BYU's Twin Towers hard to miss on and off the field


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PROVO — I spent this past summer in Provo, and I was glad I did.

I was excited when I was added to a golf class during BYU's summer term. On the first day of class, Mitch Mathews rolled in a few minutes late carrying a driver, and following a few steps behind him was Nick Kurtz carrying a putter.

A few weeks later, I went to Costco to make my weekly sample route. Passing through the dairy section I spotted Mathews looking for some ice cream and trailing him was Kurtz loading the grocery cart with milk.

Days later, I laced up my basketball shoes and headed to the BYU Richards Building to play basketball. As I entered the gym I noticed Mathews playing, but because he was throwing down alley-hoop jams on the offensive end, Kurtz was in a battle down low trying to get rebounds on defense.

Anywhere I went, I saw Mathews — and with him I saw Kurtz. I thought it was only a coincidence that I always saw them together.

Now I know better.

"I am with him 24/7," Kurtz told reporters Monday afternoon. "I have been his roommate for the past two years. He is one of my best friends here."

These past three Saturdays, however, I have witnessed Mathews, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound wide senior receiver, and Kurtz, a 6-5, 205-pound junior wide receiver in a different spotlight catching footballs against some of the top programs in the nation, and catching them in historic fashion.

BYU wide receiver Nick Kurtz tries to avoid UCLA linebacker Isaako Savaiinaea, center, and defensive back Denzel Fisher, right, after a reception during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)
BYU wide receiver Nick Kurtz tries to avoid UCLA linebacker Isaako Savaiinaea, center, and defensive back Denzel Fisher, right, after a reception during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, in Pasadena, California. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

After Mathews caught the game-winning Hail Mary against Nebraska in Week 1, which gained more national attention than BYU has received in a long time, Kurtz sprinted over to his teammate and let him know that they had just accomplished something incredible — a dream turned reality between two best friends.

"Were legends man, we are legends," Kurtz said.

History is what these twin towers hope to accomplish together this season. They are interchangeable at the wider receiver position with their size, hands and route-running abilities. They also become a major headache for defensive coordinators and defensive backs when they are on the field together creating mismatches for BYU quarterback Tanner Mangum to exploit.

BYU defensive back Michael Wadsworth praised Kurtz's performance and personality.

"He pays attention to the little things, which I like about him," Wadsworth said. "He is one of the guys now and always cracking jokes in the locker room. I really like Nick."

Even though Kurtz carries the putter and the milk, he says that things stay competitive between he and Mathews.

"Whenever we compete, it ends up getting pretty aggressive," Kurtz said. "It can be anything from foosball to volleyball to spike-ball."

Their friendship may seem a little extreme spending so much time together, but for these two, and for the most of the BYU football team this season, chemistry on and off the field is what makes them special.

The next time you're at the movies, the grocery store, the golf course or wherever you might be, look for the Mathews, and then look for his right-hand man following a few steps behind.

You can't miss them, they are always together.

Listen to interviews with Kurtz, Wadsworth, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, quarterback Tanner Mangum and defensive lineman Graham Rowley in the "Cougar Cuts" section below. Tanner is a student at Brigham Young University studying business management. He is from the great northwest of Portland, Oregon. He hopes to find a profession that combines his passion of sports broadcasting and marketing.

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