WATCH: Urban Meyer ruins BYU fan Cameo ahead of Holy War vs. Utah
A BYU fan tried to get former Utah Utes head coach Urban Meyer to express his support for the Cougars ahead of Utah and BYU’s matchup on Saturday, but Meyer wasn’t going to give in.
Meyer, now the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach, has been fielding requests on the popular video platform Cameo, where fans can request videos from athletes and celebrities alike, for a $345 price — with all proceeds going to charity. Evidently, a BYU fan thought they’d be able to get Meyer to root against his former program; Meyer had other plans.
“Hey, this is coach Urban Meyer and this is for BYU fans everywhere,” he said. “I just wanted to say hello and let you know that BYU has always been my favorite — well, that’s not true. I’ve just been asked to do this. I’m a Ute; I have great respect for the BYU Cougars, and I wish you all the very best. Except for when you play Utah.”
Though Meyer moved on from Utah quickly, he coached the Utes for two seasons — in 2003 and 2004 — and quickly cemented his place in Utah football history. Meyer in two seasons went 22-2 before moving on and accepting the head coaching role at Florida, where he would go on to win two national championships.
In his first season at Utah, Meyer was named the Mountain West Conference’s coach of the year, and the Utes’ 10-2 record was the best ever performance for a first-year head coach at Utah. They went on to win the Mountain West Championship in 2003, behind quarterback Alex Smith throwing for 2,247 yards and 15 touchdowns and 631 rushing yards and five more touchdowns. Utah won another Mountain West Championship in 2004.
In the 2004 season, Meyer and the Utes received a Bowl Championship Series bid, which had never been done by a non-automatically qualifying BCS conference since the formation of the BCS. They ended up defeating Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, capping off the Utes’ season with a perfect 12-0 record — the school’s first
Meyer’s offense at Utah was excellent in two seasons at the helm; he built the Utes into a national power utilizing a scheme similar to the West Coast Offense, in which they relied heavily on short-distance passes.