- BYU coach Kalani Sitake acknowledges the significance of the BYU-Utah rivalry.
- Former Utah players Carsen Ryan and Keanu Tanuvasa emphasize the game's importance.
- The rivalry fosters community bonds despite competitive tensions, highlighting personal connections.
PROVO — BYU coach Kalani Sitake could try and convince his team that Saturday's game is just like every other football game, and at the most basic level, it is.
The 15th-ranked Cougars will try to score more points than the other team on offense, or hold down their opponent on defense, and both sides will be battling for the win.
But Sitake and his coaching staff know that Saturday's rivalry tilt with No. 23 Utah (6 p.m. MDT, FOX) isn't just "any other game." So he doesn't try to pass it off as anything but.
"This is rivalry week, a homecoming, and it's going to be a lot of fun," he said. "Obviously, there are a lot of connections between BYU and Utah … but that's no different than what you see at a household here in this state.
"It makes a lot of sense when we're in the Big 12 together, to be in the same conference and to do this every year."
That's not just coach speak, either. He really feels that way.
The truth is, this game matters — a lot. And it matters to both teams.
Just take it from two of the Cougars who wore red in it last year.
"For both sides, it's a big deal. It's a big game," said BYU tight end Carsen Ryan, the former American Fork standout who played at Utah a year ago after transferring from UCLA. "You want to go and win that game and give it your all.
"We try to treat it like every other team, not just make it more than it is," he added. "Keep our same routine, our same process, and not try to be different. Just be who we are through 6-0, and hope we can get to 7-0."
Still, Ryan acknowledges it's not "just another game." The rivalry has split communities, neighborhoods, families and more for generations — and often times brought them back together days later in church meetings, in school, and at work.
That will most likely be the case for Ryan, who still holds several close friendship from his lone season at the U. He still talks to a lot of his former teammates, though he admits he has reached out to them this week — and probably won't.
"It's crazy because a lot of us are family, friends, old teammates," he said. "We all know each other. That's what makes it more fun, too."
Ryan has been one of the stars of the BYU offense through its second consecutive 6-0 start, the first in program history.
The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Orem native has 14 catches for 211 yards and two touchdowns in five games, and also excels as one of the team's top blockers, in addition to a team co-captain.
There's an argument that he's been more impactful than BYU's other Utah transfer from the spring, though few may want to tell the 6-foot-4, 300-pound defensive tackle to his face. The tight end with the family-inspired No. 20 jersey won't, for sure.
Truth is, Keanu Tanuvasa has been a foundation for BYU's defensive line, after arriving with his share of cyber abuse — particularly online and via social media — when the former missionary on BYU's campus announced his intent to transfer south in the spring.
He's been the target of insults, stinging rebukes, and allegations that he only jumped for promises of more name, image and likeness money — claims both Tanuvasa and his father Shawn, who played football at the U., have tried to refute.
But that was a long time ago, right? Maybe that's all water under the bridge? Or will it keep coming up, even Saturday night?
"I think it's both," said Tanuvasa, a defensive captain with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack in six games, "and I know that can seem contradictory. But I recognize that there are moments that people are going to say things, and communication is a huge part of this field. Recognizing that mental strength has to be a battle we fight amidst a lot of voices.
"But it is also a blessing to have some extra fuel to add to the fire — as long as it's siphoned into the proper focus."
Tanuvasa admits he'll probably do some trash talking on the field Saturday night, and he expects the same from many of his friends still at the U. But he's also kept in touch with most of them, attended some of their weddings in the summer — and he'll give some of them a hug after, win or lose.
Because that's also how the BYU-Utah rivalry works, or at least should.
"I'm sure I'll hear from these guys, considering they know a lot about me and I know a lot about them," he said. "But it wouldn't be a competition any other way."
