BYU president crowd-surfed when fans rushed the field after a Holy War victory

BYU president crowd-surfed when fans rushed the field after a Holy War victory originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

BYU and Utah squared off on Saturday in another edition of the Holy War -- one of the most vicious and heated rivalries in all of college football. And for the first time since 2009, these two in-state neighbors clashed on the gridiron as AP Poll-ranked opponents. 

And the on-field product didn't disappoint, providing another battle with a one-possession differential by the final whistle. BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier hopped, skipped, and jumped over, around, and through the Utah defense all night gaining 230 total yards himself with some help from stud running back LJ Martin, who powered through a stout Ute front 7 and added 122 yards on the ground himself.

Despite entering the game as 5.5-point underdogs, Kalani Sitake and the Cougars controlled the narrative from the beginning, trailing for less than three in-game minutes total as BYU extended its rivalry winning streak and added fuel to the fire that this team controls the Beehive State when football is concerned.

When the game clock read triple-zeroes, BYU fans ignored the pleading of the in-stadium announcement to abstain from rushing the field, and who could blame them? Despite being ranked higher in the most recent AP Poll (15th to Utah's 23rd), the home team was the underdog by nearly a touchdown in their own house. Time after time along their road to 7-0, BYU football has proved its detractors wrong. Why not stand up and celebrate?

Even the university's president, Shane Reese, was seen on the field celebrating his school's monumental victory, crowd-surfing and riding high into the night in a rush of jubilation that can only be felt on the football field.

BYU asked for fans to avoid rushing the field, but that plea was politely ignored. Fortunately, the CEO of Crumbl cookies, a notable fan of the Cougars, has graciously offered to pay the Big 12's fine for the Cougar fans' transgression.

It's hysteria in Provo, Utah, and the party will last well into the week.

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