Gear Up For Game Day: No. 20 Utah Utes

LARAMIE -- The Deseret News referred to the game as a "comedy of errors" with "goofiness" prevailing in the end.

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Utah turned the ball over six times in that 1999 meeting inside Rice-Eccles Stadium. Wyoming scored 23 fourth-quarter points and the combination of Patrick Chukwurah and Jared Jernigan sent the Utes' quarterback to the local hospital in that 43-29 upset.

Darnell Arceneaux suffered what the school called a "massive concussion" after taking that hit in the back of the end zone. The ensuing fumble was pounced on by Cortney Barnes. Cliff Brye sealed the visitor's fifth victory of the season with a 21-yard dash to the end zone with 2:49 remaining. No. 15 BYU would fall in Laramie a week later.

Ron McBride's Utes would go on to claim a share of the regular season Mountain West title and knock off Fresno State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

That's the last time Wyoming won a game in Salt Lake City. Five losses followed, including an unforgettable 50-0 trouncing in 2007. Kyle Whittingham, in response to a mid-week "guarantee" made by the Cowboys' then head coach Joe Glenn, opted for the onside-kick attempt in the third quarter with his team leading by 43.

Whittingham could've also been seeking a little payback after Wyoming pasted the Utes 31-15 a year prior inside War Memorial Stadium.

Glenn, known for his positivity and seemingly permanent smile, was caught on camera flipping off the Utah bench. The conference issued a public reprimand. An apology followed, from both Glenn and Whittingham.

"I met with my team on Sunday and apologized to them for the gesture I made toward the Utah bench during the game," Glenn said in a statement. "I also want to apologize to all fans for that action. Football is an emotional game, and I let my emotions get the best of me. I felt it was appropriate for me to let my team and all fans know that I am truly sorry for that emotional moment."

"My emotions got the best of me, and after thinking about it, I wouldn't have done it, in hindsight," Whittingham told the local media. "But emotions were running high as you could tell — both from what we did and the reaction on the other team. That's the nature of sports, I guess. At times your emotions get in the way of sound decision-making.

"You've got to guard against that. I'm not making excuses. I'm just saying that was what happened."

The Cowboys and Utes will meet Saturday night for the 85th time in a series that dates all the way back to 1900. The rivalry sizzle took a backseat thanks to a dominant decade (10-1) for Utah and the fact that program moved on to the PAC-12 in 2011 and eventually the Big XII in '24.

Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

MORE UW FOOTBALL COVERAGE VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Three Keys to a Wyoming Victory over No. 20 Utah

* UW Announces Improvements for Fans Entering The War

* Can Pokes Solve All-American Tackles to Even Get to Dampier?

* Whittingham Talks Experience as Opposing Player, Coach in Laramie

* PODCAST: Do You Consider Utah a 'Hated' Rival?

* Know Wyoming's Foe: No. 20 Utah Utes

* Sawvel on Dampier: 'I Wish We Were Done With Him'

* Utah' Ron McBride Tasked With Beating Cowboys

Notable University of Utah Alums, Ties:

Did you know Brigham Young himself founded the University of Utah and it opened its doors in 1850? How about that tie?

We know about the laundry list of great football players who called Salt Lake City home in college: Alex Smith, Chris Fuamata-Ma'afala, Eric Weddle, Luther Elliss, Jordan Gross, Steve Smith, Scott Mitchell, Kevin Dyson, Mike Anderson, Jamal Anderson, Larry Wilson, etc, etc, etc.

George Seifert, Super Bowl champion head coach with the San Francisco 49ers, played for the Utes. So did former NFL guard Zane Beadles, who was born in Casper and is the stepson of former Wyoming women's basketball coach Joe Legerski.

Around here, the basketball rivalry between the Pokes and Utes took center stage for a number of years. You remember Andrew Bogut, Andre Miller, Keith Van Horn, Michael Doleac and Luke Nevill.

Chairman and CEO of the Colorado Rockies Charles Monfort also went there.

Mills Lane, famed boxing referee, is a Ute. He was just feet away from Evander Holyfield when Mike Tyson took a chunk out of his ear back in 1997. ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe also transferred to the "U' after a two-year stint at BYU.

The inventor of the artificial heart (Robert Jarvik) and a pioneer in shock trauma treatment (R Adams Cowley) attended Utah. So did the co-creator of the catalytic converter, Rodney Bagley.

Other notables: Ted Bundy (Serial killer), Doug Bowser (CEO of Nintendo America), Karl Rove (Advisor to Pres. George W. Bush), Judy Shelton (Economic Advisor to Pres. Donald Trump) and Denali Foxx (RuPaul's Drag Race).

Former Wyoming wideout Justin Stevenson is currently on the Utah roster after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal this offseason. Jim Harding, the Utes' long-time offensive line coach and top assistant, was in Laramie from 2009-13.

Once upon a time former quarterback Jayden Clemons transferred to UW from Utah. So did guard Brendan Wenzel. He averaged better than eight points per game over a three-year stretch on the Cowboys' basketball team.

The aforementioned Legerski won 314 games during his 17 seasons on the bench inside the Arena-Auditorium. Three times he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year. He led the Cowgirls to an NIT title in 2007 and the following season an NCAA Tournament appearance, the first in program history. Legerski spent the previous 13 seasons as an assistant at Utah.

MORE UW FOOTBALL COVERAGE VIA 7220SPORTS:

* Jaylen Sargent Called Opening-Night Benching a 'Wake-Up Call'

* Tight End Justin Erb Doing All The Dirty Work For Unbeaten Cowboys

* Wyoming Downplaying Renewed Rivalry Matchup with No. 20 Utah

* Utah Notebook: You Again? Dampier Has Been Ultimate Thorn

* Wyoming Legends Recall '93 Barnburner Against Northern Iowa

* Josh Allen Announces His No. 17 Wyoming Jersey Will Be Retired

* Tyce Westland -- Quietly -- Continues to Carve Out His Path

Here is all you need to know -- and the links -- for Saturday's rivalry rewind:

WHO: Utah (2-0, 0-0) at Wyoming (2-0, 0-0)
WHEN: Saturday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. MST
WEATHER: High of 67, low 44, PM Thunderstorms, wind 11 mph
WHERE: War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyo. (25,000-plus capacity)
TRAVEL: WyoRoad.info
STREAMING: CBS
TV: CBS Sports Network
RADIO: Cowboy Sports Network
TICKETS: Wyoming Ticket office
BOX SCORE: ESPN
ROSTERS: Wyoming / Utah
HISTORY: Utah leads all-time series, 51-32-1
BETTING ODDS: Utah -22.5, O/U: 46.5
HEAD COACHES: Jay Sawvel / Kyle Whittingham