This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

My preview of Thursday night's BYU-Boise State football clash was just posted online and can also be read in Thursday morning's printed version of The Salt Lake Tribune.

Generally, the theme that has developed this week as the Cougars have prepared for their fourth trip to The Blue of Albertsons Stadium — not far from Zoo Boise — is that this is now a rivalry game for both sides. They are probably realizing that they will play each other every year through 2023, like it or not (and barring a change in conference affiliation and/or independence).

"They are a good program, we are a good program and there is a lot of history at both places," BYU QB Taysom Hill said Monday. "We were talking about it today before practice: I don't know if BYU has ever won up there. I could be wrong (he's not, the Cougars are 0-3 in the Treasure Valley). t least in my time here at BYU, we've won every game here and they've won every game there, so I think it's a great opportunity for us to go up there and get a W."

Hill also said facing another hostile crowd — similar to Utah's, in the way that it gets personal and vitriolic — is not really something the Cougars have discussed since beating Mississippi State 28-21 in overtime last Friday.

"We know it is going to be loud, but we have done this so many times, so this isn't new for us. We just gotta make sure that we play a clean football game, and the focus will be on us this week, making sure that we execute. I don't think they are going to do anything we haven't seen before, so as long as we target the right guys, make the right calls, I think the only thing that can really stop us will be us. And it will be a good challenge because Boise State likes to switch things up, and it is loud."

More comments from BYU players and coaches on what Boise State brings to the table, and whether it has emerged as a rival for BYU:

Defensive end Sae Tautu: "Yeah, it is a fun game to prepare for. Their school is real close to ours. I am sure in recruiting, they recruit a lot of the same guys. I know a bunch of their players. Some of them grew up close to my family. It is cool to play against those guys."

Tautu on playing in Boise: "The last couple of times we've played them, I have always had that in my mind and played a little bit harder in the game. So, going back there, I'm prepared for trick plays. I'm prepared for the environment. I'm excited to get out there with this team and our new scheme and give them everything we got."

Tight end Tanner Balderree on where he would put Boise State on the scale of BYU's rivals: "It is up there. It is one of the top five in my book, at leastt … It's always been a back and forth battle; they beat us one year, and we beat them the next. It is a rivalry. It's a big game for us, and I am sure it's a big game for them. It is one of the bigger games for them and their schedule, I think."

Receiver Moroni Laulu-Pututau on playing in hostile environments: "Oh I love it. My first game during my freshman year was Nebraska and that was so fun. So fun. I thought I was going to be nervous, but it ended up just being a blast. It's what you dream of so it's what I expect and I wouldn't expect anything less, honestly. … I feel like we treat everyone as a rival, honestly. We've been playing this season with a chip on our shoulder and with a lot of stuff to prove, so I mean I would hold them at the same level as anyone else."

Linebacker Francis Bernard on whether it is a rivalry: "I would say so. I personally don't understand the whole thing about them. But just listening to the other players, they have talked almost as if it is a rivalry game, going there and coming here, it has been good games.

Coach Kalani Sitake on whether he likes the 12-game series, which is in its fifth year: "Oh yeah, of course. I have tons of respect for Boise. They have great, passionate fans, a great program. They have done some great things as a team and has a tradition that has been established the past couple of decades. They have some really good things going on with their program: a great coaching staff and talent. So we talked about playing the best. They are definitely up there. So it is an honor for us to have that tradition of playing them. I don't know exactly how long it is, but yeah, we love to play them every year, because they are a great team."