State Your Case: Was the MUSS justified in rushing the field?
Jason Borba:
Over the weekend the Utah Utes hosted the then-No. 25 BYU Cougars. The Utes won the game 24-21 and the fans stormed the field. Some people like my colleague here believe what the Utah fans did was a little out of line.
I’m here to tell you that the Utah fans had the right to rush the field. I don’t care if Utah has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including three straight and are 56-34-4 overall over BYU. Every time these two teams play there is always a reason to storm the field if you’re on the winning side.
Utah vs. BYU is a rivalry, it is the Holy War and on top of all that BYU was ranked nationally. What other reasons do you need to rush the field?
None.
Although the Utes storming the field almost cost their team the victory, in the end it was the perfect ending to a great game. The only thing Utah fans need to work on is not rushing the field prematurely. It only took them three times to get it right.
Plain and simple, these two schools don’t like each other. Utah refers to BYU as the school down south. The Holy War is the biggest rivalry in the state of Utah. Sorry Aggie fans, our so-called rivalries with BYU and Utah mean nothing to them. We are still the little brother. Eventually it will mean something, but as of right now those two are each others’ main rival.
The storming of the field or court is a college tradition. It’s what makes the college experience so much different than that of the NFL or NBA. After a big win it’s always great to make the jump onto the field to celebrate with your fellow fans and players.
– jborba@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @JBorba15
Curtis Lundstrom
There is a time for rushing the field. Saturday’s gridiron Holy War wasn’t it.
Think of everytime you’ve ever seen or been a part of a crowd rushing the field. I’m willing to bet whatever instance you just thought of fits one of the following situations.
A championship game: When a team wins a title, rushing the field is a given. It’s part of the celebration. You might even see it in a semi or quarterfinal game, if it’s a big enough upset. Which leads into the next scenario…
The upset: When a top or high-ranked team falls, you can bet the fans are going to rush the field. It doesn’t matter if it’s an unranked team beating a top 10 team or No. 2 beating a No. 1., but it needs to be a major upset.
This situation includes examples like last week when the Aggies upset Utah. It’s been a lopsided rivalry. To get your first win over a team in 15 seasons – a stretch of 12 straight losses – requires the rush.
I know BYU was ranked, but the Cougars haven’t beaten any teams of consequence to garner that No. 25 ranking and were only slight favorites going in. Add in the fact the Utes lead the all-time series 56-34-4, including a 13-7 edge in the past 20 years, and I just can’t justify rushing the field.
It wasn’t stupid – like BYU rushing the field against 1-3 Utah State last season – and it wasn’t regrettable. It just wasn’t the right time.
But it’s not a big deal since it created what will be one of the most memorable games in college history. Hopefully it resuscitates a rivalry on the ropes and one of the most storied rivalries in sports.
– curtis.lundstrom@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @curtislundstrom