This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Provo • Southern Utah University football players and their fans are understandably excited about Saturday's intrastate game against BYU, the first meeting on the gridiron between schools 208 miles apart.

The weather is expected to be ideal for a mid-November afternoon, and it should be the largest crowd to ever watch the Thunderbirds play, somewhere around 60,000 spectators. Attendance at LaVell Edwards Stadium should surpass the 57,745 sun-baked souls who watched California knock off the T-Birds 50-31 in 2012 at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif.

But what about the Cougars, who are also 5-4? Can they get revved up for an opponent from the lower-level Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) after playing six Power 5 conference schools and three upper-tier Group of 5 schools?

That remains to be seen, but it is not unlike the usual November dilemma for independent BYU, which is playing for nothing more than pride and bowl eligibility as it enters a three-game homestand.

Offensive coordinator Ty Detmer, a newcomer to the annual November numbness that Cougar fans have come to dread — hey, at least the next two games are in the afternoon, instead of 8:15 p.m. — worried about an emotional drop-off.

"I kind of came in yesterday for practice thinking, 'OK, this will be the first time we are not very good in practice, so maybe they need a wakeup call to let them know we are going to have to play these last three games,' " Detmer said.

Didn't happen.

"We came out and practiced hard," Detmer said. "There was never any sign of let up or things like that. … The attitude of the players is we want to finish it the right way. We have a lot of seniors, and these might be the last three games that we play in. So, they are geared up and want to make plays and fly around and end it the right way."

The Cougars also know that SUU players have a chip on their collective shoulders because two teammates — offensive linemen Keyan Norman and Andrew Eide — and two former coaches, Ed Lamb and Jernaro Gilford, bolted Cedar City for Provo to be a part of a bigger program.

"We're fighting for the guys that stayed here with us," standout T-Bird receiver Mike Sharp told The Spectrum. "A couple of guys left us and that hurt just as bad. … This game is going to be about … us who stayed true to here."

Lamb, Gilford, Norman, Eide and safety Micah Hanneman, whose brother Kyle starts at safety for SUU, spent much of the week telling their fellow Cougars that the T-birds are capable of springing the upset.

"We definitely respect SUU," Hannemann said. "I was at their first game against Utah [a 24-0 loss] because we didn't have a game, and they battled against Utah and could have won the game. … We will treat it like any other game that we've played this year."

Offensive lineman Parker Dawe said the Cougars are motivated to "finish on a high note" and keep the program's momentum going into next year.

"The games we did lose, we lost by a total of eight points, so I think Cougar Nation should be excited about that, and that is with this first-year coaching staff," Dawe said. "It's been awesome."

Added linebacker Francis Bernard: "We see SUU as just as good as any other opponent we have faced. We're hoping for good turnout."

So are the T-birds.

Twitter: @drewjay —

BYU vs. Southern Utah

P At LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo

Kickoff • 1 p.m.

TV • BYUtv

Radio • 1160 AM, 102.7 FM, Sirius XM 143

Records • BYU 5-4, Southern Utah 5-4

Series history • First meeting

About the Thunderbirds • Quarterback Patrick Tyler has completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 1,874 yards and 17 touchdowns, with just five interceptions. … Mike Sharp is their leading receiver with 63 catches for 744 yards and nine touchdowns. Malik Brown is their leading rusher with 142 carries for 839 yards and five touchdowns.

About the Cougars • They are 32-6 in November over the past 10 seasons, including last week's 20-3 win at Cincinnati. … They are 18th in the country in third-down conversions, succeeding on 47.4 percent of their third-down opportunities. … RB Jamaal Williams is eighth in the country in rushing yards per game, 129.3. … DB Kai Nacua is tied for second in the country in interceptions, with five.