On Saturday, November 20, 1993, the Utes played longtime rival BYU at Cougar Stadium in Provo. They had not defeated the Cougars since 1988, and they had not won in Provo since 1971. But on this day, a 55-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the game gave the Utes a 34-31 victory. Caught up in the moment, the celebrating Ute players attempted to tear down the goalpost in the north end zone of Cougar Stadium. The Cougars took exception, and charged in to break up the party. A brief scuffle ensued before stadium security and coaches from both teams were able to break it up.
Not long after the scuffle, reporters were interviewing Cougar nose guard Lenny Gomes, who uttered the following statement.
``Typical Utah bulls---. All those guys think that's all there is to life. But when I'm making $50-60,000 a year, they'll be pumping my gas. They're low-class losers.''
Understandably, such a statement became a great motivator for both the fans and the Ute football players in years to come. In the rematch game in 1994, several Ute fans held up cardboard gas pump nozzles in the stands as a taunt to the Cougars. Ironically, the Utes again defeated the Cougars by the same score as the preceding year – 34-31. And this time, since the game was in Salt Lake City, both goal posts came down.
Years later, the “Gas Pumping” incident is still alive as a part of the rivalry lore.