Kyle Whittingham knows the way to War Memorial Stadium well.
He also knows he hasn’t always been warmly welcomed when he’s gotten there.
As a player, Whittingham and his BYU teammates played in an October blizzard and lost to the Cowboys. It was, he remembered, “a miserable experience.” Another time, Whittingham’s father, Fred, got too close to a heater on the sideline as he tried to stay warm against the Wyoming cold.
“He got too close to them and his pants caught on fire,” Whittingham rememebred with a chuckle this week.
And, of course, there was the Utes’ infamous 55-0 win over the Cowboys in 2007, when Whittingham called for an onside kick with his team up by 43 in the third quarter. It was a move that prompted Joe Glenn, Wyoming’s coach at the time, to wave goodbye to his counterpart with a single finger.
So as Utes make their to War Memorial Stadium this weekend, their coach knows what kind of challenges might be awaiting them — even if they are a 23.5-point favorite.
“Any time you take anyone for granted or don’t understand the dynamics of the game, then bad things can happen,” Whittingham said.
But the Utah coach called his players “smart guys” who faced a similar situation a weekend ago in their home opener.
“We did a good job preparing lat week,” he said. “Cal Poly [had] essentially everything to gain and nothing to lose against us. … We’ve got to prepare with the same intensity, the same efficiency and the same work ethic we have for any other game.”
How to watch Utah at Wyoming
Where: War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo.
When: Saturday, 6 p.m. MT
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: ESPN 700 AM/ 92.1FM