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SALT LAKE CITY — A lot of BYU fans were still singing the blues Monday, while Ute fans donned their colors. But regardless of who you were cheering for on Saturday night, the fans who stormed the field remained a hot topic.
As Ute fans thought the game was over, thousands rushed the field to celebrate.
"It was pretty crazy. It was a lot of fun," said Ute fan Brian Buehler. "There were so many people rushing the field you couldn't hold us back."
Other fans wanted to get on the field but couldn't find a way to get there.
"I was caught up in the stands," Jeff Denning said. "I was going to, but there was a big rush waiting to jump on the field, and so I didn't get the chance to."
Related:
Wild finish gets wacky when Ute fan confronts BYU's Mendenhall
The wild finish to the BYU/Utah rivalry game got wacky when a Utah fan heckles Bronco Mendenhall, who, in return, doesn't back down.But as fans quickly found out, the game wasn't over. Then again, after a blocked field goal, fans on the field resulted in a penalty against the Utes, giving BYU one more chance.
After a missed field goal, finally the game was over.
"If they would have made (the field goal), I would have felt worse," said Ute fan Ben Jasarevic. "But they missed it, (and) I'm one happy fan."
"I actually didn't know, personally, the fans could be penalized, or the team could be penalized for the fans," said Derick Davis, another Ute fan.
Davis stayed in the stands, and he admitted he was upset to see the fans on the field disrupting the end of the game.
"All is forgiven because the Utes won," Davis said. "But I think I would have been a little mad at the people who rushed the field (if the team hadn't won)."
While no one was seriously injured in the frenzy on the field, those who were there described it as chaos and mayhem — a moment they won't ever forget.
"The fact (BYU) had three chances and still couldn't come up with it, it was spectacular game; and what a way to end it!" Beuhler said.
It was unclear Monday evening if the game will prompt changes in security at Rice-Eccles Stadium. But University of Utah athletic director Chris Hill met with university officials earlier in the day to discuss the matter.
The Utes won't be back at home for nearly three weeks, when they'll host USC on Oct. 4. That's when we will see if changes are made to field security.
