He has ties to the area, knows the LDS angle and how to sell it at Utah. He is loyal to Utah and they were able to retain him during their glory years. He wasn't using Utah as a stepping stone. Most of all he knows how to beat BYU. He puts a lot of effort into the rivalry game. Losing the rivalry game last year on top of that season may have ended his tenure. BYU and Stanford saved his skin. He doesn't have his automatic BYU win this year to count on.