This Ain't Tucson: 'CougarTails' are a game-day staple for BYU fans

PROVO, Utah — Our "This Ain't Tucson" food series is back! 

For the last three-plus seasons, UA football beat writer has highlighted multiple restaurants and food spots that can only be found in the cities the Arizona Wildcats are playing in. 

From seafood and burritos in San Diego, to Skyline Chili in Cincinnati, to fried okra and catfish tails in Starkville, Mississippi, we've sampled a wide range of delicious food since the 2023 season.

The last time Arizona was in Provo was in 2024, when the Cougars thumped the Wildcats. 41-19. Before the 2024 game, the Star tried the renowned hot dog restaurant "J. Dawgs." 

For the first road trip of the 2025 season for Arizona's Big 12-opening matchup with the No. 15 BYU Cougars, we kept our food selection within the confines of LaVell Edwards Stadium. Our choice? The famous "CougarTail."

CougarTail 

The rundown: Dean Wright, the former BYU managing director of dining services, clamored for the Cougars to have a concession item that was unique to BYU. 

Wright saw a taxidermied Cougar inside the Ernest L. Wilkinson Student Center and wanted to create a food item inspired by a Cougar's tail. 

In 2003, with the help of Wright's wife, the "CougarTail" — a 15-inch maple bar donut — was created. 

In 2004, the CougarTail was removed due to a lack of interest, but was re-added the following season. BYU's original fryers weren't large enough to mass-produce 15-inch bars, so the Cougars replaced them.   

Last season, BYU created the "Cougar Paw," a paw-shaped ice cream bar (think Dilly Bar from Dairy Queen) on a stick with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate shell. 

The final verdict: The Star couldn't tackle the CougarTail alone, so we brought in reinforcements: former KVOA News 4 sports director Jenna Fink, who is now a sports anchor for KUTV News in Salt Lake City, and Jordan Hamm from Sports360AZ, a weekly guest picker on The Wildcast Podcast.

Fink rated the CougarTail 8/10 and said, "Very good, but also very sweet so could only have like one bite." Hamm gave the CougarTail an 8.5 rating. We're in a similar boat. We'll give it an 8.1 rating.