Late in a BYU-Arizona soccer match in Tucson, with the score tied 1-1, the crowd noise from the Cougar side of the stadium got the broadcasters’ attention. That was the moment, in the author’s home office, that prompted the warning: “Don’t do it. Don’t say it.”
They said it anyway.
“BYU fans sure travel well!”
It is a line that seems to surface in every BYU broadcast, no matter the sport. Football.
Basketball. Volleyball.
Baseball. Softball.
Soccer. Even cross country.
The reality, though, is usually less glamorous than the phrase suggests. A lot of those fans were already there because they live in the area, or somewhere close enough to make the trip without much drama.
BYU’s reach is still real. The Cougars have a worldwide fanbase, helped by the school’s affiliation with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that gives them a home-crowd feel in plenty of places. But that doesn’t mean the stands are packed with jet-setters hopping from one BYU event to the next.
At Big 12 road games, many Cougar fans are simply locals from Texas, Kansas, Florida, Arizona, Colorado and beyond who show up whenever BYU comes to town. The same thing shows up on the “Y’s Guys” livestream, where BYU supporters have checked in recently from Iceland, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, France, Singapore, Kuwait, Italy, Argentina, Chile, Panama, Canada and all over the United States. Some even join from 30,000 feet during cross-country flights.
So yes, BYU fans are everywhere. The broadcast booth just doesn’t always seem ready to admit what that actually means.
That misconception is likely to resurface again Saturday, when BYU heads to Amon G. Carter Stadium to face TCU and a large group of Texas Cougar fans fills the stands. It would not be a surprise if an ESPN announcer marvels, “How about these BYU fans … they sure travel well.”
Part of the confusion comes from the way BYU has been winning. The Cougars have taken 26 of their last 30 games, often on the road, and when the fourth quarter gets late and the stadium starts emptying, the remaining noise usually comes from BYU backers. They make themselves heard.
That’s why the line keeps sticking. It will probably follow BYU if the program ends up playing internationally as a Big 12 member, too.
London. Mexico City.
Anywhere the church footprint is strong enough to fill a building. The same refrain will probably show up again: “Oh, those traveling BYU fans!”
The second idea that keeps getting repeated is the one about BYU being an older team than everybody else, especially in football. There is some truth in it. This season, 64 players on the roster have served church missions, and kicker Matthias Dunn and his wife have two children.
But the broader claim doesn’t hold up the way people like to say it does. BYU does not even crack the top 25 oldest teams in college football.
Per rotowire.com, the Cougars are tied for No. 43.
Within the Big 12, they sit squarely in the middle of the pack, No. 9 out of 16 in average age. Oklahoma State is the oldest team in the league at 20.74 years old, followed by UCF, Colorado, Kansas, Baylor, Texas Tech, Arizona and Iowa State. BYU’s average age is 20.42, just ahead of Kansas State, Utah and Arizona State.
Still, the old BYU label hangs around. Opposing coaches and announcers love to lean on the idea that the Cougars are just older, more mature, and therefore somehow built differently. The line gets repeated so often it has become its own kind of shorthand.
But the numbers do not back up the myth.
This is a different BYU football team, and head coach Kalani Sitake has kept the program rooted in its core values while still pushing it forward. The Cougars are No. 10, 3-0, and the team is said to be younger, stronger and deeper than before.
The bigger target is even more familiar: the notion that BYU does not belong among college football’s elite. That is the misconception the Cougars are trying to erase, and the path to doing it is simple enough to state and hard enough to achieve - make the College Football Playoff on a regular basis and win.
For now, that puts this week’s game at TCU at the center of the season. BYU will need to look older and wiser than its reputation suggests.
And if the Cougars get help from the crowd, so be it. Plenty of fans will be there to make noise, which means the old line will probably get another run.
“BYU travels so well.”
Cliches are tough to change, but not impossible.
In Other News...
BYU Just Added Another Twist Before A Huge Trip To TCU
BYU is keeping its weekly uniform reveal rolling, and the Cougars will bring another new look into a major Big 12 road game at TCU. The team announced it will wear all white with royal trim and royal helmets, continuing a season-long pattern of changing things up every week. It is the fourth different combination BYU has used in as many games, another small wrinkle as the Cougars head into one of the more important trips on the schedule.
The setting at TCU adds to the intrigue, with weather expected to factor into the matchup and both teams carrying recent results that give the game a little extra weight. BYU has already shown it is willing to mix style with substance, but the real test will be whether the new uniform comes with the same edge on the field. For a team still settling into the rhythm of conference play, every detail matters, including what the Cougars are wearing when they walk into Fort Worth. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Made An Early Move That Could Shake Up Safety Competition
During BYUs bye week, safeties coach Demario Warren made an early move in the recruiting market by extending a scholarship offer to JUCO safety Jadyn Hudson of the College of San Mateo. Hudson brings some real intrigue to the position room as a former UCLA freshman and four-star recruit, and he has already drawn an offer from Western Michigan as well.
For BYU, the timing matters because the Cougars are still sorting out depth and competition at safety, and Hudson fits the profile of a player who could help immediately while still offering room to develop. He has three years of eligibility remaining and comes with a reputation for strong ball skills and tackling, two traits that tend to travel well if the Cougars can get him on campus. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Heads To TCU With A Major Offensive Line Concern
BYU heads into its trip to TCU with a key question on the offensive line, as starting right tackle Andrew Gentry is listed as questionable because of injury. The Cougars have had to manage their front five carefully all season, and this latest uncertainty comes at a time when continuity up front matters even more against a conference opponent on the road.
If Gentry cannot go, freshmen Bott Mulitalo and Siosiua Latu-Finau are in line to battle for the spot at right tackle. There is some good news on the injury front, though, with coach Kalani Sitake saying offensive lineman Kyle Sfarcioc, tight end Roger Saleapaga and receiver Tiger Bachmeier are expected back after missing the previous game, giving BYU at least a few more options as it tries to sort out its lineup. [Read more 🡒]