Game Day- Utah vs. BYU

My son and I will be leaving in a little while to attend the annual Utah/BYU rivalry game, courtesy of some generous parishoners. I always love rooting for my alma mater. I grew up dreaming of moving to the capitol city and attending the U. I came to faith in God, met and married my lovely wife, and studied Philosophy and History all at the U. Back in my days as an undergrad and graduate student we stunk at football. Just after I left the school, Ron McBride took the program over and turned it around. Back in the day our cry, at least as far as football was concerned (we ruled in b-ball), was "The game isn't over until we've lost our dignity!"

Today is is the Utes' last chance to show that they're a decent football team. They take on the 8-2 Cougars, undefeated in conference play and MWC champions. The Utes are 7-4, with non-conference losses to UCLA and Boise State, as well as conference losses to Wyoming and New Mexico. In other words, apart from New Mexico, Utah has beat the teams they were supposed to beat and lost to the teams who were supposed to beat them. Kyle Whittingham does not have an overachieving bunch à la Urban Meyer. The great thing about a rivalry is that all bets are off. Plus, today's game is being played in our own Rice/Eccles Stadium. So, all together now like we mean it:

I am a Utah Man, sir, and I live across the green,
Our gang it is the jolliest that you have ever seen.
Our coeds are the fairest and each one's a shining star, (This actually used to be a line about raising our beers and lagers, but then we went coed and, probably in the hopes of getting a date, we made some concession to the coeds)
Our yell, you'll hear it ringing through the mountains near and far!
We're up to snuff, we never bluff, we're game for any fuss.
No other gang of college men dare meet us in a muss.
So fill your lungs and sing it out and shout it to the sky,
We'll fight for dear old crimson for a Utah Man am I!
Ki-yi!

And when we prom the avenue, all lined up in a row,
And arm in arm and step in time as down the street we go.
No matter if a freshman green, or in a senior's gown,
The people all admit we are the warmest gang in town.

We may not live forever on this jolly good old sphere,
But while we do we'll live a life of merriment and cheer,
And when our college days are o'er and night is drawing nigh,
With parting breath we'll sing that song:
"A Utah Man Am I".

Chorus
Who am I, sir,
A Utah Man am I!
A Utah Man, sir,
Will be 'til I die.
Ki-yi!