There is 2:48 left in the fourth quarter. The “cardiac kids” start their drive for a win on their own 20-yard line.
In a sea of black, fans cheer on their team in this nail-biting drive.
The ball is thrown and caught as the stands of black-clad fans roar in excitement as the Utes score the go-ahead touchdown.
With four seconds left on the clock, fans begin to rush the field.
This was the scene two weeks ago in Rice-Eccles Stadium as the Utah football team completed a come-from-behind victory against Texas Christian University.
Although it was a big victory for the Utes, the incident made U administrators question whether rushing the field is safe and appropriate.
“It is important to emphasize that rushing the field, especially jumping off the wall, is potentially dangerous,” said U spokeswoman Coralie Alder. “The wall surrounding the field is almost 7 feet high and most fans do not realize this until it’s too late.”
According to Steve Pyne, director of event operations, there were seven or eight compound fractures when fans rushed the field during the Oregon State University game.
“If they want to rush field, do it, but do it in an orderly manner,” he said. “Come down to the gate and we’ll let you on the field.”
Many times when fans have rushed the field, they have torn the goal post down, which can be hazardous, Pyne said. During games this year when fans have rushed the field, the event staff has taken down the goal posts prior to fans rushing.
Goal posts cost at an average of $8,000 and the posts in Rice-Eccles Stadium cost close to $10,000, Pyne said.
Rushing the field is something that brings out the excitement in fans, but many wonder when it is appropriate.
“Rushing the field can happen after huge wins, such as beating a rival to go to the BCS,” said John Fackler, alumni relations director. “I can also see it happening after a huge emotional win, but then it can become a habit.”
Utah fans have rushed the field in two of five home games with one game to go. If Utah wins against archrival BYU, it is expected that the students will rush the field, Pyne said.
“I don’t have a problem with (rushing the field) unless, like in the TCU game, when four guys ran from the north end zone when there was still four seconds left,” said Dustin Hensel, right tackle for the football team.
Trevor Shelton, a senior in bioengineering, said rushing the field is appropriate in certain situations or games.
“In my opinion, rushing the field should be held to rivalry games8212;games against top-ranked opponents and come-from-behind victories,” Shelton said.
Conferences such as the South Eastern Conference and the Big East have started to penalize universities for rushing the field, said Bret Gilliland, deputy commissioner for the Mountain West Conference.
“We discussed this issue in our conference meetings,” he said. “Rushing the field will be an institutional discretion.”
Tyler CobbUtah fans have rushed the field twice this season after come-from-behind wins over Organ State and TCU. There were seven to eight fans that suffered compound fractures when they jumped over the wall after the Organ State win.