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BYU football: Cougars looking to end Holy War drought

By Adam Andreason

Dec 19, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes tight end Harrison Handley (88) is tackled by Brigham Young Cougars defensive back Kai Nacua (12) and linebacker Teu Kautai (25) in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Utah defeated BYU 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes tight end Harrison Handley (88) is tackled by Brigham Young Cougars defensive back Kai Nacua (12) and linebacker Teu Kautai (25) in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium. Utah defeated BYU 35-28. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The BYU football team is desperate for a win against the rival Utah Utes. Can the Cougars pull out a victory after five straight losses in the Holy War?

The state of Utah is, by and large, a desert.

It can be a good thing, that desert dry. It takes longer for your bread to mold, and crackers don’t get soggy if you leave the bag open for more than five seconds. Unlike the muggy parts of the world, shade actually works, and in the winter, the cold doesn’t crystallize onto every exposed bit of skin.

But there is such a thing as too dry. So dry that no amount of cherry Chapstick can press life back into your peeling, crusty lips. Too dry to even breathe, because the air sucks the moisture right out of you.

The BYU football team – and fan base – is parched.

There’s been a six year drought on the football field for the Cougar faithful. Their thirst hasn’t been sated since Max Hall found Andrew George in overtime in 2009, when the Utes learned an important lesson on tackling. Yes, there have been longer streaks on both sides in the history of what people have taken to calling “the Holy War,” but the last one approaching this length was 1979 to 1987.

“It’s not in any way just another game.” – Assoc. Head Coach Ed Lamb

None of the current players were born then. Ronald Reagan sat in the White House, and cell phones required you switch hands every two minutes when your arm got tired.

Frankly, few of those games were close. Utah got used to be shellacked through the 80’s and early 90’s. They rarely even saw a cloud, much less got close to the rain.

But with the exception of 2011 (the Game-Whose-Score-Shall-Not-Be-Uttered), each of the Y’s losses in this streak of been a mere possession away from that sweet refreshment.

Always they reached, hand inches from relief, only for it to disappear like a mirage in the face of blocked kicks, bounces off the uprights, knees that were down but not called down, and one drive short of rallying back from a quarter from the deepest nightmares.

BYU football’s nightmare first quarter doomed them in the Las Vegas Bowl edition of the Holy War. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports)
BYU football’s nightmare first quarter doomed them in the Las Vegas Bowl edition of the Holy War. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports) /

Being this thirsty can make anyone a bit waspish. This is why despite Bronco Mendenhall’s numerous successes and consistent wins, many fans blame him and his “treat every game the same” approach for this rivalry dry spell. They know full well he did the rain dance as best he could, but all those scratchy throats could think to say is, “Yeah, but he didn’t do it right.”

Well, fans have a new rain dancer at the helm. Kalani Sitake knows how much the fans thirst for this win, having been a fan and player for White and Blue himself. He and his staff are singing a tune and dancing a dance much more to the fan base’s liking.

“It’s not in any way just another game,” his associate head coach Ed Lamb said in an interview on “Coordinator’s Corner” with Greg Wrubell. “It means everything for recruiting purposes… The closer you can be, the more intenseness there is… There is something extra on the line.”  

We won’t know until Saturday if this new philosophy will help produce better results. But surely, Cougar fans want this win. It may lack its former luster in the eyes of some. with no conference championship or titanic season-ending clash to add spice. But I believe the emotional impact is as great as ever.

And why are you watching sports, if not for emotional impact?

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The drought has been long. None on the current roster have tasted the sweetness of a Holy War victory for the Cougars. Should it continue another year, the faithful will simply have to trudge onward. But make no mistake: it can’t last forever.

And when it ends, there will be no victory sweeter.

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