The diehard fans that make up the BYU-Utah rivalry

Blue vs. Red. Church vs. State. Private vs. Public.

BYU vs. Utah.

For over a hundred years, the BYU-Utah rivalry, referred to by some as the "Holy War," has been ingrained in every part of the Beehive State's culture.

For weeks leading to the game, recess friendships are tainted, workplace banter is increased and tensions are heightened.

For some fans, a win against their rival is just as important as playing in a notable bowl game, and they will be the first to tell you that a successful season isn't complete without a win against "the school up north/down south."

But who are these fans? Who are the people that paint their faces, suffer through losing seasons and rejoice in victories over their in-state foes?

The Daily Universe tracked down four diehard fans — two Utah and two BYU — to get a personal look at one of the best rivalries in college football.

The Photographer

Think of the greatest Holy War moments this century.

John Beck's game-winning, walk-off touchdown pass to Jonny Harline to beat the Utes at Rice Eccles Stadium in 2006.

Brandon Burton's blocked field goal to clinch a win for Utah, kicking off a nine-game win streak in 2010.

BYU ending said streak in dramatic fashion in 2021.

There's too many to count, and odds are that Jaren Wilkey, the director of BYU Photo, was there taking pictures of every play, player, and moment along the way.

Growing up in Taylorsville, Utah, Wilkey had the option to take one of two art classes: pottery or photography.

"I chose photography over pottery because I didn't want to get dirty," Wilkey said. He fell in love with the craft right away.

After graduating from Taylorsville High School, Wilkey became the photo editor at Salt Lake Community College, and then transferred to BYU. He was hired as a student photographer for the university, and then was hired full-time after graduation.

"Once, I started [sports photography] as a student, I just got hooked," Wilkey said.

He's seen firsthand his fair share of BYU-Utah matchups, his first being in 1998. That game saw BYU defeat Utah on a last-second missed field goal by Utah kicker, Ryan Kaneshiro.

"It's kind of like you're playing against your brother. There's so many ties between BYU and Utah. You are recruited by both schools and you have family on both sides," Wilkey said. "The game is personal."

What does Wilkey look for when he is shooting a game? Emotion. "I love the emotion that comes from sports photography, it's all about emotion," Wilkey said.

No picture Wilkey has taken encapsulates that emotion more than his photo of Beck being lifted off by his teammates after his heroics won BYU the 2006 Holy War game.

"That's probably one of my all-time favorite BYU-Utah images," Wilkey said.

"Whatever happens in the game gets talked about for the next 20 years," Wilkey said. "Everything is elevated, every play is remembered, every win is celebrated more."

With over 20 years experience covering the game, Wilkey refuses to get eager about BYU's chances on Saturday.

"One team could be the best team in the country and one team could be the worst, and no matter what it's going to be a great game," Wilkey said.

Because Wilkey has seen it all, he knows that when the two schools meet on the football field, anything can happen.

The Pit Master

When the University of Florida travelled to Salt Lake City last year to play against Utah in the season-opener, Ryan Lufkin served up quite the pregame treat for tailgating Utah fans.

Smoked, bacon-wrapped alligator.

Just like everything else that Lufkin cooks, the gator was excellent.

Lufkin, co-founder of the Utah tailgating staple, Utah Pig Bus, is a pioneer of Utah tailgating culture, and his fandom for the Utes is just as large as the pigs he smokes.

Lufkin's tailgating journey started in 2002, when he travelled to Ann Arbor to watch Utah play Michigan for the first time in school history.

"We were walking to the game and we were like, 'Every square inch of grass has a tent and a grill, and they're making a full day celebration out of this,'" Lufkin recalled, right before asking himself, "Why aren't we doing this?"

Lufkin, who already had a hobby of cooking, came back to Salt Lake City for the next game and set up a spot at the west lot of Rice Eccles Stadium and started grilling.

A few weeks went by and his friend convinced him to smoke a whole pig. It was at that moment when people started to take notice of the magic that Lufkin and crew had.

Lufkin's friend and fellow Pig Bus (formerly the Pig Crew) co-founder, Welby Evangelista, reached out to then head coach, Urban Meyer, to see if they could smoke a pig for the team. Meyer agreed and they held a pig roast for the team in the coach's back yard.

Lufkin and Evangelista, once members of Utah's Phi Delta Theta fraternity, ended up buying a 1987 Blue Bird school bus from Oakland, California, and renovated it into what is now called "Porky," the red bus that all Utah fans know and love.

They have been featured on ESPN's "College Game Day" twice, and no matter the team's record, the weather, or the price of meat, the Utah Pig Bus is at every game.

Lufkin also wants to make sure that opposing fans are welcome at his tailgate.

"When we go to another school we want to be treated well right? We want to go to their tailgates and share their food and have a beer," Lufkin said. "It makes for a much more fun experience."

Because of Lufkin's open hospitality, fans who wear all colors have enjoyed what the Pig Bus has to offer (even the fans that wear royal blue).

"We are friends with so many BYU fans," he said. "We want to make sure that they feel comfortable as well."

But don't let Lufkin's welcoming attitude fool you. He is still a hardcore fanatic and will go the distance to support his alma mater.

For the Holy War in 2004, a Utah win meant the Utes would finish the regular season undefeated and had a shot at going to the Fiesta Bowl.

"We bought out every sombrero in the entire valley and handed them out at the game," Lufkin said, hoping that the bowl selection committee would see this and put Utah in the coveted BCS bowl.

One of the sombreros found its way to Utah quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist, Alex Smith, and he wore it as he was paraded on the shoulders of Utah fans and players. You've probably seen the iconic picture. If it wasn't for Lufkin, it may not have been taken.

For this week's game, the Utah Pig Bus will smoke a pig and fans of both Utah and BYU are welcome to swing by.

Lufkin is a great example of how hospitality (and food) can be bigger than red and blue.

The Band Teacher

Every year, Cottonwood High School, located 10 miles south from the University of Utah, puts on an extravagant Halloween concert.

The musicians dress in costumes, certain songs are played in the dark with glow sticks, and the auditorium is decked out in cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns and cheesy Halloween decor.

But while the music is certainly a pull, one of the main attractions for the concert is longtime conductor, Amber Tuckness. She wears wacky, over the top costumes as she conducts Cottonwood's band, orchestra and jazz ensemble.

Whether it is driving on stage in a rented DeLorean for the "Back to the Future" theme song, or sitting atop a camel for "Aladdin," Tuckness always seems to out-do herself.

But when the week is over and there are no classes to be taught or concerts to be played, there is one place that she can be found on fall Saturdays: Rice Eccles Stadium, watching the Utah Utes play ground-and-pound football.

"I have always been a true, diehard, University of Utah follower," said Tuckness, whose familial ties run deep with Crimson red blood.

Growing up in Salt Lake City and having those familial ties, going to Utah was almost a no-brainer.

"I auditioned for every school, minus one," Tuckness said with a smirk, "and I had full tuition scholarships to all of them." But in her heart, there was only one school that she could see herself going.

While Tuckness had always had admiration for the school, it wasn't until after she graduated where she fell in love with the football team.

Following her graduation at Utah, Tuckness took a job down down the street at Cottonwood High School. There, she met her husband, the theater teacher for Cottonwood, and he was able to bring out the football fanatic in her.

Together, they bonded over their love for the arts during the week — and the Utes on the weekend.

"Our very first season tickets were actually a gift from our students," Tuckness said. "We loved it so much, we just kept getting them after that."

Those first season tickets were over 20 seasons ago, and they still go to every game they can.

When you meet Tuckness, you can tell that that she has a deep fandom for the Utes. Whether it is the red U's plastered all over her classroom walls or her red, Utah-themed scooter that she can be seen riding around the Salt Lake Valley, Tuckness does not hide her love for "The U."

When it comes to rivalry week, Tuckness believes it's the best part of the season, on par with conference championships and Rose Bowls.

"I think it's one of the best rivalries in college football, I just absolutely love it," Tuckness said.

The rivalry spills over from the football field and into her everyday life. Tuckness and her coworkers can be seen decorating each other's class rooms in either red or blue and workplace hijinks are at an all-time high the week before the big game.

The rivalry even effects her wardrobe.

"I truly don't even wear the color blue, because of BYU," Tuckness joked.

While Utah may be the clear underdogs in this year's edition of the Holy War, Tuckness has witnessed that in this game, "anything can happen."

The Jersey Lover

When Coulson Kunz was about to start kindergarten, his father's job moved his family overseas, leaving the state of Utah, and more importantly, leaving BYU football.

Kunz, who comes from a long lineage of Cougar alumni and BYU football fans, had been going to games at LaVell Edwards Stadium his whole life. This international move meant he would not get to see the Cougars play, but his fandom never died.

Thanks to his grandparents, who would tape BYU football games on VHS tapes and mail them to Taiwan, Kunz was still able to watch every BYU game.

"When I would watch these games, I started drawing football fields and stadiums," Kunz said. He then started drawing BYU's uniforms, starting a lifelong obsession with royal blue, navy, and white.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kunz took notice of social media accounts that would track college football teams' uniform combos. These accounts would be the first to update fans on what new uniforms the teams would wear and keep track of the schools' uniform history.

Just like the rest of the country at the time of the pandemic, Kunz decided to pick up a hobby and started @BYUtracker on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

Today, the accounts have thousands of followers, and he has garnered a community of people who love the on-field fashion just as much as the game.

Kunz has data on every football uniform worn since the year 2000 — the combos, the opponents and BYU's record when wearing a particular uniform.

Last season he also kept track of men's and women's basketball, women's soccer, baseball and softball.

He has also kept his childhood love of drawing alive by creating concept uniforms. For the 2023-24 season he created a new basketball uniform for every single men's basketball win. In total, he made 23 new uniforms.

This upcoming game against Utah, BYU will wear royal helmets, jerseys and pants, making this the rivalry's first "color rush" matchup.

Kunz, who is a Lehi, Utah native, was in the stands when BYU broke Utah's nine-game win streak in 2021.

"We weren't gonna get excited until it was over," Kunz said. "We knew Utah could still come back or something crazy could happen, just because we had seen it so many times."

But this time was different. Kunz, now a BYU student, saw the Cougars beat their rival for the first time since he was in the fifth grade. They won wearing Kunz's favorite jersey combo: White helmet, royal jersey and white pants.

The Holy War 2024

Saturday's game will be the first time that BYU and Utah have played since 2021. It will be the first time that BYU has played in Salt Lake City since 2018. This will be the first conference game — in the Big 12 — between the two schools since they were both in the Mountain West in 2010.

While the teams may be playing for different stakes this year, for fans all across the state, this game is the most important game all season.