Cool fall nights spent at Rice-Eccles Stadium are better with 6,000 of your friends cheering on the U’s football team. The Mighty Utah Student Section (MUSS), is the student fan club at the school and is one of the most avid cheering sections in the nation. Ranked by the NCAA as the 4th best student section in the country.
Marquice Bowman, a student at the U, is already looking forward to the upcoming season and watching the Utes with friends he has made since moving to Salt Lake City.
“The energy that is brought is better experienced when with friends,” Bowman said.
The MUSS aims to bring students together to cheer at athletic events. The MUSS sponsors fan clubs for football, men’s basketball, women’s volleyball and gymnastics teams. Joining the MUSS is a perfect way to get involved with the U and start feeling the Ute pride.
Current MUSS board president Daniel Rueckert said one of his favorite things about the MUSS is watching how much pride students take in rooting for their school. Aside from classes, he thinks it’s one of the best ways to meet people.
“The MUSS presents great opportunities for students to take a break from class and build lasting friendships and memories at games,” Rueckert said.
One of the most well-known traditions that comes from the MUSS is the third-down jump. The third-down jump is where all of the MUSS jump and make noise as the opposing team prepares for a third down play. It started during a game against BYU in 2006 when a group of the MUSS board members decided they wanted to figure out a way to distract the opponent. In 2007, when Utah beat then-ranked No. 11 UCLA, is when the students really bought into the idea. In the game against the Bruins there were over 10 penalties and from then on the third-down jump has stuck.
With the enthusiasm over the MUSS and recent success of U sports teams, like football and men’s basketball, tickets have been selling fast and only a few remain for this upcoming football season.
“This year’s ticket registration has been record-breaking,” Rueckert said. “We are already sold out of our reserved seating, which is crazy after a month. We are still selling our remaining standing room only tickets, so new students need to jump on it before it’s too late.”
The MUSS ticket provides more than just a seat to a game. Aside from the free tailgating that is offered before the games, it gives students the opportunity to create life-long memories and continue that tradition of the third-down jump, and maybe even create some traditions of their own.