When BYU President Kevin J. Worthen shocked the student body on September 10 with the announcement that President Russell M. Nelson would be speaking at the following Tuesday devotional, the news became the talk of campus. Some made preparations to call in sick to their part-time jobs. Others calculated how much their grade would be affected by skipping class. A select few even attended seat-saving workshops.

But certain students, who describe themselves as “diehard Nelson fans,” are taking things to the next level. On the morning of the devotional, they were found frying up brats and burgers on the grill while playing popular tailgating games like cornhole and soda pong.

“You’ve got to go all out for such a big day,” Aron Phitzer, a President Nelson fan since he was only six, told The Alternate Universe. ”I’ve lived here my entire life, and I’ve already got a job secured at a finance company up in Salt Lake after I graduate, so this truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s not every day the prophet comes to Utah, ya know.”

“I’ve loved Russell since the beginning,” Spencer Clevinger added, remarking that he has listened to every one of President Nelson’s talks at least three times since he first became an apostle in 1984. “It’s irritating to hear all these students claim they are diehard fans of the prophet; do they even know that the ‘M’ stands for Marion?”

At press time, Phitzer and his friends realized that the caffeine from the several Mountain Dews they had each pounded while partying had gotten to their heads. By the time they reached the Marriott Center doors, the arena had already reached full capacity.