I was fresh off my mission by only a few months. My family had tickets and were planning on going to the game. I was living a few hours away from Provo, so i didn't originally have a ticket. The day before the game, my dad calls me up and tells me there is a guy in his ward that is a season ticket holder for Utah that has tickets to the game and can't go. I of course decided to use them. My friend and I get to the game and soon realize our seats are in the NW corner of the stadium, smack in the middle of the visiting crowd. (I've re-watched the game and been able to pick us out, 2 little blue specks in a sea of red). Right from the beginning of the game we realized this was a hostile environment. It was more than just banter back and forth. There were vile things said, loudly enough for our whole section to hear them. There was one group of nice fans sitting a couple rows down from us that greeted us kindly and exchanged some jokes and were pleasant people.

As the game wore on in the first half, my friend and I became quite uncomfortable. Every good play BYU made, we had people around us telling us to be quiet, and some even threatening us. By halftime, we had stopped cheering at all, because the experience was unpleasant.

As the second half wore on, more of the same. Lots of poor-natured taunting with people getting in our faces. The section reeked of alcohol (not sure how that's possible, as it's not even sold in LES ;)).

Towards the end of the game, the Utes were up and it was apparent they would win the game. With every good play, people were in our faces from every direction throwing vulgarities and what bothered me the most was the trash talk about my religion and things I hold sacred.

Then, it happened. 4th and 18, Max Hall finds Austin Collie deep down the right side (from our vantage point). The rest of the stadium erupts in joy and we can see people jumping up and down. Our section was, of course, upset with the play. I see one bottle fly over my head down 20 or 30 rows towards the home crowd section below. Not sure where it hit, but had to have hit someone in the head or back. People kind of looking around. No one says or does anything. I can't remember the exact sequence of plays, but I think I remember 2 pass interference calls going our way, with one of them being "questionable"? This time, as the ref is announcing the penalty 2 guys sitting one row in front of us and a few seats over take empty glass bottles (previously filled with booze) out of their coats and hurl a couple of them down towards the same home crowd section. My friend and I are a speechless, we are uncomfortable enough that we aren't even standing to cheer or clap. We are pretty nervous for our safety at this point. We are looking around. There are a few uncomfortable Ute fans around us, but none say or do anything. They all continue booing the referees. Harvey Unga finishes the drive, the crowd goes nuts, BYU wins the game. My friend and I sit still and quiet as the Ute fans around us file out of the stadium before we dare move.

In hindsight, there are things that certainly could have been done differently. I certainly wouldn't sit and watch someone throw things into a crowd at this point in my life, but at the time, I was just too scared and inexperienced. I'm sorry of any of you were hit by something sitting in the lower sections of the crowd on the NW endzone.

This story completely true. While I certainly dislike the Utes prior to this experience, this game takes on a whole new meaning for me since then. I watch most of Utah's games and cheer against them every time. I hope they lose every game they play until they decide to shut down the sports program or the whole university. Max Hall was right.