On and off field, what to know about Big 12's BYU Cougars, Provo, football's 'Holy War,' more

(Editor’s note: This is part of the Star’s ongoing “Big 12 Blitz” series, where we introduce U of A fans to the on- and off-field need-to-know details surrounding each member of the new 16-team Big 12. Today: Brigham Young University, located in Provo, Utah.)

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Whenever the Arizona Wildcats play sporting events in Phoenix or Las Vegas, more often than not the UA faithful take over the venue with their Cardinal-red and Navy-blue clothes.

In the 2016 and '21 season openers against BYU, wearing a block "A" didn't feel like you were part of the dominant fanbase. Even the 2016 game, which was played two hours up Interstate 10 in Glendale, an argument could be made it seemed like more BYU fans were present in the Valley home of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals than Arizona Wildcats fans.

Former Cougar tight end and Tucson native Matt Bushman, just part of his second Super Bowl win with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs, said BYU is "really cool, because Provo is a unique environment and tucked right up on the mountains, and it's a really cool stadium, and there's good history there with some really good teams."

But BYU, a university centered around the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints religion, is "tied to the church and it's a faith-based school," Bushman said.

The church has just over 17 million members in the U.S.

"There's members of the church all over the country, so at every away game, even if the team isn't doing that great, it's an opportunity for the members of the church and BYU alumni to go check out the game," Bushman said. "It's a nation-wide fanbase. In the Big 12, there's teams all over the country with how it's spread out, but the fanbase always shows up."

Bushman, a 2014 Sabino High School graduate, had offers to play at other schools, including the hometown Wildcats, but his faith and family connections to BYU, coupled with the UA hiring head coach and spread-offense guru Rich Rodriguez, who rarely used tight ends, steered Bushman to play for the Cougars.  

"BYU just felt good with the tight end position and being able to develop me," Bushman said. "I grew up around it, so I was excited to get started." 

The Star spoke with Bushman about his time at BYU, his two-year mission before playing for the Cougars and the "Holy War" rivalry between Utah and BYU.

How was the experience attending BYU? 

A: "It's not like going to church every single class. Some people see the stereotypes of this university. There's still ways to have fun, a lot of cool things in Provo and the cities surrounding.

"There's stigma — 'Oh, it's a church school' — and there's an honor code and certain rules, but the football program is locked in and knows who to recruit. If there are certain guys who aren't a fit at BYU, then they don't recruit them.

"But there's a lot of great people from different faiths, different nationalities and it's a cool team to be a part of." 

Before a (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) member plays football at BYU, they have to serve a two-year mission in other parts of the world. You served in Chile in South America. How was that?

A: "It was unique and different. Coming out of high school, you get a scholarship and say, 'Dang, I'm going to play college football and hopefully go pro,' and then you go and do a service-based mission for two years.

"I learned Spanish and all I knew was high school-level Spanish, so you just learn on the fly and learned on the streets, getting to know people. It's serving others and it teaches you about life in a good way, and it gets you to mature and be a good man.

"In some people's eyes, it sets you back in the sport, but it prepares you for life and gets you right."

What is the purpose and objective of a two-year mission?

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A: The biggest thing is service and teaching others about Jesus Christ. It's not force-feeding people, but if they want to hear about Jesus Christ, then you teach them the lessons and different things about our beliefs. A lot people will do mission trips for a week or a month or something like that.

"You just find ways to help the community and make it a better place, while also teaching people the faith if they're willing to listen to it."

Assuming you didn't pick Chile for your mission, so how are countries assigned to church members for the mission?

A: "There's leaders at church headquarters and it's their job to select you. It's a certain process, but it's random. If you have some health limitations and certain things, they take that into account. If you say, 'I'm willing to go anywhere,' they'll put you anywhere.

"There's vacation destinations and then there's third-world countries. People will go to Africa, and it's everywhere except the Middle East and China. The Middle East and China, because of their rules, they don't allow certain missionaries or faiths, so it's a danger to go to some of those countries. I know people who have been to Taiwan, Australia, Hawaii and other Polynesian islands, other parts of Africa.

"They all come back and play college football or another sport and it's pretty crazy."

What is your favorite memory at BYU?

A: "There's a lot of games against Top 25 opponents, and some cool one-handed catches. Those are some fun memories, when you have a sweet catch or a sweet touchdown.

"Going from college to the NFL, the NFL is more private and people go about their business because they're professional. In college, the locker room is super fun and you get to know everybody so well, and you spend four years together. Those memories of the grind and the process in trying to be great at something and working the kinks out. I think those are some of the best memories."

How is it playing in Provo?

A: "It can be tough. There's the elevation aspect in the moments. And it's a bunch of sober fans there for one reason: football. It's not like the tailgates at the U of A, where it's an event before the game, but they're rowdy for a reason, which is to get a win. They can get pretty loud."

One interesting part about BYU joining the Big 12 is having an annual rivalry with Utah, which is also known as the "Holy War." How would you describe that rivalry? 

A: "It's pretty personal. There's the sports side of it, bragging rights. Utah and BYU are only 45 minutes away. Everyone is pretty close and fans are working together, so there's always drama.

"Whoever wins that game has the last laugh and they carry it for the rest of the year until the next season. It's a rivalry that runs pretty deep.

"Pretty intense games. My senior year, we won and that felt good. We definitely needed to win that one."

How do you think BYU fits into the Big 12?

A: "I think it's a good move. It would've been nice to play some of those big-time teams when I was in college.

"We were independent (in football) and we got play a bunch of good teams, but when you're in a conference like that with rivalries and matchups, where you're fighting for a conference championship and trying to be great. ... It'll be good for BYU, U of A, everyone."  

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