“This is a dream come true” – BYU students go crazy for Big Noon Kickoff in Provo

Many students have difficulty waking up for early classes. But at BYU, getting up before sunrise to attend a nationally televised pregame show is apparently no problem at all.

Fox's “Big Noon Kickoff” traveled to LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday before the 14th-ranked Cougars' game against Arizona, and although the tailgate began at 6:30 a.m. and the live broadcast began 90 minutes later, it was A sea of ​​Kings Blue flooded the West Stadium parking lot and witnessed the largest pre-show crowd in Kickoff history.

“We only go to college once, BYU is 5-0 and Fox is in town,” said BYU student Garrett Glauser. “Why shouldn’t we be here?”

Glauser's tailgate experience began well before dawn on Saturday morning.

He and his friends waited in line for the event, which began at 11 a.m. Friday, and were eventually joined by hundreds of other students and fans who camped out overnight to make sure they were seen on Fox's cameras. as soon as the show went live.

“Every Saturday morning I would switch between GameDay and Fox and just enjoy college football and all the hype that comes with it,” Shawn McDougal said. “When they announced Fox was coming to Provo, I didn’t believe it at first, I was so excited. Why not spend the night for it? I never thought they would come to BYU. This is a dream come true.”

Overnight campers set up tents, set up hammocks and even had projectors showing Friday's game between Utah and Arizona State – and there were loud celebrations following the Utes' 27-19 loss.

Penina Nacua — the mother of current Cougars receiver Tei Nacua and Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua — even skipped the line to serve hungry fans a hefty amount of fast food.

When the live broadcast finally began Saturday morning, Fox analysts were surprised by the overwhelming initial noise from the BYU supporters.

The crowd screamed, sang, danced and shook the floor as if the set was a nightclub. The game against Arizona wouldn't begin for another six hours, but fans acted as if the Cougars had just won by three touchdowns.

According to students, BYU's 5-0 start to the season has electrified the campus, especially given the surprise it all entailed.

Over the summer, the Cougars were ranked 13th in the Big 12 preseason poll, and now they're being discussed as legitimate contenders to make it to the conference championship game.

“It was crazy to see that they were only going to win four or five games all season, now that’s just crazy,” Glauser said. “Expectations were really low all summer and to have them perform now was crazy.”

Fellow student Trevor Wach added, “It just shows the culture that Kalani (Sitake) has built for this team.”

Speaking of Sitake, he made a cameo appearance on “Kickoff,” where he was hailed like a hero by his hometown fans and shared a tender moment with his friend, Fox analyst and former Utah head coach Urban Meyer, whose presence drew many boos in Provo.

“If your rival likes you, you’re doing something wrong,” joked Meyer, who went undefeated against BYU in his two seasons at the helm of Utah football.

Other notable guests included Texas head coach and former Cougar Steve Sarkisian – who appeared virtually before his team's Red River Rivalry match against Oklahoma – and Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, who praised current BYU passer Jake Retzlaff for his performance so far in the Year 2024 praised.

And of course there was Cosmo the cougar, who arrived by parachute, hurdled Young and three of his fellow analysts, performed his famous push-up stunt at the table, and ended the morning with a jump through a ring of fire.

To some casual observers, Cosmo's antics were shocking. But in Provo, locals call it “Saturday.”

As much fun as the fans had with their cheers, signs and more during “Kickoff,” a win over Arizona to move to 6-0 and potentially move into the top 10 of the AP poll would be a whole different level of hysteria around Cougar Trigger City.

While BYU students say they're having a lot of fun with the recent football buzz, they're equally happy that the players are having fun too.

“You can tell they’re all very united and having fun,” said student Brock Fillmore. “Of course they want to win and work hard, but on the sidelines they are not overly stressed, they work together, they love each other and there is a real brotherhood. They get the audience hyped, it just motivates the audience to create more hype and it gives the team more energy.”