How Kalani Sitake and his BYU players felt about the atmosphere in Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyo. — Wyoming fans may dislike BYU, but Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff is a new-minted hometown fan.

After his three-touchdown performance against the Cowboys on Saturday night, Retzlaff offered some kind words about his first trip to Laramie.

“It was a super fun place to play. I liked the stadium and the atmosphere,” Retzlaff told reporters after the game. “… Laramie grew on me a bit this weekend.”

BYU hadn't visited War Memorial Stadium in 15 years before Saturday, where Kalani Sitak's crew easily defeated Wyoming 34-14 to move to 3-0 on the young season.

The re-emergence of the longtime rival proved compelling for Cowboys fans, who came in droves for the matchup and made their hatred for the Cougars abundantly clear.

At one point in the second half, CBS Sports Network had to mute its stadium crowd microphones due to obscene chants directed at BYU being heard on the air.

This kind of hospitality — or lack thereof — is not new to Wyoming when it comes to cougars. The rivalry once got “really, really hot,” with Cowboys fans tearing down the goal posts on multiple occasions after defeating their foe from Provo.

Sita does not seem bothered by the strong opposition 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 environment,” BYU's head coach said after the game. “We knew it was going to be intense. When people (referring to Laramie) say 'hostile', there are amazing Wyoming fans who weren't hostile at all, they were friendly.

“The interaction we had with the Wyoming fans was great. They just love their team so much,” continued Sita. “They should be proud of their team… They don't give up, they're tough kids and it wasn't easy for us to get this win.”

However, the worst didn't last long on Saturday. The Cougars let their play on the field do the talking, thoroughly besting the winless Cowboys and quickly removing the crowd factor from the equation.

“I loved the atmosphere. They were wild and it was great,” BYU wide receiver Chase Roberts told Spencer Linton of BYUtv in a postgame interview.

“I guess when you start scoring points on them they start to calm down a little bit, so it was nice to hear the buzz after we made some plays.”