Kyle Whittingham Declined to Comment on BYU QB Bear Bachmeier

Before nearly every college football game, coaches are asked about a few players on the opposing team. Monday was no different for BYU head coach Kalani Sitake and Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. Sitake and Whittingham separately met with the media to preview the upcoming rivalry game. Coach Whittingham was asked about BYU true freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier.

Instead of commenting on the young BYU quarterback, Whittingham declined the question.

"You know I'm just going to focus on us this week. Our guys, our coaches," Whittingham said. "So I'm not going to give much thought on the opponent this week. You have to ask [BYU] what they think of Bear."

As you might expect, Whittingham's unique answer made the rounds on social media. Whittingham has routinely avoided saying "BYU" in public comments, but this was the first time he declined a question to talk about a player on BYU's roster. As people pointed out on social media on Monday, Whittingham spent time talking about ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt just last week.

"Their quarterback is dangerous, especially when he runs the football," Whittingham said. "He's done so much damage to teams this year making big plays with his legs, and it's something we have to keep in check."

In contrast, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake was asked about Utah quarterback Devon Dampieer in his press conference. Sitake took a much different approach to answering the question.

"[He's] super talented and he's tough, man," Sitake said. "He has great vision, and that's in the passing game and in the running game. He's an efficient player, so when you look at the stats, he knows where to go with the ball, and he's well coached. I think Jason Beck's done a great job tutoring him, mentoring him, and there's a reason why they brought him, you know, with him. And so I think he looks really comfortable out there, and whatever you need to do, whatever you need him to do, he's willing to do it and super tough. I think a lot of attention will go to his legs because he can run, but, but he can throw too, and, and I like his overall presence on the field."

Sitake was also asked about his perspective on the rivalry. Sitake gave another unique answer that were a stark contrast to Whittingham's comments.

"I think the competition has always been there and the intensity can be there," Sitake said. "There's nothing wrong with the intensity being there. I just, me personally, I would like to see it be with tons of respect. Whether we want to admit it or not, we actually need each other. This is a great rivalry when we have each other on the schedule. Regardless of the outcome this weekend, I mean there, there's a lot of different things that can happen that, that we'll probably need each other's help....I've said before that wishing bad things on others is not good for the soul, and I'm not trying to tell fans how to do it, but it's got to be a lot more fun when you can actually have fun and talk about the respect that you have for each other and that there is a connection from both sides. I mean, you just look at the at the coaching staff on both sides, you see the impact on that both schools have on each other...it's so much more fun to be a fan cheering for your team rather than cheering against the others."

Last year's rivalry was one of the most dramatic in a series that's been full of drama. As BYU took a lead over Utah in the closing seconds of that game, Utah AD Mark Harlan walked on the field and got in the face of the referees. Harlan was flagged for a penalty on the final play. Even if Utah would have made a miraculous play to win the game, it wouldn't have counted since Harlan walked onto the field.

Then Harlan took center stage at the postgame press conference, something that athletic directors don't typically do. He made comments that will forever be rememered in the BYU-Utah rivalry.

"This game was absolutely stolen from us," Harlan said. "We were excited about being in the Big 12, but tonight we are not. We won this game. Someone else stole it from us. I'm very disappointed. I will talk to the commissioner. This was not fair to our team. I'm disgusted by the professionalism of the officiating crew tonight. Thank you."

Kyle Whittingham was frustrated by the officiating as well. Whittingham shoved a chair as he left the stage.

Less than a year later, the BYU-Utah rivalry will be renewed. It will surely come with drama - because that's just the way it goes. This will be the first ranked matchup between BYU and Utah since 2009. BYU won that game in overtime when Andrew George scored a walk-off touchdown.

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