Urban Meyer once went 'all in' on BYU rivalry as Utah's coach, and in many ways he still is

PROVO — Urban Meyer was a relative novice to the Beehive State when he was named the head coach at the University of Utah, or at least his understanding of the rivalry with BYU was, by his own admission.

But he soon learned from his then-defensive coordinator (and current Utah head coach) Kyle Whittingham — an All-WAC linebacker at BYU under legendary coach LaVell Edwards — and his players that "this is a deep one."

So Meyer matched the intensity of "the nastiest of them all" by removing the blue pens and markers from coaching offices, covering any "Y" around the facility, and eventually going 2-0 against the "team down south" before taking his next job at Florida.

All thanks to his defensive coordinator.

"Kyle Whittingham, because he played here in Provo, his eyes changed color," said Meyer, who will introduce the game to a national audience as part of FOX's "Big Noon Kickoff" pregame show Saturday morning. "This is an emotion-filled game. This is a nasty one.

"I know Whittingham and coach Sitake are close," he added. "But this is very personal to these two."

Meyer knew rivalries when he got to Salt Lake City. He's coached in USC-Notre Dame, Florida-Florida State, Florida-Georgia, and Ohio State-Michigan. He got to Utah in 2003 after coaching at Bowling Green, which holds a strong rivalry of its own with Toledo.

But Saturday's contest between No. 15 BYU (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) and No. 23 Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) will also likely play a key role in the Big 12 standings (6 p.m. MDT, FOX).

Utah had won eight of the previous 31 meetings with BYU before Meyer arrived, and Whittingham, as well as current defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley who was a safety on those teams, gave him a crash course into a series that former coach Ron McBride brought back to some level of respectability.

Two years later, Meyer took the Florida job after going 22-2 with the Utes, including a pair of frigid rivalry wins in late November.

Meyer is also all in on his successor at the U., who is 172-87 and 11-5 in the rivalry game in two decades, which includes two Pac-12 championships and an undefeated season in 2008.

"He's as good of a football coach as I've ever been around," Meyer said of Whittingham. "When we worked together, I tell people those are my favorite two years I've ever had. I loved the state of Utah. Obviously, we woke up a sleeping giant in the Utes, and he's continued that success — in the Mountain West, in the Pac-12 and now in the Big 12.

"He's a phenomenal coach, a phenomenal friend," he added. "And I know for legacy, he wants this one bad."

He's also become friends with Sitake, who joined Whittingham's staff at Utah in 2005 as a linebackers coach and rose to become his defensive coordinator and assistant head coach before eventually taking over at his alma mater.

"He came to visit me a few times when I was at Florida, and I love the guy," he said. "He's a great coach; I didn't realize they were 17-2 the last 19 games. This is one of the top games in college football. ... I'm really glad this is Big Noon, on national television, and the entire country gets to feel this rivalry."

Meyer has nothing but good memories from his time in Salt Lake City, which launched a career at Florida and Ohio State that included three national championships, three Big Ten titles and a pair of SEC titles.

But he also remembers the state full of "the greatest people" who for four hours every year went all in on the game.

And he's shared that with his "Big Noon Kickoff" colleagues.

"We've gone to enough BYU and Utah games, and (Meyer) has made us very aware that neither of these teams like each other," said FOX Sports analyst Brady Quinn, a former Notre Dame quarterback. "Two very good, well-coached programs — we're excited for this one.

"It's nasty," he added. "We were talking in a meeting with words like respect. But he was like, no; the fans are nasty at each other."

But for as much as he appreciates the sheer passion of the rivalry, there's one thing Meyer would prefer to change.

"In all seriousness, the love I have for this state, my respect for BYU and for Utah, is immense," he said. "I was crushed when they took this from the last game of the season. This game should be played on Thanksgiving, and it should be played for the Beehive. It should be, but there are a lot of things moving nowadays."

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