BYU's Austin gets second chance at senior-year rivalry with Utes


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PROVO — Nate Austin's senior-year rivalry game against Utah didn't go like he anticipated, even during pregame warmups.

Austin tore his hamstring while stretching and was carried off the Marriott Center court just moments after the opening tipoff. Then BYU lost to the Utes 65-61 for their second-straight setback to its rival from one county north.

But Austin gets a second chance at his senior season rivalry sendoff Wednesday at 8 p.m. MST at the Huntsman Center.

"Last year, I didn't get to finish or really play in the game, and my first thought after the injury was 'this better not be my last chance to play Utah,'" said Austin, a Lone Peak grad who grew up a BYU fan. "I'm just excited for another opportunity to play against the Utes."

The Cougars (4-1) have little experience playing the annual rivalry series, which has been reduced to one annual meeting since the two schools departed the Mountain West for the Pac-12 and West Coast conferences. With only three seniors after Austin received a medical redshirt to play one final season, BYU has just five players who have experience playing in the red-blue matchup in Austin, Kyle Collinsworth, Chase Fischer, Corbin Kaufusi and Jake Toolson.

That's a significant number for what head coach Dave Rose called a big game, no matter the two schools' conference affiliation.

"I think the only way you can really feel it is to experience it," Rose said. "It's a great road venue, and it's been that way for years. We had a couple of years where we had a lot of fans because there were tickets available. But there are no tickets available now, and so it will be all Utah fans. There's a real challenge that the personalities of teams will take on these road experiences."

Photo: Hugh Carey, Deseret News (file photo)
Photo: Hugh Carey, Deseret News (file photo)

The even-keeled, 10-year BYU head coach tries to approach each game with intensity and passion. But even he admitted the Cougars' matchup with the Utes is important.

"If (the players are) telling you they approach this like it's any other game, I think they're probably trying to make sure they keep their emotions in check," Rose said. "This is a really important game, and I think that the preparation is more intense, there's urgency in practice, and our practice this week has been really good.

"They know a lot about us, and we know a lot about them. Hopefully our guys can perform at their highest level."

Utah State transfer Kyle Davis is one of the 11 players on the roster who hasn't played against the Utes. But the Alta High graduate, who has three double-doubles in his first five games with BYU, is originally from Provo so he knows the legacy expected of him in this all-time series that the Cougars lead 129-127.

"I'm really excited," said Davis, who leads the Cougars with 12.0 rebounds per game. "It's fun to be a part of this rivalry. I grew up in Provo and got to watch it growing up. I'm excited to be a part of it and in front of a great crowd."

Maybe some of the less-experienced BYU players can take a cue from Austin about the rivalry atmosphere, which has taken on a new meaning since Larry Krystkowiak has brought Utah to a recent resurgence.

"It means a lot to me. I've grown up with the rivalry in football and basketball," Austin said. "We're going up to Utah to play a great team, and to me it means a lot. I'm loving blue, and hating red, and that's how I was raised."

The Cougars may be better equipped to handle this year's Utes as well, with five double-figure scorers including Collinsworth's 15.6 points and freshman Nick Emery's 15.4 points per game.

"The fact that we are a more balanced scoring team helps," Rose said. "They're a balanced team, and always have a good game plan going in. But we've been able to balance it out a bit more, too."

Collinsworth knows the Utah game is important. But he also tried to take a season-long outlook on BYU's upcoming stretch, which will see BYU play eight of the next 10 games away from the Marriott Center.

"It would mean a lot. It's a big game," said Collinsworth, who also averages 9.2 rebounds and a team-high 6.2 assists per game. "But more importantly, it's the next game for us and it's huge for us to get momentum. We've got four big games before we go to Hawaii, and it would be huge for us to win every one of those."

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