and the Big Kickoff Show will begin on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.. There will be a lot of festivities to celebrate the game with Cougar Canyon, which opens at 2:30 pm. There will be food, live music, photo ops, and more.
Hansen said she and her friends have a schedule to keep their place in line. “Some people have to go to class, so we take turns on who stays in the tent,” she said.
Zac Webster sat in a camp chair next to Hansen’s tent. He’s been wearing his school spirit gear all week in anticipation of the big game. “I’m a diehard BYU fan from Spanish Fork, Utah,” he said. “With the big game on Saturday, we came out to support the boys.”
One of the campers, Garrett Glauser, has been camped out since 11:00 p.m. on Thursday. “It’s the holy war,” he said. “The rivalry between Utah and BYU, we take it very seriously.”
He’s most excited for the Cougs to take home the win on Saturday, and he’s hoping to be in the front row for the Big Kickoff Show.
Hansen said beyond the sport itself, it’s about the community coming together. “It’s less about hatred for the other team but more of like just uniting for our team here in Provo,” she said.
Fans can park starting at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. The closest public parking is at the Marriott Center, but it fills up fast. Fans can head south to find more parking around the Smith Fieldhouse and administrative building. There are shuttles to take you to the stadium from the information and technology building.
