Big game's a wrap — sort of

PROVO — Yards and yards of plastic wrap protect Brigham Young's statue this week on the campus that bears his name, lest rivalry-fevered vandals splash crimson paint on the university's founder.

Like congressional elections, the shrink wrap surfaces biannually when the University of Utah plays at BYU. Somewhere in the school's subterranean tunnels, the captain of the USS Cougar issues a red alert and orders Scotty to raise the shields.

This year the pre-emptive defensive posture carries added meaning. BYU's once-proud football team has won just four of 11 games — and but one of five at its own LaVell Edwards Stadium. One successful paint-ball strike and Brother Brigham would be as red-faced as Cougar fans.

The plastic, however, is not reserved for Young alone. It's everywhere, covering 20 statues and signs. Thirteen BYU gardeners deployed 8,000 yards of the stuff, said Will Terris, BYU's gardening supervisor.

If the team's quarterbacks had thrown for that many yards this season, the Cougars wouldn't be 4-7.

All that plastic is just one layer in a campuswide security system that extends up Y Mountain, BYU Police Lt. Greg Barber said.

"The Forest Service closed the gate at the trailhead to the Y," he said. "We hope that discourages people from walking up there in the dark."

Teams from the student security division keep watch too, but Barber always hopes for a little divine intervention to ward off potential vandals.

"We hope it rains and snows," he said.

BYU officials say incidents have been on the decline in recent years.

Still, a sign at the edge of BYU's campus was hit by U. fans two years ago, Terris said.

The vandalism isn't just a crimson tide. BYU blue often splatters the U. campus when the rivalry is played out in Salt Lake City.

"We have it every time we have a BYU football game here," U. grounds foreman Drell Perry said.

Both sides say they never know if the illegal activity is carried out by actual fans or is just a convenient excuse for immature cranks.

Either way, the efforts of BYU's 27 police officers are enhanced by 115 student helpers this week, Barber said. Most are from a security division that patrols the Museum of Art and the grounds of the motion picture studio and that mans the entryways at the Harold B. Lee Library.

"They extend the eyes-and-ears capability of our department," Barber said. "We place people all over campus where historically we've had problems so we don't have to expend funds to clean up or repair damage."

They may be no more effective than the heavy-duty plastic.

"That's really an effective tool for us," Barber said. "We used to have to use canvas, sandbags and ropes."

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