The Beehive State has been abuzz with anticipation ever since it was announced the Holy War rivalry would in fact be happening in 2015, and players from both BYU and the University of Utah are already in Sin City ahead of the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl, which kicks off Saturday afternoon.
At a pep rally held Friday night, Utah punter Tom Hackett's comments stood out, as he said, "I'm lucky enough to be one of the many players on the [Utah] football team that actually has never lost to these b-------."
The comment was greeted by hoots and applause, with Hackett adding: "This is Utah's world, and BYU is living in it."
Other player's comments were more tame, with one Utah player saying they were excited to have the chance to face off against the Cougars.
FOX 13 Sports' Rebecca Cade was in Las Vegas Friday, and she spoke with players from both teams about the rivalry and about the significance of what will be the last game with the team for many of these players.
The players also addressed some important, non-football-related issues as they discussed "Star Wars", with some naming their favorite characters and others admitting they fell asleep during the films.
The game will be BYU Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall's last game with the Cougars, and it represents a chance for him to clinch a 100th win with BYU before he departs to University of Virginia.
Both squads have nine wins on the season, meaning only one of the rivals will leave Las Vegas with a 10-win season.
The game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Mountain Time at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
