It’s a Saturday morning. You wake up nestled in the heart of the Wasatch Mountains in Provo, Utah. The BYU Cougars have a football game in the evening and you’re looking to make the most of it. But how? Look no further than right here for some major keys (*extremely DJ Khaled voice*) to enjoying a classic college football gameday with the Cougs.
BYU Football calls LaVell Edwards Stadium home, and it’s got one of the most gorgeous views in college ball (admittedly biased, but still true). It’s truly
nestled in the valley and will take your breath away morning, day, or night. Anywhere you’re sitting will offer you mountain vistas. The stadium itself seats about 62,000 people and is sold out more often than not.
From home fans to visiting ones, you’ll find lots of praise and few complaints about the venue – not in the least because the visiting crowd, typically seated in the northwest bleachers, are given free BYU creamery ice cream as they take it all in.
There are plenty of entrances, restrooms, and concessions, and lines move quickly despite the crowds. Just note that LES has adopted a NO bags policy. Click here for more details on that – it looks like very small clutches or medically needed items may be brought in, but that’s all. Even if you don’t end up using the “main” entrance at the southwest corner of LaVell Edwards Stadium (known amongst fans/locals as LES), you’ll wanna make sure you stop by that area at some point to check out the famous Cosmo Cougar statue, as well as plenty of pregame action as part of Cougar Canyon.
Speaking of Cougar Canyon – it’s newer to the gameday experience, but has quickly become a staple feature and main attraction. It’s all completely free to attend, whether or not you have a ticket to the game. Helaman Fields, directly south of the stadium, becomes ‘The Backyard at Cougar Canyon’ and is filled with yard games, inflatables, a rock wall, and much more, families are welcome to come by for some photo ops and to kill some time in style before heading into the stadium. Cougar Canyon opens 3.5 hours before kickoff, and closes 30 minutes prior to it.
The portion of Canyon Road that’s across from the stadium shuts down and is full of booths offering face painting (usually free but they accept tips), former players or players from other sports/teams/noteworthy years, carnival games, food trucks, free swag, and much more. This area on Canyon Road is also where you’ll find the filming of BYUtv’s pre and postgame shows, which are always a treat to listen in on and check out – if Fox Sports or ESPN or any of the like are in town, that’s where they’ll be, too. Pro tip: If one of the bigger networks is in town, try to take a stroll down canyon road and get a peek at the set before the gameday mayhem begins.
That same blocked off strip of road is where you can catch the coaches and players walking into the stadium 2.5 hours before kickoff – it’s like a glorified pep rally with the screaming fans, cheerleaders and Cougarettes and Kalani, Bear and co. make a grand entrance.
As far as gameday parking goes, there are options. Pay to reserve it at several lots right around LES, or check out free public parking options on campus or right around it. As ever, at any sports stadium or arena, the closer you show up to game time, the fewer options there will be, but we’ve already made quite the case for showing up a bit early. Some residential houses dotted around the stadium have parking areas that will have spots until shortly before kickoff, but make sure you’ve got the cash for a premium spot on you.
BYU doesn’t get a lot of tailgating chatter (let’s blame the fact that alcohol isn’t a big factor due to the nature of the fans and religion), but there IS a tailigating scene, and it’s not a bad one! Lot 10, off of Cougar Boulevard, is where you can show up any time after 8 a.m. on the day of a game, and stay until 2 hours after the game ends, or, the next morning if the game kicks off after 7 p.m. Bring some board or lawn games, set up a TV screen to watch other games, a grill, and enjoy the day amidst other fun fans while ensuring you’ve got a great parking spot that’s just about a 10 minute walk to the stadium. Be mindful of the time of year you’re attending a game – you’ll either want shade, or a large coat…. There are usually some spots there in that lot until about 2-3 hours prior to kickoff.
While you’re in the stadium, you’ll want to keep in mind that LES is known for: Cougar Tails (extra large maple bars that practically have their own fan club), mint brownies, and chocolate and/or cookies and cream milk. Grab yourself some of that, a cup of creamery ice cream, a huge, refillable fountain soda, and you’d be pretty set. Not to mention the dozens of delicious food/restaurant options within the concourse.
Also noteworthy – the BYU Cougars App has an option to toggle to – ‘Gameday,’ where you can participate in all of the in-game activities on the screens, like trivia, hat shuffles, or anything of that ilk. It’s smart to have the app downloaded ahead of time. You can also keep tickets there, check for in-game stats, highlights, etc. But if you don’t download the app in time – never fear. LES boasts wifi, so make sure to go into your settings and connect to the BYU Cougars network once you’re seated.
And with that, you should be set! Hopefully your vocal chords are warm and ready to join in on the Cougar Fight Song after every touchdown, PAT, field goal, at half time, and game’s end. On we go to Vanquish the Foe!
