Since “Big Noon Kickoff” began in 2019, former Utah coach Urban Meyer has been trying to get Fox’s college football pregame show to come to Salt Lake City.
“I was fighting for years. We’re on those meetings on Monday. I said, ‘Go to Salt Lake. Go to Salt Lake,’” Meyer said.
Six years later, the timing finally is right.
No. 16 Utah and No. 17 Texas Tech, both undefeated, will meet in Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday at 10 a.m. MT in a highly-anticipated Big 12 opener, making it a prime choice for Fox to make its BNK debut at the University of Utah.
“I think the way things are shaping up right now, the Big 12 has the ability to get two teams into the College Football Playoff,” BNK host Rob Stone said. “They have a late September game that’s going to be at a national window, and a ton, millions of eyeballs are going to be on these two programs that frankly maybe not a lot of people know enough about and give enough respect to.
“Texas Tech is a fascinating story with the $28 million invested (in reported NIL). Is there proof in concept with that? Utah has this amazing consistency that has been undervalued for far, far too long. I see this as a massive opportunity Saturday for both these programs to remind the nation just how damn good they are and also how good the conference is.”
Meyer and his wife Shelley are excited to be back in the state they lived in for two years from 2003-2005.
“I just love it. Now that we can say this, it’s my favorite place we ever lived,” Meyer said.
Meyer has caught up with some former players since getting word BNK was coming to Salt Lake City, including defensive backs Casey Evans and Bo Nagahi.
“The coach, when he was here in Salt Lake City, it was tight, like fire and brimstone and no smiles. When we mentioned that we had a chance to come to Salt Lake City, that’s ear-to-ear (smile) coach, right? He’s like, ‘Happiest place I’ve ever been. Best place I’ve ever been,’”Stone said.
“He could not wait to get back here and I think we’re going to have to pull him out of here to be honest with you, because he has such great memories about Salt Lake City.”
Meyer, who has always kept in contact with Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, stopped by practice this week.
“I talk to Kyle all the time. I know how much he loves Utah. He is Utah,” Meyer said.
Ron McBride, who recently was inducted into the Utah football ring of honor, restored Utah’s program back to respectability and set the foundation for Meyer, but Meyer took the program to new heights in his short time in Salt Lake City.
Utah went 10-2 in Meyer’s first year, winning an outright conference title for the first time since 1957. With plenty of returning players from the 2003 team, there were talks of a special season for the program in 2004, and the Utes delivered.
Meyer’s spread offense, which included plenty of option plays, was run to perfection by quarterback Alex Smith, who was a Heisman Trophy finalist that year.
“I’m glad the country got to see because he’s smart, he’s brilliant, he’s obviously an incredible player, but still, I think Alex’s greatest quality? His toughness,” Meyer said.
The Utes steamrolled opponents, starting with a 41-21 win over Texas A&M, and Air Force was the only opponent that put a bit of a scare into them.
Utah went undefeated in 2004, scoring 45.3 points per game (third in the nation), while the defense, coached by coordinator Whittingham, limited opponents to 19.5 points per game (23rd in the nation).
“I don’t know if I’ve ever worked as well with a defense coordinator, as I did (with) Kyle. He just handled his business. I ran the offense, he ran the defense. It was as good a two years as I’ve ever had,” Meyer said.
The Utes became the first team from a non-Automatic Qualifying conference to earn a place in the BCS after defeating BYU 52-21 to cap off a perfect 11-0 season. Fans rushed the field clad in sombreros and tossing Tostitos tortilla chips in the air, and a month later, Utah crushed Pittsburgh 35-7 in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl in front of a sea of red in Tempe, Arizona.
Of course, in that era, the Fiesta Bowl was the highest bowl the Utes could have played in — there was no College Football Playoff
“I always tell Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart (former USC players), you’re lucky you didn’t get us in ‘04,” Meyer said.
“… I think we would’ve done some damage in the playoff.”
That 2004 season, and later the 2008 undefeated campaign, put Utah into the national spotlight and helped set the stage for the Utes’ jump from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 Conference.
Meyer left Utah at the conclusion of that season for Florida, and found success everywhere he coached (except for a disastrous stint full of controversy in 2021 as the coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars), winning a national title with the Gators and two with the Ohio State Buckeyes.
As for Saturday morning’s game, Meyer sees some of his offense in what offensive coordinator Jason Beck is doing with his own take on the spread attack.
While watching film over the past week, Meyer noted that the Utes’ offense hasn’t quite gelled yet.
“They got those two tackles and the offensive line’s pretty good. Still, they’re not quite in sync on the outside,” Meyer said.
Quarterback Devon Dampier has been excellent so far for the Utes, but can still improve at staying in the pocket, Meyer noted.
“He’s got to slide (in the pocket) to create (throwing) windows and right now he’s bailing. He’s just running and you’re putting yourself in harm’s way when you do that,” Meyer said.
“The competition’s going to get better and better as we get going, so Devon’s got to stay in that pocket a bit better.”
Meyer is picking his Utes in the matchup against the Red Raiders — provided they do three things.
“Normally speaking, if you play good defense, which we will, if you don’t turn the ball over, which we don’t, and you control the line of scrimmage, those are the three checkmarks, you win the game,” Meyer said. “… If they take care of the ball, control the line of scrimmage and play defense, they’ll win.”