Utah is set to face off against in-state rival BYU today at Ute Field. This is a game that has been marked on the Utes’ calendar, and the stands are expected to be packed with both Utah and BYU fans wearing their respective colors.
Ute fans might be a little surprised by who shows up in blue.
“I made a deal with my sister last year that if she wore Utah red for my football games, then I’d wear BYU blue for her soccer games, so it is true that I’ll be wearing blue,” Utah kicker Andy Phillips said.
Last year, the big story from Utah football was the prized kicker. Phillips was in his first-ever year of playing football and became Utah’s starting place kicker. This year, his sister is taking some of that attention. Andy’s younger sister, Elisabeth “Bizzy” Phillips, is a freshman on the BYU women’s soccer team.
Even though Bizzy plays for the Cougars and Andy for the Utes, that doesn’t affect their relationship as brother and sister. “We almost talk every day on the phone at least, and I see him at least once a week,” Bizzy said. “He is always just giving me advice. He wants to know what the coaches are saying, how I’m playing and how I feel.”
Bizzy was not surprised at all when Andy made the Utah football team. They grew up together, so she has always known his capabilities as an athlete. “He is honestly good at anything he tries,” Bizzy said. “It’s really a good example for me to just go for things that you might not think you are even capable of. As you can see, he has proven that he is capable of more than just one thing. So that’s been a really good lesson for me, whether it’s soccer or school or anything that I want to do. By his example I’ve learned that anything we set our minds to, we can do.”
When Andy played soccer earlier in his life, he was a keeper, so he and Bizzy would go in the backyard, where the family had a goal, and try and best each other. Bizzy, being the youngest in the family, would always try and prove herself to her older siblings. When Andy lost, instead of being upset he would be happy for his sister.
When Bizzy decided to commit to BYU, Andy showed his support for her even though he was already a Ute.“He was so stoked,” Bizzy said. “He knows it was my longtime dream to play for BYU. He was one of the first [people] I called after I committed verbally. He was so excited for me, he was so proud of me.”
Andy did get Bizzy to wear red to one of his games, but she might have forgotten where she was for a slight moment. “It took me a second at the beginning of last season when he was actually playing,” Bizzy said. “I put on my first red jersey — I was a little shocked that I was even doing that. I did yell ‘Cougars’ accidently my first game up there, and everybody in the five rows in front of me just turned around and looked at me like I was an idiot. I just ducked down for a second.”
While it may be obvious that Bizzy sees her older brother as a role model, it is Andy who looks to his younger sister for motivation.“To be honest, she inspires me a lot,” Andy said. “She’s the runt of our family, and she’s worked her butt off. She was a little bit smaller when she was younger, and she never let that stop her. She’s just developed this incredible drive, it kind of inspires all of us brothers and sisters. She teaches me just as much as I teach her.”
Even though Andy will be in blue tonight to support his sister, he still wants the Utes to know they have his support. “I love Utah soccer. They’re awesome this year,” Andy said. “I expect it to be a really good game, best of luck to both teams.”
If Utah hopes to keep its current 14-home game win streak going, the Utes will have to keep an eye out for Bizzy. As all Utah fans know, the Phillips family is known for their strong kicking legs. The game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
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