LARAMIE, Wyoming — Wyoming fans may dislike BYU, but Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff is a new-found fan in his town.
After his three-touchdown performance against the Cowboys on Saturday night, Retzlaff had some nice words to say about his first trip to Laramie.
“It was a really fun place to play. I loved the stadium and the atmosphere,” Retzlaff told reporters after the game. “… Laramie impressed me a little bit this weekend.”
BYU hadn’t visited War Memorial Stadium in 15 years before Saturday, where Kalani Sitake’s team easily defeated Wyoming 34-14 to improve to 3-0 in the new season.
The reappearance of an old rival proved attractive to Cowboys supporters, who came out in large numbers for the match and made their dislike of the Cougars abundantly clear.
At one point in the second half, CBS Sports Network had to turn off the microphones of fans in the stadium because obscene chants against BYU were being heard during the broadcast.
This kind of hospitality – or lack of it – is nothing new for Wyoming when it comes to the Cougars. There was once a time when this rivalry was “really heated,” with Cowboys fans tearing down the goal posts on multiple occasions to taunt their rival from Provo.
Sitake was not bothered by the loud protests from the locals. In fact, he appreciated it.
“It was a lot of fun. I'm glad our players were able to be here in this atmosphere,” BYU's head coach said after the game. “We knew it was going to be energetic. When people (call Laramie 'hostile'), Wyoming's amazing fans were not hostile at all, they were kind.
“We had a great conversation with the Wyoming fans. They love their team so much,” Sitake added. “They should be proud of their team … They don't give up, they're strong kids and it wasn't easy for us to get this win by any means.”
Of course, the worst jokes on Saturday didn't last long. The Cougars impressed with their play on the field, thoroughly beating the winless Cowboys and quickly removing the crowd factor from the equation.
“I loved the atmosphere. They were wild and it was good,” BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts told BYUtv's Spencer Linton in a postgame interview.
“I think when you start scoring points on them they start to calm down a bit, so it was nice to have the loud noises calm down a bit after making a few moves.”
