Utah v. BYU memories

[SeattleUte]

I'll start. Here are two of my favorite memories; this upcoming game brings them to mind.

1977. The Utes need to win their last game in Provo to clinch a title in Arizona and Arizona State's last year in the conference. (I'm on the bench as the Utes' manager, a freshman.) Arizona is a game behind them. Three minutes into the game, Utah's great center Buster Matheney busts Jay Cheesman right in his broken nose with his fist (Cheesman was already wearing a bandage and a mask!). Matheney ejected.

I still remember the exchange between coach Pimm and the ref:

Pimm: "You've got to be kidding. Cheesman hit him first."

Ref: "Nope, he's gone."

The MC goes absolutely bananas and BYU promptly goes up by double figures. Little used Coby Leavitt replaces Matheney and has the game of his life; gets a double double and Utah rallies and wins going away. On the last play Cheesman goes up for a layup and Leavitt blocks it into the stands.

Next is 1983, Utes go to the Marriott Center a game behind BYU in the conference race on the last game of the season and win in triple OT. Frank Arnold, BYU's most dislikeable coach ever, had a meltdown after the game. Whaterver he did to his team in the lockeroom (it's never been clear what happened) got him fired within days. BYU went to the NIT, Utah went to the Sweet 16, as a low seed upsetting highly seeded Illinois and UCLA.

I predict that if the Utes win on Saturday it will take an improbable, wild assed performance from some role player like Leavitt pulled off in 1977.

[Katy Lied]

November 26, 2006

I'm sitting in lower bowl RES, on about the 15 yard line. The game clock is completely gone and 45,000 fans, coaches and players are completely frozen still. Directly in front of me only two people are moving: one is shuffling to his left, one is bringing heat straight up the middle.

The shuffler starts running to his right, whips his body around and throws. 44,998 people all have the same thought: "Where the freak is he throwing?" followed immediately by "Where the frack did he come from?"

[RockyBalboa]

I'm sitting in lower bowl RES, on about the 15 yard line. The game clock is completely gone and 45,000 fans, coaches and players are completely frozen still. Directly in front of me only two people are moving: one is shuffling to his left, one is bringing heat straight up the middle.

The shuffler starts running to his right, whips his body around and throws. 44,998 people all have the same thought: "Where the freak is he throwing?" followed immediately by "Where the frack did he come from?"

Same here, except I was sitting in the NEZ in the corner where Harline caught the pass. I saw him sneak away from behind the coverage and grabbing my brother while screaming..."he's open! he's open!" and then saw it float in the air forever. That's a great memory but.......I think SU is referring to BYU vs. Utah Bball memories.

[Katy Lied]

I think SU is referring to BYU vs. Utah Bball memories.

:::innocently:::
Oh, you mean he was talking about basketball?


"Put in Weddle"
:::clap clap clapclapclap:::

[Mormon Red Death]

I'll start. Here are two of my favorite memories; this upcoming game brings them to mind.

1977. The Utes need to win their last game in Provo to clinch a title in Arizona and Arizona State's last year in the conference. (I'm on the bench as the Utes' manager, a freshman.) Arizona is a game behind them. Three minutes into the game, Utah's great center Buster Matheney busts Jay Cheesman right in his broken nose with his fist (Cheesman was already wearing a bandage and a mask!). Matheney ejected.

I still remember the exchange between coach Pimm and the ref:

Pimm: "You've got to be kidding. Cheesman hit him first."

Ref: "Nope, he's gone."

The MC goes absolutely bananas and BYU promptly goes up by double figures. Little used Coby Leavitt replaces Matheney and has the game of his life; gets a double double and Utah rallies and wins going away. On the last play Cheesman goes up for a layup and Leavitt blocks it into the stands.

Next is 1983, Utes go to the Marriott Center a game behind BYU in the conference race on the last game of the season and win in triple OT. Frank Arnold, BYU's most dislikeable coach ever, had a meltdown after the game. Whaterver he did to his team in the lockeroom (it's never been clear what happened) got him fired within days. BYU went to the NIT, Utah went to the Sweet 16, as a low seed upsetting highly seeded Illinois and UCLA.

I predict that if the Utes win on Saturday it will take an improbable, wild assed performance from some role player like Leavitt pulled off in 1977.

January of 1998 in the Marriott Center. A closely contested game which #2 and undefeated Utah wins by 8 or so (only up 2 at half)

byu fans chant "O-ver- ra-ted"

Utah fans retaliate with "Un-de-feat-ed"

I got the tickets and solon hooked us up with twins as dates. A very good night.

[YOhio]

I'm short on hoops memories. I can't recall ever seeing BYU beat Utah in person. But I was there for football. From about the time I was eight until I moved away at 24 I attended almost every Deseret Duel game, except for the two years on my mission.

The most memorable was November 2000 - Lavell's last game. I was the lone Cougar in a sea of red, the consequences of having Ute friends. A nice Ute family was sitting behind me and their pre-teen boy began goofing with me as Darnell Arceneaux brought the Utes from behind to take what seemed to be like the game winning lead. I was sitting in the end zone behind the Cougs as Doman gets sacked. Staley drops the ball on what appears to be a fumble, yet is overturned. On fourth down, Doman heaves the ball into the sure hands of Jonathan Pittman. Next play, same thing. A few plays later I see a concentrated mass of blue stand up and hear what seems to be a distant roar as Doman plunges in for the game winning touchdown. I take off my BYU hat and put it on the kid behind me. Ungrateful brat gave it back.

[Surfah]

Sitting close to the baseline at the MC with Tim Frost at the foul line. There was some pause in the game and the referee had handed the ball to him but took it back. I stood up and yelled at the top of my lungs: "Give him his precious! He wants the precious! Smigel wants the precious!"

I had a few of the players chuckling and an official grinned.

[KillerDog]

January of 1998 in the Marriott Center. A closely contested game which #2 and undefeated Utah wins by 8 or so (only up 2 at half)

byu fans chant "O-ver- ra-ted"

Utah fans retaliate with "Un-de-feat-ed"

I got the tickets and solon hooked us up with twins as dates. A very good night.

I was at that game. My kid brother and I were in the concourse at half talking and were approached by a group of U of U students. They started jawing and we jawed back. Eventually this led to some pushing and shoving and a thrown punch or two and all 6 of us ended up missing the second half. Funny thing is, after being thrown out, no one wanted to continue the confrontation.

[Guest]

#2 and undefeated Utah

Remember their first loss of that season at NM? Dre was tackled in the backcourt with no call. I still remember that foul.

Miller, Doleac, Jensen, Mottola, Hansen...those were the days.

It's funny…I don't think people remember what a great scorer Doleac was that year. He had a great season.

[BoylenOver]

My first-ever Ute basketball game was the BYU-Utah game at the JMHC in 2005. We won that game (which clinched the MWC title). I took my girlfriend at the time, and we went to the symphony that evening and had our first kiss afterwards.

Pretty great day.

[TripletDaddy]

January of 1998 in the Marriott Center. A closely contested game which #2 and undefeated Utah wins by 8 or so (only up 2 at half)

byu fans chant "O-ver- ra-ted"

Utah fans retaliate with "Un-de-feat-ed"

I got the tickets and solon hooked us up with twins as dates. A very good night.

I was there! It was during my law school tenure.

Was this the same BYU/Utah hoops game wherein some Utah guy brought a laser and was pointing it at the court? Half the arena started chanting, "the guy with the laser sucks." the laser guy was eventually booted from the MC.

[Surfah]

I was there! It was during my law school tenure.

Was this the same BYU/Utah hoops game wherein some Utah guy brought a laser and was pointing it at the court? Half the arena started chanting, "the guy with the laser sucks." the laser guy was eventually booted from the MC.

I vaguely remember that. I certainly remember not agreeing with the over-rated chant. I hate that chant. It was only slightly less embarrassing than storming the field after beat Utah St in football a few months before.

[myboynoah]

February 1978 - Osaka, Japan

It's lights out and a young missionary slips his headphones on to listen to a cassette tape sent by his father. He pushes play and keeps the volume low so as not to disturb his apartment mates. They've turned off the kerosene stove, so the cold is seeping in through the drafty windows, but he's warm inside his futon there on the tatami. For four months life has been a seemingly endless round of prayers, bikes, doors, and noodles with some raw fish thrown in for excitement; all in some incomprehensible phonetic mix of “ahs,” “sahs,” and “nehs.” He's exhausted.

He's been a Ute basketball fan most of his life, having cheered Sojourner, Burden, Jonas, Judkins, and Matheney. The Utes had broken his heart the last time he'd seen them play, a 88-83 defeat to UNLV in the Sweet Sixteen. He watched the game from home, laid up on the couch, having broken his ankle playing basketball "on the Sabbath." The rest of the family abandoned him to go watch the Utes in person. Punishment too hard to bear, and still reaching with its spindly fingers into the present. That weak ankle failed him two nights earlier in his mad dash to make a subway connection, sprawling his neck-tied, dark-suited blondeness in full splay before a shocked wave of Asian humanity. Stupid, clumsy American.

That game still haunts him. He remembers Matheney sending a sure breakaway slam off the back of the rim. If only Buster had kept his head, eased up for a lay in, or even a less spectacular dunk. Two points lost; might as well have been ten in a game like that. He can still see Buster rising, right hand with the ball high above his head, the excitement building, you can feel it, this will put us all closer to the goal; then CLANK, there goes the ball rocketing backward at 45 degrees into the hands of who knows who. Focus, opportunity, and game; all lost. As well as a trip to the Final Four; lowly Idaho State had upset UCLA and would be cannon fodder for this game’s winner. Oh Buster.

But this is a new season. His father had religiously mailed clippings and provided updates, and now this cassette. Oh joy, a wonderful diversion from this often dreary life; the BYU game. He doesn’t hate the Cougars, he’s just practical. Gotta go with the frontrunner when you’re from Utah and national sports notoriety rarely makes a stop. The Utes are his team and they’ve got to make up for lost opportunities, especially since his companion is some hotshot from Firth, Idaho that can’t shut up about how “ISU beat UCLA and made it further than Utah” last year. Stupid spud, snoring away into the night.

Back to the cassette. The game’s obviously in Provo as the crowd cheers BYU loudly. Thankfully, Utah has it in hand. The Cougars have some freshman phenom that’s all over the court, stealing, rebounding, scoring, and even dunking. Exciting. His father had mentioned this guy, a kid named Ainge. Nonetheless, Utes win and he’s happy. Good game, nice diversion. Sleep is coming, he can see his breath now. That Ainge sounds pretty amazing.

Shortly afterward he tells his dad to quit sending the cassettes and clippings. The phonetic mix is starting to align into meaning, it’s warming, and he’s discovered gyoza and why he's here. Utah seems further away as each day passes. Time to focus, time to transition.

[Goatnapper'96]

February 1978 - Osaka, Japan

The Utes are his team and they’ve got to make up for lost opportunities, especially since his companion is some hotshot from Firth, Idaho that can’t shut up about how “ISU beat UCLA and made it further than Utah” last year. Stupid spud, snoring away into the night.

In other words the FYM from Firth was OBEDIENT! One day he announced to all the Goldens in the park that he would be making all the sounds of the Great State from whence he came. Joe Cool felt the spirit and glory of God as he rededicated himself to the work of Kingdom, and eschewed his trunky past. After Joe Cool returns home to discover his high school sweetheart is legally and lawfully getting banged by some other man, it was the Firth Flash who invited him to be his roomate at the BeeeWhyYou, and trully hearts were warmed and tears were shed!

Steve Hayes baby, the pride of Aberdeen, Idaho....HOLD 'EM TIGER!