My wife and I bought season tickets, perhaps for this contingency. She has attended all the games with my son Zach when I cover games. This past one, though, she gave up her seat for me to go with Zach.

Our “fan experience” actually started the night before as we watched the movie “Rudy.” It was the first time for Zach but I’ve seen it several times. I told him Rudy Ruettiger had actually converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and was reportedly living in Highland in northern Utah County.

Admittedly we didn’t wake up in time for ESPN College GameDay to see Pat McAfee rip off his shirt and predict the Cougars to win or BYU student Carter Smith’s kick through the uprights to win $3 million. Smith donned his Spider Man outfit and drilled the kick from 33-yards (on his second try) with plenty of distance to spare. Football Hall of Famer and BYU legend Steve Young returned to his roots and stood with McAfee to make the bold prediction BYU would upset the Fighting Irish.

Zach and I arrived at the stadium around 3:30 p.m. to our parking space by the BYU Art Museum. Unfortunately we weren’t there in time for the Cougar Walk or where fans can greet the coaches, players and other team personnel as they arrive at the stadium. But we still enjoyed some of the festivities on the field south of the stadium. As Cougar Club members we made our way over to that particular tent, got a key chain for being there and I beat Zach in a game of Connect 4.

Plenty of businesses had space for their employees to gather and eat and there were many other things to do, though there were also lengthy lines to do it. Some of activities ranged from miniature golf to bouncy slides to hitting plastic golf balls with Velcro to stick them on the wall. While playing Connect 4 I was hit by a wayward shot and shouted over with a smile, “yell ‘Fore!’ next time.”

As BYU fans are well aware of, Canyon Road on the west side of the stadium is closed and serves as a walkway of sorts with food trucks, more games and tents, and of course, a rock band. We took in three songs by The Blood Hounds including their rendition of “You Really Got Me” in Van Halen style.

As we made our way down the walkway through the sea of humanity, while stuck in traffic I talked with a Notre Dame fan. He came all the way to Provo from Los Angeles. He said he was having a great time, his first visit to Utah County and reported the people here were nice.

While walking up to our seats, I chatted with another couple that were supporters of the Fighting Irish that made their way from Illinois. The husband was donning a Notre Dame Joe Montana jersey and I told him we watched “Rudy” last night but I guess Montana, who was on the team with Ruettiger, didn’t particularly like the movie or some of the liberties taken by Hollywood.

It was also great to bump into some friends from my old neighborhood and the parents of two former wrestlers I coached, all of us donning blue.

We made our way to our seats in the north end zone with enough time to see the teams warm up a bit. The intensity and energy even then was palpable. The marching band, the fireworks, and the flyover were well done as always and we waited eagerly for the game to start. Those responsible for the production deserve accolades as BYU puts on a great show with my personal favorite being fire dancers between the third and fourth quarter. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect and the sunset was beautiful.

Of course, no need to tell you what happened in the game. But it was fun to cut loose and boo the referees, scream at the top of my lungs when Notre Dame faced a third or fourth down, or even engage in some analysis with fans around me that were also perplexed by Coach Kalani Sitake’s decision to do a fake punt.

No, I didn’t storm the field like thousands of others, though I did so in 1990 when BYU beat Miami. These two games had many similarities but also some differences. The Miami game was earlier in the season and the Canes were ranked No. 1 and the returning national champions. This contest against Notre Dame was midway in the season and the incredible victory has catapulted the Cougars to No. 2 in the AP poll.

The crowd for both games was large and loud but undoubtedly the production values of games in 2026 are much different. Between every play and certainly every timeout something is going on. Zach enjoyed playing the tug-o-war game on his phone helping the north side top the south side. But in the end, the game itself, and its thrilling outcome, was certainly the main event, something this 61 year-old will always cherish as one of the greatest college sporting events I have personally witnessed. And to have my son Zach there with me was really, really cool!

It made me think of my own father, who was able to get tickets for every BYU vs. Utah game from 1978 to 1996. It didn’t matter if the game was in Provo or Salt Lake he found tickets and those games, where our family had divided loyalties which brought out its own dynamic, remain cherished memories. As this game with my son will always be.

Zach and I took our time leaving the stadium, soaking it all in, snapping a final selfie with the football field filled with humans from end-to-end in the background. The uphill walk back to our car was also fun, cars honking, people cheering and chanting.

It all served as an appropriate epilogue to an incredible night of just being one of the Cougar faithful.