Urban Meyer is making his return to Utah. Only this time, he’s going to the school down south.
The former Utah head coach, and the rest of the “Big Noon Kickoff” crew, will be hosting their show from Provo on Saturday, where BYU vs. Arizona will be the game of the week on FOX.
The network’s No. 1 broadcast team, featuring Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt, will call the 2 p.m. game.
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake knows those two well, along with the rest of the crew, which includes former USC quarterback Matt Leinart, Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn and Alabama running back Mark Ingram.
“I’ve met them and had a lot of interactions with them in years past,” Sitake said, talking first of Johnson and Klatt. “A lot of cool personalities coming into town. A lot of excitement. I think they do a great job of what they do. I got to do my job and give them something to report and commentate and get excited about.”
BYU is 5-0 and ranked No. 14 in the country. It is the fourth time BYU’s been inside the top 15 in the last five seasons.
The Cougars finished 5-7 a year ago, and 2-7 in conference. They’ve already reached both of those win totals before October’s end.
“We have prepped for this the whole year. We are in the position we thought we would be,” Sitake said. “I’m excited for the fans and our families to see the excitement around football. I’m glad that we’re having a lot of attention and FOX coming in and being part of the festivities. Show off our fans.”
Arizona is coming off a loss to Texas Tech. But the Wildcats were just in Salt Lake two weeks ago, where they beat Utah at Rice-Eccles. Sitake said Arizona will see a different challenge in terms of crowd atmosphere at LaVell Edwards.
“They’ve done something already by going into Salt Lake City and beating Utah. ... That’s a tough place to play. You don’t just do that. That doesn’t happen by accident,” Sitake said.
But he added, “Coming to this environment, this is going to be new for them. They are going to see an excited fan base. I’m excited we get to play at home.”
