Morgan Scalley embraces different tone ahead of highest-ranked rivalry game

SALT LAKE CITY — In a rivalry game often called the "Holy War," Utah head coach Morgan Scalley is hoping for a different tone ahead of what is being considered the biggest game between the two teams in its history.

And while there's a religion that is shared by many fans, players and coaches, Scalley believes "we make too much of that" as part of the football game.

"There are young men playing on both teams that aren't LDS, and there are fans that aren't LDS," Scalley said. "There are fans and there's players; and at the end of the day, does God care who wins this game? No. Does he care about people? Yeah, and so I think we can be better to each other in that realm."

For the first-year head coach at Utah, he hopes more people can embrace the actual game — the competition on the field — rather than the toxicity that can often persist in the 24/7, 365-days rivalry banter. He also recognizes that he was part of that "hatred" as a player, where a comment he made as a senior became part of rivalry lore.

He hopes that becomes more ancient history and not a constant aspect of what is a game.

"It's mine and Kalani's hope that this thing can be more civil," he said. "The hatred, the toxicity that is spewed from both sides, to me it's not good for the rivalry. What makes it great is it's competitive, it's the back and forth.

"It's the fact that, look at us, in one state within 30 minutes of each other we're sitting here ranked in the top 10; that's awesome. No other state can say that. So much respect for Kalani and that crew, and we expect a great matchup. But that's, in my opinion — those things are what make the rivalry great is that it's been competitive throughout the years."

At the end of the day, it's a football game — one that divides the state for a Saturday each season.

It's a game, though, that often comes down to the wire and features several prominent endings — Beck to Harline, Jason Shelley's fourth-quarter comeback, rushing the field as fans three times, Austin Collie's fourth-and-18, Utah's goal-line stop of Taysom Hill, a controversial holding penalty that flipped the game.

Those are the moments everyone in the rivalry remembers. Previous records and results are thrown out the window; each game brings a unique environment that is far from predictable.

And on Saturday, there's potential for another epic chapter to be written in one of the best rivalries in the country.

The two teams meet with arguably the largest stakes on the line. Utah enters the game with an unblemished record and a No. 3 ranking in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, while BYU enters with a No. 7 ranking and an intent to reclaim the top spot in the Big 12.

Both teams also share the same goal: win the Big 12 and be included in their first-ever College Football Playoff. The game on Saturday could very well be the deciding game for that chance.

Only four previous rivalry meetings have featured both team as ranked opponents, with the two teams split on the results at 2-2. Additionally, Utah is 0-7 when facing a top-10 BYU team, and BYU is 0-2 when facing a top-10 Utah team.

Never have the two teams both been inside the top 10 of the rankings.

"It's going to be heck of a matchup," Scalley said. "Early, 10 a.m., but I know our fans are juiced and fired up, and they'll be there early and excited for this one. We expect a huge crowd and a huge viewing audience, as well."

And though it's expected to be a "huge" matchup, and an important one in the makeup of the Big 12 standings, Scalley hopes to convey to his team that it's simply one game out of 12 this season. Changing how the team approaches Saturday only complicates the preparation for the game and poses a risk to the success the team has already built this season.

Scalley believes his team can be a legitimate contender for a national championship, and making one Saturday in November the biggest game of the season only puts added pressure to a long season.

"This is a big one," he said. "It's not the big one. It's a big one, just like last week was a big one. There's only the big one. I keep hearing people say this is the big one. Nope, the big one only two (remaining) teams play. So it is a big one, and we're excited for it.

"Our guys are very aware that nothing's given to you," he added. "We're not owed anything, owed a ranking, owed this, owed that. No one owes you anything. You go earn it every single day. Every game matters. And when you say, 'OK, well, this one it really doesn't matter.' How do you know? The end of the season, that one loss could have ruined your entire chances."

Utah fell just short of its goals last season while still winning 10 games, which is why Scalley preaches that "every game matters." The BYU game certainly matters, but so does next week's game against Arizona or the final two games of the regular season. Each can be a decider to Utah's story this season.

"Every game matters, and no one owes you anything," Scalley said. "You go earn it every single day, and the minute you stop being hungry is the minute someone that's hungrier than you comes in and takes what you have."

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