2008 Utah Utes football team
Encyclopedia
The 2008 Utah Utes football
team represented the University of Utah
in the college football
season of 2008–2009
. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham
, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium. Utah was one of only two teams in the top-level Division I FBS to finish the regular season undefeated (the other being the Boise State Broncos
), but after the Broncos were defeated by TCU
in the Poinsettia Bowl
and Utah won the Sugar Bowl
over Alabama
, the Utes finished as the nation's only undefeated team.
For their efforts, Utah claimed the nations longest active win streak at 14 wins and the nations longest active bowl win streak at 8 wins. In addition to winning the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Award
head coach Kyle Whittingham
also received 2 national coach of the year awards, the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award
and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award.
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Utah fans went to the Big House
hoping for a better outcome than the last time the Utes visited Michigan Stadium
, which resulted in a 10–7 loss in 2002. New Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez
's offense was new to a Michigan squad built to run a smashmouth offense
and was slow to get things going against the Ute defense, and the experienced Michigan defense prevented the Utah offense from gaining momentum. After a slow start for both teams, the Ute offense scored finally started clicking and scored sixteen points in the 2nd quarter taking a 22–10 lead into half-time. The offense wouldn't be able to do much the rest of the game. In the 2nd half it was more of the same from the 1st quarter, the only score coming off of a 53-yard field-goal from Louie Sakoda to put the Utes up 25–10. Michigan scored on the first play of their 2nd possession of the 4th quarter with a 33-yard touchdown pass by Steven Threet to Junior Hemingway, inching closer to the Utah lead. Only two minutes later Michigan RB Sam Mcguffie ran into the endzone from three yards out bringing the Wolverines to with two points, but failed on the ensuing two point conversion. Utah was able to run out most of the clock before turning the bowl over on downs to the Wolverines who were unable to score before time expired, giving the Utes their first win of the season and improving Kyle Whittingham's record against BCS opponents to 5–3.
After an emotional win against Michigan in the season opener, UNLV provided the perfect opponent for Utah to avoid having a "let-down" game as the Rebels embarrassed Utah in Las Vegas the year before, winning 27–0 in one of the most troublesome losses in Utah history. Things did not start off well as UNLV, behind the running of Frank Summers
, took first half-leads of 7–0 and 14–7.
But shortly before halftime, quarterback Brian Johnson
led the Utes on an eighty-yard drive that tied the game going into halftime, and Utah scored on its first four possessions of the second half to turn the game into a rout. Six different Utah players scored touchdowns, and both Johnson and running back Matt Asiata ran and threw for a touchdown.
Even though Utah faced an early 7–0 deficit, this game was never close. Utah scored the game's next thirty points and Matt Asiata tacked on a pair of second-half touchdowns to finish with three rushing TDs as the Utes won going away. Utah State finished with just 116 yards of total offense, and 57 of those came on its final drive of the game against Utah's reserves. Both of Utah State's scoring drives came on short fields caused by turnovers.
Despite outgaining the Falcons 440-191 and holding Air Force's vaunted option attack to a 30-year low of 53 yards rushing, Utah needed to put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by Darrell Mack's third rushing touchdown with 58 seconds remaining to win.
Offensively, Utah dug itself a hole after building a 9–0 lead. Johnson threw an interception in the end zone and had a second-quarter fumble returned for another touchdown to give Air Force a 16–9 halftime lead. But a ground-heavy attack helped Utah tie the game early in the second half and Air Force never threatened again to take the lead. Mack finished with 101 yards and three scores on 18 carries, while Asiata finished with 116 yards on 19 carries.
With a game in just five days against Oregon State—fresh off an upset victory over then-No. 1 Southern California, the Utes did enough to decide the outcome early. Utah rolled up 450 yards of total offense to take a 37–7 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Wildcats—coached by former Utah head coach Ron McBride and a member of the Football Championship Subdivision—scored twice late to make the final score respectable. With 13 points on three field goals and four extra points, Utah kicker Louie Sakoda
became the all-time leading scorer in school history.
Utah scored 11 points in the final 1:29 to escape with a victory. Utah trailed 9–3 early in the second quarter before finishing off the half with a Louie Sakoda
28-yard field goal and touchdowns of 14 yards from Brian Johnson
to Freddie Brown
and a 12-yard run by Brent Casteel to take a 20–9 halftime lead. Oregon State reeled off 19 straight points of its own to take a 28–20 lead with 2:18 left to play. In a departure from conventional football strategy, Oregon State had elected twice to go for two points after its first two touchdowns of the half (its PAT after the first touchdown was blocked, resulting in coach Mike Riley to "chase points" by going for 2) instead of kicking extra points.
Had it kicked extra points, Oregon State would have led 30–20. But Johnson lead a 4-play, 60-yard drive capped by a 25-yard scoring pass to Bradon Godfrey, then rushed for the 2-point conversion to tie the game, but only after Oregon State was whistled for pass interference on Utah's first two-point try.
Oregon State then threw incomplete on first down, ran out of bounds to stop the clock on second down (another time-honored no-no in football at that stage of the game) and threw incomplete on third down. After a 31-yard punt, Oregon State had used up just 23 seconds, which left plenty of time for a game-winning drive. Johnson threw for 7, 8 and 16 yards to get the Utes into Sakoda's range, and his 37-yard field goal as time expired was good.
Fighting winds in excess of 40 mi/h, Utah won handily on a day in which the offense was outgained 252–242 by scoring a touchdown on defense and two more on special teams. Sean Smith
picked off a deflected pass on Wyoming's second possession and returned it 25 yards for a score—one of two interceptions on the day for the all-Mountain West Conference cornerback. After a pair of Louie Sakoda
field goals made the score 13–0, Aiona Key blocked a Wyoming punt and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown. Matt Asiata added a rushing and receiving touchdown to give Utah a 34–0 lead, and RJ Rice's recovery of a muffed punt in the end zone accounted for the final score.
For the first time all season, Utah used a variety of big plays on offense to bury the improved Rams. Brian Johnson
threw touchdowns of 32 and 33 yards to Freddie Brown
and David Reed
and backup quarterback Corbin Louks ran for scores of 21 and 69 yards. Wide receiver Jereme Brooks ran 34 yards for another score as Utah piled up 549 yards of total offense, 327 on the ground.
The Lobos had marred great Utah seasons before, most notably in 1994 when it beat an undefeated Utes team ranked #8 in the country for their first loss and handing the 2003 MWC champions its only conference loss (and one of two all year) in a lopsided win at Rice–Eccles Stadium. New Mexico almost did it again, but the special teams rose to the occasion for the Utes as Key blocked a first-half field goal attempt and Louie Sakoda
repeatedly pinned the Lobos deep with well-placed punts. His last put the Lobos at their own 1 with 1:58 left, and the Lobos, with no timeouts, could only get to the Utah 46 before time expired. Sakoda kicked a pair of field goals and Casteel's 10-yard catch from Brian Johnson
gave Utah a 13–3 lead late in the third quarter, a lead which ultimately held up.
This game was advertised as a "Blackout". The Utes wore black uniforms for the first time in school history and the fans responded by turning Rice–Eccles Stadium into a sea of black. None of it fazed TCU, which went 64 and 72 yards on its first two possessions to take a quick 10–0 lead. Louie Sakoda's
49-yard field goal with 2:37 left in the first quarter got Utah on the board, and Smith's interception right before haltime helped set up another Sakoda field goal, this one from 37 yards.
TCU's defense, coupled with some untimely playcalling by Utah, made the Frogs' 10–6 lead stand up deep into the fourth quarter. But TCU kicker Ross Evans missed two field goals—the first off the left upright, the second wide right, giving Utah one final shot at salvaging frontrunner status in the MWC and for a BCS bid as it took over on its own 20 with 2:48 left. Completions of 5 and 7 yards got Utah a first down, then Brian Johnson
connected with Casteel for a 22-yard strike to get into TCU territory.
A pass interference call moved the ball to the TCU 31, where Utah faced its most crucial point of the season. Facing 4th and 5 after a pair of incompletions and a 5-yard pass to Godfrey, Johnson beat the blitz and found Brown
for an 11-yard gain to the TCU 15. Another pass to Godfrey put the ball at the TCU 9, and Johnson found Brown on a slant pattern for the winning touchdown on the next play. Versus commentators Tommy Hart
and Dan Fouts
gave a memorable account of the crowd noise after the touchdown:
Hart: This is a well-built stadium. This press box is shaking right now.
Fouts: Oh good, I thought it was my knees. You get a little excited when you see a great 80-yard drive engineered by Brian Johnson ... 7 of 9 on that drive and the capper, finding Freddie Brown downtown.
TCU would get the ball back with one more shot to get into field goal range—and for Evans to redeem himself for his two previous misses. But Andy Dalton, on 4th and 10 with just seconds to go, was intercepted on a deep pass by Robert Johnson
at the Utah 15 to end the game.
Brian Johnson
had an excellent performance as Utah tuned up for the following week's showdown with BYU by throwing five first-half touchdowns, completing 27 of 38 passes for 283 yards as the Utes were in control the entire game. Backup safety Deshawn Richard would return two passes 89 and 36 yards for touchdowns in the final quarter to put an exclamation point on the Utes' rout of the Aztecs.
Utah forced six turnovers and BYU forced none, turning what was otherwise a close game statistically into a blowout. Brian Johnson
won his matchup against his highly touted counterpart, Max Hall
, completing 30 of 36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns, while Hall went 21-41-205 with no touchdowns and five interceptions, in addition to losing a fumble.
Johnson was sharp early, leading Utah to points on its first three possessions for a 17–3 lead. But BYU fought back to tie the game. Louie Sakoda's
35-yard field goal with 1:41 left in the first half gave Utah a 20–17 lead before Hall started padding his interceptions stats with an ill-timed throw to Joe Dale. On the same play, Hall was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Utah the ball at the BYU 44. Two plays resulted in a first down before Johnson found David Reed
for a 32-yard strike in the corner of the end zone for a 27–17 halftime lead.
Hall did rush 11 yards for a touchdown with 6:46 left in the third quarter to get BYU within 27–24, but that would be the last time he would star in a highlight that helped his team. BYU's final five possessions ended interception, fumble, interception, interception, interception.
Starting with the fumble, Utah scored touchdowns on three straight possessions. Three plays into the fourth quarter, Casteel caught a pass in the flat and ran 8 yards for a touchdown and a 34–24 lead. Utah all but clinched a BCS bid and the outright MWC crown with its next interception when Paul Kruger
floated off his defensive end position and into pass coverage. Hall never saw the sophomore lurking in the flat, and only a desperate swipe by Hall kept Kruger from returning the interception for a touchdown. On the next play, Asiata took the direct snap, ran forward two steps and threw a jump pass to Chris Joppru in the back of the end zone for a 41–24 lead with 12 minutes left in the game. Smith's fifth interception of the year helped Johnson cap his day with a 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Colt Sampson, and for the third time this season Utah fans rushed the field after a victory against a ranked team.
Utah, 9½ point underdogs entering the game, treated the Superdome crowd of 71,872 to an offensive explosion in the first quarter and a dominant defense in beating fourth-ranked Alabama to cap a perfect 13–0 season—the second undefeated season in five years for the Utes.
Alabama picked up one first down on its opening drive, but a third-down sack of quarterback John Parker Wilson
by Stevenson Sylvester—the first of three for the junior linebacker—ended the threat. Utah immediately went to work on offense as quarterback Brian Johnson completed all five of his passes to five different receivers, the touchdown pass coming on a 7-yarder to Casteel.
The Tide's poor start continued as Wilson was intercepted by Robert Johnson
on the second play of the ensuing drive. Starting from the Alabama 32, Brian Johnson connected with David Reed
on a 30-yard pass to the Alabama 2, and Asiata took it in two plays later for a score out of the "Wildcat" formation for a 14–0 lead.
Kepa Gaison ended Alabama's third drive with another sack, and Brian Johnson quickly fired up the Ute attack, completing 5 of 7 passes for 50 yards, drawing a pass interference penalty on Alabama and running another 9 yards for a first down on 3rd-and-4 from midfield. Bradon Godfrey capped the drive with an 18-yard touchdown reception, and Utah led 21–0 just 11 minutes into the game.
Alabama rallied, scoring 17 straight points on Leigh Tiffin's 52-yard field goal and Javier Arenas' 73-yard punt return in the second quarter, and Glenn Coffee's 4-yard touchdown catch off a short field caused by a Brian Johnson fumble to start the third quarter.
But as it had done against Air Force
, Oregon State
and TCU
, the Utah offense responded when it had to. Brian Johnson's first pass of the ensuing drive went to Brown for 33 yards, and Godfrey gained 10 on 3rd-and-10 to keep the drive alive. Facing 3rd-and-10 at the Alabama 28, Johnson threw into the left flat for Reed, who slipped a tackle and went into the end zone untouched for a 28–17 lead.
The Utah defense dominated from there, sacking Wilson four more times (Utah finished with eight sacks; Alabama had given up 13 all season entering the game), forcing a Wilson fumble that Utah recovered and turned into the final points, a 28-yard field goal by Louie Sakoda, and a second interception. Alabama crossed midfield just once after the Reed touchdown, and never got any further than the Utah 32.
The final box score revealed a unexpected advantages for Utah. Alabama's run game, which ranked 22nd nationally at 196 yards per game entering the contest, was held to 31 yards on 33 carries. Alabama had given up only 27 first-quarter points and one first quarter touchdown all season long; against Utah it gave up 21 and three, respectively.
Alabama's secondary was 13th nationally in pass efficiency defense at 101.63, but Johnson's passer rating for this game was 158.84. Johnson finished 27 of 41 for 336 yards and three TDs—all of which were the most yards, completions and TDs the Tide had given up to a single quarterback all season long.
The victory marked Utah's eighth consecutive bowl victory—the longest active streak in the country—and was the program's first victory against an SEC
school in seven tries. It also became the first program in the BCS era to finish a season undefeated twice, joining the 2004 team.
of ESPN The Magazine
and John Feinstein
of The Washington Post
.
In the end, sixteen AP voters went against the result of the BCS title game and voted Utah No. 1. It was not enough to offset Florida
's forty-eight first-place votes, but Utah still finished a comfortable No. 2, surpassing its No. 4 finish in the 2004 season for its highest ranking ever. Utah also placed ahead of two teams which won their BCS bowl games—traditional powers Southern California
and Texas, both of whom entered the bowl season ranked ahead of Utah. USC earned one first-place vote, but finished No. 3.
In the coaches poll, Utah finished fourth and earned one first-place vote courtesy of head coach Kyle Whittingham, who vowed after the Sugar Bowl to vote Utah No. 1—despite his obligations as a member of the American Football Coaches Association to vote the winner of the BCS title game in the top spot.
The computers which make up the BCS standings told a different story. Utah was ranked first in four of the six BCS computer models: Sagarin (Elo-Chess), Peter Wolfe, Anderson/Hester and Massey. Utah finished third in the Colley Matrix and Richard Billingsley rankings. Florida didn't finish lower than second in any of the computer rankings, but earned only two first-place finishes amongst the computers.
class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;">
Utah Opp
Punts-Yards
57-2357
78-3034
Avg per Punt
41.4
38.9
Time of Possession/Game
32:21
27:38
3rd Down Conversions
82-181
54-178
4th Down Conversions
10-15
6-15
Touchdowns Scored
59
28
Field Goals-Attempts
22-24
11-19
PAT-Attempts
56-57
23-24
Attendance
273520
231800
Games/Avg per Game
6-45542
6-38633
Neutral Site
1-71872
:
Utah Utes football
The Utah Utes football program is a college football team that currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the Football Bowl Subdivision of NCAA Division I and represents the University of Utah. The Utah college football program began in 1892 and has played home games at Rice–Eccles...
team represented the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season of 2008–2009
2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...
. The team, coached by 4th year head football coach Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham is the head football coach of the University of Utah Utes. Prior to becoming the head coach at Utah, Whittingham served as Utah's defensive coordinator for ten seasons. He was named head coach of Utah after Urban Meyer left for the Florida Gators in 2004...
, plays its home games in Rice–Eccles Stadium. Utah was one of only two teams in the top-level Division I FBS to finish the regular season undefeated (the other being the Boise State Broncos
2008 Boise State Broncos football team
The 2008 Boise State Broncos football team represented Boise State University in the 2008 college football season. The Broncos played their home games at Bronco Stadium, most famous for its blue artificial turf surface, often referred to as the "smurf-turf". The blue turf was new for the 2008...
), but after the Broncos were defeated by TCU
2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2008 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth...
in the Poinsettia Bowl
2008 Poinsettia Bowl
The 2008 San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl was the fourth edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The game started at 5 PM US PST on Tuesday, December 23, 2008...
and Utah won the Sugar Bowl
2009 Sugar Bowl
The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season...
over Alabama
2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team
The 2008 Alabama Crimson Tide football team represented the University of Alabama in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Crimson Tide's 76th season as a member of the Southeastern Conference and its 17th within the SEC Western Division...
, the Utes finished as the nation's only undefeated team.
For their efforts, Utah claimed the nations longest active win streak at 14 wins and the nations longest active bowl win streak at 8 wins. In addition to winning the Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year Award
2008 Mountain West Conference football season
The 2008 Mountain West Conference football season was the 10th since eight former members of the Western Athletic Conference banded together to form the Mountain West Conference...
head coach Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham is the head football coach of the University of Utah Utes. Prior to becoming the head coach at Utah, Whittingham served as Utah's defensive coordinator for ten seasons. He was named head coach of Utah after Urban Meyer left for the Florida Gators in 2004...
also received 2 national coach of the year awards, the AFCA National Coach of the Year Award
AFCA Coach of the Year
The AFCA Coach of the Year award is given annually to a college football coach by the American Football Coaches Association . The award has had several different sponors over the years, including Eastman Kodak Corporation, and thus also been named the Kodak Coach of the Year Award.-Football Bowl...
and the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award.
Schedule
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Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | - | 22 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 2 |
| Coaches | - | 23 | 22 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| Harris | Not released | 15 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | |||||
| BCS | Not released | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||
Recruiting
Michigan
Series Tied: 1 – 1 – 0Utah fans went to the Big House
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
hoping for a better outcome than the last time the Utes visited Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium
Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan Stadium was built in 1927 at a cost of $950,000 and had an original capacity of 72,000. Before playing football at the stadium, the Wolverines played on Ferry Field...
, which resulted in a 10–7 loss in 2002. New Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez
Rich Rodriguez
Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Arizona. Rodriguez previously served as the head football coach at Salem University , Glenville State College , West Virginia University , and the University...
's offense was new to a Michigan squad built to run a smashmouth offense
Smashmouth offense
In American football, a smashmouth offense is an offensive system that relies on a strong running game, where most of the plays run by the offense are handoffs to the fullback or tailback. It is a more traditional style of offense that often results in a higher time of possession by running the...
and was slow to get things going against the Ute defense, and the experienced Michigan defense prevented the Utah offense from gaining momentum. After a slow start for both teams, the Ute offense scored finally started clicking and scored sixteen points in the 2nd quarter taking a 22–10 lead into half-time. The offense wouldn't be able to do much the rest of the game. In the 2nd half it was more of the same from the 1st quarter, the only score coming off of a 53-yard field-goal from Louie Sakoda to put the Utes up 25–10. Michigan scored on the first play of their 2nd possession of the 4th quarter with a 33-yard touchdown pass by Steven Threet to Junior Hemingway, inching closer to the Utah lead. Only two minutes later Michigan RB Sam Mcguffie ran into the endzone from three yards out bringing the Wolverines to with two points, but failed on the ensuing two point conversion. Utah was able to run out most of the clock before turning the bowl over on downs to the Wolverines who were unable to score before time expired, giving the Utes their first win of the season and improving Kyle Whittingham's record against BCS opponents to 5–3.
UNLV
Utah Leads Series: 12 – 2 – 0After an emotional win against Michigan in the season opener, UNLV provided the perfect opponent for Utah to avoid having a "let-down" game as the Rebels embarrassed Utah in Las Vegas the year before, winning 27–0 in one of the most troublesome losses in Utah history. Things did not start off well as UNLV, behind the running of Frank Summers
Frank Summers
Frank Summers is an American football fullback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. In his NFL career, he most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers...
, took first half-leads of 7–0 and 14–7.
But shortly before halftime, quarterback Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
led the Utes on an eighty-yard drive that tied the game going into halftime, and Utah scored on its first four possessions of the second half to turn the game into a rout. Six different Utah players scored touchdowns, and both Johnson and running back Matt Asiata ran and threw for a touchdown.
Utah State
Utah Leads Series: 76 – 28 – 4Even though Utah faced an early 7–0 deficit, this game was never close. Utah scored the game's next thirty points and Matt Asiata tacked on a pair of second-half touchdowns to finish with three rushing TDs as the Utes won going away. Utah State finished with just 116 yards of total offense, and 57 of those came on its final drive of the game against Utah's reserves. Both of Utah State's scoring drives came on short fields caused by turnovers.
Air Force
Air Force Leads Series: 14 – 11 – 0Despite outgaining the Falcons 440-191 and holding Air Force's vaunted option attack to a 30-year low of 53 yards rushing, Utah needed to put together an 11-play, 80-yard drive capped by Darrell Mack's third rushing touchdown with 58 seconds remaining to win.
Offensively, Utah dug itself a hole after building a 9–0 lead. Johnson threw an interception in the end zone and had a second-quarter fumble returned for another touchdown to give Air Force a 16–9 halftime lead. But a ground-heavy attack helped Utah tie the game early in the second half and Air Force never threatened again to take the lead. Mack finished with 101 yards and three scores on 18 carries, while Asiata finished with 116 yards on 19 carries.
Weber State
Utah Leads Series: 3 – 0 – 0With a game in just five days against Oregon State—fresh off an upset victory over then-No. 1 Southern California, the Utes did enough to decide the outcome early. Utah rolled up 450 yards of total offense to take a 37–7 lead early in the fourth quarter before the Wildcats—coached by former Utah head coach Ron McBride and a member of the Football Championship Subdivision—scored twice late to make the final score respectable. With 13 points on three field goals and four extra points, Utah kicker Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda is a kicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. In college, he played for the Utah Utes...
became the all-time leading scorer in school history.
Oregon State
Oregon State Leads Series: 9 – 5 – 1Utah scored 11 points in the final 1:29 to escape with a victory. Utah trailed 9–3 early in the second quarter before finishing off the half with a Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda is a kicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. In college, he played for the Utah Utes...
28-yard field goal and touchdowns of 14 yards from Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
to Freddie Brown
Freddie Brown (American football)
Freddie Brown is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah....
and a 12-yard run by Brent Casteel to take a 20–9 halftime lead. Oregon State reeled off 19 straight points of its own to take a 28–20 lead with 2:18 left to play. In a departure from conventional football strategy, Oregon State had elected twice to go for two points after its first two touchdowns of the half (its PAT after the first touchdown was blocked, resulting in coach Mike Riley to "chase points" by going for 2) instead of kicking extra points.
Had it kicked extra points, Oregon State would have led 30–20. But Johnson lead a 4-play, 60-yard drive capped by a 25-yard scoring pass to Bradon Godfrey, then rushed for the 2-point conversion to tie the game, but only after Oregon State was whistled for pass interference on Utah's first two-point try.
Oregon State then threw incomplete on first down, ran out of bounds to stop the clock on second down (another time-honored no-no in football at that stage of the game) and threw incomplete on third down. After a 31-yard punt, Oregon State had used up just 23 seconds, which left plenty of time for a game-winning drive. Johnson threw for 7, 8 and 16 yards to get the Utes into Sakoda's range, and his 37-yard field goal as time expired was good.
Wyoming
Utah Leads Series: 49 – 31 – 1Fighting winds in excess of 40 mi/h, Utah won handily on a day in which the offense was outgained 252–242 by scoring a touchdown on defense and two more on special teams. Sean Smith
Sean Smith (cornerback)
Sean Smith is an American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
picked off a deflected pass on Wyoming's second possession and returned it 25 yards for a score—one of two interceptions on the day for the all-Mountain West Conference cornerback. After a pair of Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda is a kicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. In college, he played for the Utah Utes...
field goals made the score 13–0, Aiona Key blocked a Wyoming punt and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown. Matt Asiata added a rushing and receiving touchdown to give Utah a 34–0 lead, and RJ Rice's recovery of a muffed punt in the end zone accounted for the final score.
Colorado State
Utah Leads Series: 53 – 22 – 2For the first time all season, Utah used a variety of big plays on offense to bury the improved Rams. Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
threw touchdowns of 32 and 33 yards to Freddie Brown
Freddie Brown (American football)
Freddie Brown is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah....
and David Reed
David Reed (American football)
-Baltimore Ravens:On December 13, 2010, against the Houston Texans, Reed scored his first NFL touchdown on a 103-yard kickoff return. The return set a new Ravens franchise record and his 233 kickoff return yards were also the second most in franchise history...
and backup quarterback Corbin Louks ran for scores of 21 and 69 yards. Wide receiver Jereme Brooks ran 34 yards for another score as Utah piled up 549 yards of total offense, 327 on the ground.
New Mexico
Utah Leads Series: 31 – 17 – 2The Lobos had marred great Utah seasons before, most notably in 1994 when it beat an undefeated Utes team ranked #8 in the country for their first loss and handing the 2003 MWC champions its only conference loss (and one of two all year) in a lopsided win at Rice–Eccles Stadium. New Mexico almost did it again, but the special teams rose to the occasion for the Utes as Key blocked a first-half field goal attempt and Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda is a kicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. In college, he played for the Utah Utes...
repeatedly pinned the Lobos deep with well-placed punts. His last put the Lobos at their own 1 with 1:58 left, and the Lobos, with no timeouts, could only get to the Utah 46 before time expired. Sakoda kicked a pair of field goals and Casteel's 10-yard catch from Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
gave Utah a 13–3 lead late in the third quarter, a lead which ultimately held up.
TCU
Utah Leads Series: 5 – 1 – 0This game was advertised as a "Blackout". The Utes wore black uniforms for the first time in school history and the fans responded by turning Rice–Eccles Stadium into a sea of black. None of it fazed TCU, which went 64 and 72 yards on its first two possessions to take a quick 10–0 lead. Louie Sakoda's
Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda is a kicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. In college, he played for the Utah Utes...
49-yard field goal with 2:37 left in the first quarter got Utah on the board, and Smith's interception right before haltime helped set up another Sakoda field goal, this one from 37 yards.
TCU's defense, coupled with some untimely playcalling by Utah, made the Frogs' 10–6 lead stand up deep into the fourth quarter. But TCU kicker Ross Evans missed two field goals—the first off the left upright, the second wide right, giving Utah one final shot at salvaging frontrunner status in the MWC and for a BCS bid as it took over on its own 20 with 2:48 left. Completions of 5 and 7 yards got Utah a first down, then Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
connected with Casteel for a 22-yard strike to get into TCU territory.
A pass interference call moved the ball to the TCU 31, where Utah faced its most crucial point of the season. Facing 4th and 5 after a pair of incompletions and a 5-yard pass to Godfrey, Johnson beat the blitz and found Brown
Freddie Brown (American football)
Freddie Brown is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah....
for an 11-yard gain to the TCU 15. Another pass to Godfrey put the ball at the TCU 9, and Johnson found Brown on a slant pattern for the winning touchdown on the next play. Versus commentators Tommy Hart
Tommy Hart
Tommy Lee Hart is a former American football defensive end who played for the San Francisco 49ers, the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints in a thirteen year career that lasted from 1968 to 1980 in the National Football League.Hart played college football at Morris Brown College and was...
and Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
gave a memorable account of the crowd noise after the touchdown:
Hart: This is a well-built stadium. This press box is shaking right now.
Fouts: Oh good, I thought it was my knees. You get a little excited when you see a great 80-yard drive engineered by Brian Johnson ... 7 of 9 on that drive and the capper, finding Freddie Brown downtown.
TCU would get the ball back with one more shot to get into field goal range—and for Evans to redeem himself for his two previous misses. But Andy Dalton, on 4th and 10 with just seconds to go, was intercepted on a deep pass by Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson (safety)
Robert Johnson is an American football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League, who is currently a member of the practice squad. He was drafted by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah. Following final cuts Johnson was...
at the Utah 15 to end the game.
San Diego State
Utah Leads Series: 15 – 12 – 1Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
had an excellent performance as Utah tuned up for the following week's showdown with BYU by throwing five first-half touchdowns, completing 27 of 38 passes for 283 yards as the Utes were in control the entire game. Backup safety Deshawn Richard would return two passes 89 and 36 yards for touchdowns in the final quarter to put an exclamation point on the Utes' rout of the Aztecs.
Brigham Young
Utah Leads Series: 53 – 33 – 4Utah forced six turnovers and BYU forced none, turning what was otherwise a close game statistically into a blowout. Brian Johnson
Brian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
won his matchup against his highly touted counterpart, Max Hall
Max Hall
Max Hall is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League. He was signed by the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2010. He played college football at BYU.-Early years:...
, completing 30 of 36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns, while Hall went 21-41-205 with no touchdowns and five interceptions, in addition to losing a fumble.
Johnson was sharp early, leading Utah to points on its first three possessions for a 17–3 lead. But BYU fought back to tie the game. Louie Sakoda's
Louie Sakoda
Louie Sakoda is a kicker and punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. In college, he played for the Utah Utes...
35-yard field goal with 1:41 left in the first half gave Utah a 20–17 lead before Hall started padding his interceptions stats with an ill-timed throw to Joe Dale. On the same play, Hall was whistled for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving Utah the ball at the BYU 44. Two plays resulted in a first down before Johnson found David Reed
David Reed (American football)
-Baltimore Ravens:On December 13, 2010, against the Houston Texans, Reed scored his first NFL touchdown on a 103-yard kickoff return. The return set a new Ravens franchise record and his 233 kickoff return yards were also the second most in franchise history...
for a 32-yard strike in the corner of the end zone for a 27–17 halftime lead.
Hall did rush 11 yards for a touchdown with 6:46 left in the third quarter to get BYU within 27–24, but that would be the last time he would star in a highlight that helped his team. BYU's final five possessions ended interception, fumble, interception, interception, interception.
Starting with the fumble, Utah scored touchdowns on three straight possessions. Three plays into the fourth quarter, Casteel caught a pass in the flat and ran 8 yards for a touchdown and a 34–24 lead. Utah all but clinched a BCS bid and the outright MWC crown with its next interception when Paul Kruger
Paul Kruger (American football)
Paul Kruger is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.-Early years:...
floated off his defensive end position and into pass coverage. Hall never saw the sophomore lurking in the flat, and only a desperate swipe by Hall kept Kruger from returning the interception for a touchdown. On the next play, Asiata took the direct snap, ran forward two steps and threw a jump pass to Chris Joppru in the back of the end zone for a 41–24 lead with 12 minutes left in the game. Smith's fifth interception of the year helped Johnson cap his day with a 1-yard scoring pass to tight end Colt Sampson, and for the third time this season Utah fans rushed the field after a victory against a ranked team.
Sugar Bowl: Utah vs. Alabama
Utah Leads Series: 1 – 0 – 0Utah, 9½ point underdogs entering the game, treated the Superdome crowd of 71,872 to an offensive explosion in the first quarter and a dominant defense in beating fourth-ranked Alabama to cap a perfect 13–0 season—the second undefeated season in five years for the Utes.
Alabama picked up one first down on its opening drive, but a third-down sack of quarterback John Parker Wilson
John Parker Wilson
John Parker Wilson is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. college football at the University of Alabama, he went undrafted during the 2009 NFL Draft, before signing with the Falcons as a free agent.-Freshman:After leading Hoover High School to...
by Stevenson Sylvester—the first of three for the junior linebacker—ended the threat. Utah immediately went to work on offense as quarterback Brian Johnson completed all five of his passes to five different receivers, the touchdown pass coming on a 7-yarder to Casteel.
The Tide's poor start continued as Wilson was intercepted by Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson (safety)
Robert Johnson is an American football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League, who is currently a member of the practice squad. He was drafted by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah. Following final cuts Johnson was...
on the second play of the ensuing drive. Starting from the Alabama 32, Brian Johnson connected with David Reed
David Reed (American football)
-Baltimore Ravens:On December 13, 2010, against the Houston Texans, Reed scored his first NFL touchdown on a 103-yard kickoff return. The return set a new Ravens franchise record and his 233 kickoff return yards were also the second most in franchise history...
on a 30-yard pass to the Alabama 2, and Asiata took it in two plays later for a score out of the "Wildcat" formation for a 14–0 lead.
Kepa Gaison ended Alabama's third drive with another sack, and Brian Johnson quickly fired up the Ute attack, completing 5 of 7 passes for 50 yards, drawing a pass interference penalty on Alabama and running another 9 yards for a first down on 3rd-and-4 from midfield. Bradon Godfrey capped the drive with an 18-yard touchdown reception, and Utah led 21–0 just 11 minutes into the game.
Alabama rallied, scoring 17 straight points on Leigh Tiffin's 52-yard field goal and Javier Arenas' 73-yard punt return in the second quarter, and Glenn Coffee's 4-yard touchdown catch off a short field caused by a Brian Johnson fumble to start the third quarter.
But as it had done against Air Force
2008 Air Force Falcons football team
The 2008 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Air Force competed as a member of the Mountain West Conference .The team was led by...
, Oregon State
2008 Oregon State Beavers football team
The 2008 Oregon State Beavers football team represents Oregon State University in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head coach is Mike Riley...
and TCU
2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 2008 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University in the 2008 college football season. The team was coached by Gary Patterson. The Frogs played their home games at Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth...
, the Utah offense responded when it had to. Brian Johnson's first pass of the ensuing drive went to Brown for 33 yards, and Godfrey gained 10 on 3rd-and-10 to keep the drive alive. Facing 3rd-and-10 at the Alabama 28, Johnson threw into the left flat for Reed, who slipped a tackle and went into the end zone untouched for a 28–17 lead.
The Utah defense dominated from there, sacking Wilson four more times (Utah finished with eight sacks; Alabama had given up 13 all season entering the game), forcing a Wilson fumble that Utah recovered and turned into the final points, a 28-yard field goal by Louie Sakoda, and a second interception. Alabama crossed midfield just once after the Reed touchdown, and never got any further than the Utah 32.
The final box score revealed a unexpected advantages for Utah. Alabama's run game, which ranked 22nd nationally at 196 yards per game entering the contest, was held to 31 yards on 33 carries. Alabama had given up only 27 first-quarter points and one first quarter touchdown all season long; against Utah it gave up 21 and three, respectively.
Alabama's secondary was 13th nationally in pass efficiency defense at 101.63, but Johnson's passer rating for this game was 158.84. Johnson finished 27 of 41 for 336 yards and three TDs—all of which were the most yards, completions and TDs the Tide had given up to a single quarterback all season long.
The victory marked Utah's eighth consecutive bowl victory—the longest active streak in the country—and was the program's first victory against an SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
school in seven tries. It also became the first program in the BCS era to finish a season undefeated twice, joining the 2004 team.
Utah's poll finish
The effects of this game were monumental. Immediately, on sports internet site polls and in newspaper columns, the Utes' case for a share of the national championship was made. Among the noteworthy members of the press to chime in were Rick ReillyRick Reilly
Richard "Rick" Paul Reilly is an American sportswriter. Long known for being the "back page" columnist for Sports Illustrated, Reilly moved to ESPN on June 1, 2008 where he is a featured columnist for ESPN.com and wrote the back page column for ESPN the Magazine...
of ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine
ESPN The Magazine is a bi-weekly sports magazine published by the ESPN sports network in Bristol, Connecticut in the United States. The first issue was published on March 11, 1998....
and John Feinstein
John Feinstein
John Feinstein is an American sportswriter, author and sports commentator who wrote the top two best-selling non-fiction sports books in history, A Good Walk Spoiled and A Season on the Brink.-Early life:...
of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
.
In the end, sixteen AP voters went against the result of the BCS title game and voted Utah No. 1. It was not enough to offset Florida
2008 Florida Gators football team
The 2008 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2008 college football season...
's forty-eight first-place votes, but Utah still finished a comfortable No. 2, surpassing its No. 4 finish in the 2004 season for its highest ranking ever. Utah also placed ahead of two teams which won their BCS bowl games—traditional powers Southern California
2008 USC Trojans football team
The 2008 University of Southern California Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California during the college football season of 2008–2009...
and Texas, both of whom entered the bowl season ranked ahead of Utah. USC earned one first-place vote, but finished No. 3.
In the coaches poll, Utah finished fourth and earned one first-place vote courtesy of head coach Kyle Whittingham, who vowed after the Sugar Bowl to vote Utah No. 1—despite his obligations as a member of the American Football Coaches Association to vote the winner of the BCS title game in the top spot.
The computers which make up the BCS standings told a different story. Utah was ranked first in four of the six BCS computer models: Sagarin (Elo-Chess), Peter Wolfe, Anderson/Hester and Massey. Utah finished third in the Colley Matrix and Richard Billingsley rankings. Florida didn't finish lower than second in any of the computer rankings, but earned only two first-place finishes amongst the computers.
Depth chart
These are the projected starters and primary backups as of November 2008.Season Statistics
2008 Official StatsTeam
| class="wikitable" style="white-space:nowrap;"> | Utah | Opp | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scoring | 480 | 224 | |
| Points per Game | 36.9 | 17.2 | |
| First Downs | 282 | 209 | |
| Rushing | 112 | 78 | |
| Passing | 154 | 103 | |
| Penalty | 16 | 28 | |
| Rushing yards | 2034 | 1289 | |
| Avg per play | 4.1 | 3.1 | |
| Avg per game | 156.5 | 99.2 | |
| Rushing touchdowns | 24 | 10 | |
| Passing yards | 3178 | 2470 | |
| Att-Comp-Int | 414-279-9 | 409-225-19 | |
| Avg per pass | 7.7 | 6.0 | |
| Avg per catch | 11.4 | 11.0 | |
| Avg per game | 244.5 | 190.0 | |
| Passing touchdowns | 29 | 15 | |
| Total Offense | 5212 | 3759 | |
| Avg per Play | 5.7 | 4.6 | |
| Avg per Game | 400.9 | 289.2 | |
| Fumbles-Lost | 23-9 | 21-12 | |
| Penalties-Yards | 90-817 | 91-661 | |
| Avg per Game | 62.8 | 50.8 |
Individual Leaders
| Passing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | COMP | ATT | Pct. | YDS | TD | INT | QB Rating |
| Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (quarterback) Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009.... |
268 | 394 | .680 | 2972 | 27 | 9 | 149.43 |
| Corbin Louks | 4 | 7 | .571 | 104 | 0 | 0 | 181.94 |
| Chad Manis | 3 | 4 | .750 | 24 | - | - | 125.4 |
| Matt Asiata | 2 | 3 | .667 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 387.47 |
| Rushing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD |
| Matt Asiata | 146 | 707 | 4.8 | 12 |
| Darrell Mack | 123 | 541 | 4.4 | 3 |
| Corbin Louks | 27 | 218 | 8.1 | 3 |
| Eddie Wide | 30 | 183 | 6.1 | - |
| Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (quarterback) Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009.... |
108 | 128 | 1.2 | 1 |
| Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | REC | YDS | YPR | TD |
| Freddie Brown Freddie Brown (American football) Freddie Brown is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.... |
77 | 900 | 11.7 | 7 |
| Bradon Godfrey Bradon Godfrey Bradon Cache Godfrey is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2009... |
56 | 556 | 9.9 | 4 |
| Brent Casteel | 43 | 564 | 13.1 | 4 |
| David Reed David Reed (American football) -Baltimore Ravens:On December 13, 2010, against the Houston Texans, Reed scored his first NFL touchdown on a 103-yard kickoff return. The return set a new Ravens franchise record and his 233 kickoff return yards were also the second most in franchise history... |
25 | 427 | 17.1 | 6 |
| Jereme Brooks | 30 | 331 | 11.0 | 1 |
| Matt Asiata | 13 | 111 | 8.5 | 1 |
| Tackles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Solo | Asst | Total | TFL | Sacks | |
| Mike Wright | 35 | 46 | 81 | 2.5 | 1 | |
| Stevenson Sylvester Stevenson Sylvester Stevenson Ellis Sylvester is an American football inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.-Early years:... |
33 | 40 | 73 | 8 | 3.5 | |
| Koa Misi Koa Misi -Miami Dolphins:On September 19, 2010—Misi's second career game in the NFL—he recovered a Brett Favre fumble in the endzone for a touchdown giving the Dolphins a 14-0 lead. Misi also had two tackles, helping the Dolphins to go 2-0 on the season.-External links:**... |
31 | 37 | 68 | 8.5 | 3 | |
| Joe Dale | 35 | 31 | 66 | 6.5 | 1 | |
| Paul Kruger Paul Kruger (American football) Paul Kruger is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.-Early years:... |
31 | 30 | 61 | 16.5 | 7.5 | |
| Greg Newman | 20 | 30 | 50 | 9.5 | 2.5 | |
| Sean Smith Sean Smith (cornerback) Sean Smith is an American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
23 | 22 | 45 | 2 | 1 | |
| Pass defense | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | INT | YDS | Broken up | |||
| Sean Smith Sean Smith (cornerback) Sean Smith is an American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
5 | 151 | 9 | |||
| Robert Johnson Robert Johnson (safety) Robert Johnson is an American football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League, who is currently a member of the practice squad. He was drafted by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah. Following final cuts Johnson was... |
4 | 7 | 3 | |||
| Deshawn Richard | 3 | 138 | 0 | |||
| Joe Dale | 3 | 9 | 4 | |||
| Paul Kruger Paul Kruger (American football) Paul Kruger is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.-Early years:... |
1 | 30 | 7 | |||
NFL draft
The Utes had four players go in the 2009 NFL Draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
:
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL Club |
| Paul Kruger Paul Kruger (American football) Paul Kruger is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens. He was drafted by the Ravens in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.-Early years:... |
Defensive end Defensive end Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years... |
2 | 57 | Baltimore Ravens 2009 Baltimore Ravens season The 2009 Baltimore Ravens season is the franchise's 14th season as a team in the National Football League . The franchise entered the season off an 11–5 record in their previous season, a playoff berth, but a loss in the American Football Conference Championship game against the eventual Super... |
| Sean Smith Sean Smith (cornerback) Sean Smith is an American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft... |
Cornerback Cornerback A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position... |
2 | 61 | Miami Dolphins 2009 Miami Dolphins season The 2009 Miami Dolphins season was the organization's 40th season in the National Football League and 44th overall. The Dolphins entered the 2009 season as the reigning AFC East champions after posting an 11–5 record in 2008... |
| Brice McCain Brice McCain Brice McCain is an American football cornerback for the Houston Texans in the National Football League. McCain played college football for the Utah Utes. McCain was a 6th round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft.... |
Cornerback | 6 | 188 | Houston Texans 2009 Houston Texans season The 2009 Houston Texans season is the 8th season for the team in the National Football League. The Texans improved upon their 8–8 record in 2008, claimed their first winning season in franchise history, and 4 straight heartbreaking division losses came back to haunt them, as they narrowly missed... |
| Freddie Brown Freddie Brown (American football) Freddie Brown is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah.... |
Wide receiver Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible... |
7 | 252 | Cincinnati Bengals 2009 Cincinnati Bengals season The 2009 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 40th season for the team in the National Football League and their 42nd overall. They finished the season at 10–6–0, and sweeping the entire AFC North division, they improved on their 2008 record of 4–11–1, winning the AFC North Division and making the... |