The Greatest Utah Football Games Ever

2009 Poinsettia Bowl - Utah vs. California

2009-12-23T12:00:00.014-07:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Utah came from behind to defeat the Cal Bears and extend their bowl game winning streak to nine.

It had been a season full of ups and downs for the Utes; and overall, a mediocre follow-up to the epic 2008 campaign. But with this win, the future again looked bright. Freshman quarterback Jordan Wynn played his best game to date, which earned him offensive MVP honors. Two of his three touchdown passes went to tight end Kendrick Moeai; junior Shaky Smithson set up the first with a 61-yard kickoff return.

The performance ended the season on a high note and gave fans a reason to be optimistic for the 2010 season. In a way it also marked the end of an era of Utah football: for six months later, Utah would accept an invitation to be the twelfth member of the Pac-10 Conference. This victory over Cal would be the last time Utah would face a Pac-10/12 team as a non-conference foe.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTES ON CLOUD NINE AFTER BOWL WIN
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Freshman Quarterback Jordan Wynn Helps Seniors Go Out In Style
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
November 24, 2009

SAN DIEGO — Nine has the Utah Utes feeling fine. They extended the nation's longest active bowl streak to nine wins with a 37-27 come-from-behind victory over California in the Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium.

"I couldn't be more proud of a football team as I was this evening — particularly the senior class," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "It was important to us, as we talked as a football team, of sending these guys out the right way."

The seniors, though, were led by a true freshman offensively. Quarterback Jordan Wynn, who is from nearby Oceanside High School, earned Offensive MVP honors in his homecoming of sorts.

Wynn overcame an early pick-six to complete 26-of-36 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns.

"I just had to get back in my rhythm and just not let it get to me. There was a lot of game left and I just had to bounce back," Wynn said while noting he couldn't have asked for anything better than how things turned out. "As a quarterback you've got to have a short memory. The offense as a whole kind of picked me up."

The defense did it's part as well.

"You have to give Utah credit. They're a good defensive team," said California coach Jeff Tedford. "They did a great job controlling the line. They did a lot of nice things."

Senior linebacker Stevenson Sylvester recorded eight tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown to receive Defensive MVP honors.

"Anybody on this defense could have won this trophy here tonight," he said. "Because we all played great. I love everything about this team."

Everything, perhaps, with the exception of Wednesday's sluggish start.

For the first time since 1999 in Las Vegas, Utah failed to put the first points on the board in a bowl game.

Cal broke the streak, which extended through seven games, when running back Shane Vereen ran 36 yards for a touchdown with 6:06 remaining in the first quarter.

It took just 11 more seconds for things to get worse for the Utes.

On the next play from scrimmage, outside linebacker Eddie Young intercepted a pass by Wynn and returned it 31 yards to the end zone.

The outburst, including extra-point kicks from Vince D'Amato, gave the Golden Bears an early 14-0 advantage.

Utah's comeback began on the ensuing possession after Shaky Smithson returned the kickoff 61 yards to the Cal 30.

The Utes capitalized on the field position with an eight-play scoring drive, capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass from Wynn to tight end Kendrick Moeai.

Trailing 14-7, Utah carried it's newfound momentum into the second quarter.

And turned things around — decisively.

While the defense prevented Cal from getting a single first down, Utah's offense scored 17 points over the 14:17 of the second quarter.

The run gave the Utes a 24-14 halftime lead.

A 28-yard field goal by Joe Phillips got things started. The go-ahead score was a 15-yard touchdown throw from Wynn to Moeai with 4:58 to play in the quarter.

Before the half was complete, Utah added a 21-yard scoring strike from Wynn to Jereme Brooks.

The last-minute play upped the Utes' total offense in the quarter to 180 yards.

Missed opportunities, however, followed in the third quarter and allowed the Golden Bears to climb back into contention.

Utah had a touchdown play nullified by a penalty. The Utes were flagged for having too many men in the backfield when Smithson teamed with David Reed on a 42-yard throw. Prior to the completion, Smithson took the snap and handed off to Eddie Wide. Wide then pitched the ball back to Smithson.

The Utes eventually punted the ball away. Their next drive was also promising. However, a run by Wide came up short on fourth-and-1 from the Cal 25.

Utah was more fortunate on it's next possession. The defense set up a 29-yard field goal by Phillips that made it 27-14. Lamar Chapman forced Bears quarterback Kevin Riley to fumble the ball and Mike Wright recovered it for the Utes.

Cal responded, though, with a six-play touchdown drive. A 1-yard run by Vereen pulled the Bears to within one score of the Utes.

Leading 27-21, Utah regained some breathing room early in the fourth quarter when Phillips connected on a 25-yard field goal. The nine-point lead held firm until the defense added to it with 5:27 left to play. That's when Stevenson returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown.

Safety Robert Johnson tipped the pass and then notched his own pick on Cal's next play from scrimmage.

The Bears did, however, manage a late response. But Riley's 24-yard TD pass to Jeremy Ross failed to ignite any sort of late rally.

"It was really a snowball effect," Vereen said. "We were on track in the beginning and then we just lost our execution."

After accepting Utah's ninth consecutive bowl championship trophy, senior captain Zane Beadles explained how the Utes maintained their composure despite a rocky opening.

"That's how this team operates. We take on the persona of our coach and never panic, never get too high, never get too low and come out on top."

Whittingham praised his team for finding a way to hang in there, keep fighting and for keeping their heads up.

"We got some momentum there. The offense started to click. The defense stiffened up," he said. "The results speak for themselves — a very, very good team win."

#1: 2009 Sugar Bowl - Utah vs. Alabama

2009-08-31T09:30:00.006-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? During the summer of 2006, Brian Johnson (who was then recovering from a knee injury) sat down with Kyle Whittingham to decide whether he would redshirt that season in order to allow his knee to fully heal. A redshirt season would mean that Johnson would be a Junior in 2007, and a Senior in 2008.

It was during this meeting that Coach Whittingham told Johnson that "this team is built for 2008."

The coaches already knew then that the Utes had a chance to have a special season in 2008. This outlook convinced Johnson to redshirt 2006 in order to be a part of that team.

But for the next two seasons, Utah had to endure a lot of growing pains and adversity. Inexperience, lack of depth, head-scratching losses, tough schedules, and injuries. They won eight games in 2006 and nine in 2007. But by the time the 2007 season had ended, it was clear that the coaches' projection was coming true. The program was on a roll and poised for great things in 2008.

And 2008 turned out to be the greatest Utah football season ever. They finished the regular season 12-0 and ranked #6, with wins over Michigan, Oregon State, TCU, and BYU.

Alabama, meanwhile, was ranked #4, and had been ranked #1 for five weeks until they lost to Florida in the SEC Championship Game. And they were nine-point favorites to beat the Utes in the Sugar Bowl.

Utah had its critics during the season. Folks from Bristol, CT to Tuscaloosa, AL, all predicted a big Alabama victory. And amazingly, even after beating the Crimson Tide, Utah somehow continues to find its fair share of detractors and doubters who try to discount the greatness of the 2008 team. But for that one night, no one could second-guess the Utes. They proved their greatness on the playing field, and in the end, became the Kings of New Orleans.

But perhaps the greatest thing about Utah's stunning upset of Alabama in the Sugar Bowl was the fact that they had done so after nearly a full turnover of their 2004 roster. Almost all of the members of that Fiesta Bowl team had moved on. The 2008 players were different; the coaching staff was different; the only constant was that both these teams represented the same school: The University of Utah.

And although this generation of Utah players will soon move on as well, Ute fans can all rest assured, through personnel changes or through difficult seasons of adversity, that a return to greatness is always on the horizon.

FURTHER READING:

• "Against a team like Alabama, in the Sugar Bowl, it would be the biggest win in Utah football history."

--Utah Offensive Coordinator, Andy Ludwig,
on what a win against Alabama would mean to Utah's program.

• "There’s not a single player on Utah’s roster who would’ve even been recruited by Alabama."

-- Barry Switzer,
appearing on the FOX pre-game show.

• "I'm gonna kill you."

--Alabama Center Antoine Caldwell
to Stevenson Sylvester after the coin toss.

• "Wow. Wow. Wow."

--Daryl Johnston, FOX's color commentator,
after the the Utes scored their third first-quarter touchdown to go up 21-0.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

SUGAR HIGH
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13-0 Utes Roll Over One Of BCS' Best
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
January 3, 2009

NEW ORLEANS — It doesn't get any sweeter than this for the Utah Utes.

Besides winning the 75th anniversary Sugar Bowl, Friday night's 31-17 win over Alabama in the Louisiana Superdome capped a 13-0 season for the Utes. They finished the season as the only undefeated team in the nation.

"This is the best," said quarterback Brian Johnson. "We're the best team in the country."

Johnson was named the game's Most Outstanding Player after completing 27-of-41 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns.

"All we heard is how they were the better team. It was all about Alabama," he added. "Nobody thought we could do it. The national pundits, no one. We believed in ourselves."

In defeating the heavily favored Crimson Tide, the Utes extended two of college football's longest active winning streaks. They've now won 14 consecutive games overall dating back to last season and extended their run of bowl victories to eight straight.

"I love coaching these guys," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "It's been a storybook season."

One, he believes, that is worthy of national championship consideration.

"I think so," said Whittingham. "But it's not up to me."

The Utes' second successful Bowl Championship Series appearance in five years led to a postgame celebration on the field of the massive facility. Thousands of Utah fans cheered from the stands.

"This feels great. It's a dream come true. We could not ask for anything else," said wide receiver Bradon Godfrey. "I think we gained some respect for our conference, and this is quite an accomplishment for the Mountain West Conference. No one gave us a chance."

The underdogs, however, found a way to get it done.

"I have to give a lot of credit to the Utah team," said Alabama coach Nick Saban. "They played an outstanding game."

Defense played a big role, with the Utes recording eight sacks and holding run-oriented Alabama to just 31 yards on the ground in defensive coordinator Gary Andersen's final game before he begins full-time service as Utah State's head coach. Robert Johnson had two interceptions.

"An unbelievable victory. It's the best team I've ever been around in my life," said Andersen. "This crew, the way they've won football games, is unbelievable."

The Tide turned a bit on the first play of the second half. That's when Brian Johnson fumbled the ball on a team sack by Alabama and it was recovered on the Utah 30 by defensive end Bobby Greenwood. It took just over three minutes for the Crimson Tide to cash in, scoring a touchdown on a 4-yard toss from John Parker Wilson to Glen Coffee.

With their lead cut to 21-17, the Utes retaliated when they got the ball back. Brian Johnson and David Reed teamed for a 28-yard TD pass to match Alabama's score.

This time, the 11-point gap held firm. In fact, Utah's lead even grew.

The Utes added a 28-yard field goal by Louie Sakoda with 2:49 remaining. The kick allowed them to match Florida's output in the SEC title game for the most points allowed by Alabama this season.

Utah jumped out to a 21-0 advantage in the first quarter.

After forcing Alabama to punt on the game's initial series, the Utes used a no-huddle offense and five consecutive completions by Johnson to take an early lead. A 7-yard scoring strike to Brent Casteel, who dove into the end zone near the left sideline, capped off a sequence that included receptions by Jereme Brooks, Darrell Mack, Bradon Godfrey and Freddie Brown, who finished the game with 12 catches for 125 yards.

"We practice no-huddle quite a bit and obviously we work it every week," said Brown. "I feel like we're one of the best two-minute teams in the country, if not the best."

Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig acknowledged it was great.

"Brian did a great job. We know we are good at it," said Ludwig. "And we know this, (Alabama) is sophisticated on defense and we could take their coaches out of the play a little bit. Our guys own that drill. So that was great, great stuff. We had them on their heels a little bit."

The drive, however, almost didn't happen. Casteel misjudged the game's first punt and the ball bounced into the air. Fortunately for Utah, it landed in the hands of Utah teammate R.J. Rice and the Utes took over at their own 32.

Leading 7-0 after Sakoda added the PAT, Utah's defense thwarted Alabama's ensuing possession. Safety Robert Johnson intercepted a pass by Wilson and returned it the Crimson Tide 32, where the Utes embarked upon another five-play march into the end zone.

This one, though, wasn't as sharp. Only two plays made positive yardage — a 30-yard, third-down pass from Brian Johnson to Reed and a 2-yard touchdown run by Matt Asiata.

The latter was followed by another exchange of success by the Utes before the quarter was complete. A third-down sack of Wilson by linebacker Kepa Gaison forced the Crimson Tide to punt the ball away.

Utah responded with its third straight scoring drive. The Utes picked up three first downs on a seven-play series that covered 65 yards and took only 1:17 off the clock. Bradon Godfrey scored the touchdown off an 18-yard throw from Brian Johnson.

When the quarter was finished, Utah held wide edges in total offense (150-43) and first downs (9-4). The Utes finalized their early dominance with an 11-yard sack of Wilson by Kenape Eliapo on the final play.

That forced Alabama to attempt a 52-yard field goal on the opening play of the second quarter, and Leigh Tiffin connected to put the Crimson Tide on the board. They cut the deficit again almost 9 1/2 minutes later when Javier Arenas returned a Utah punt 73 yards for a touchdown. Tiffin followed with the extra point, closing the gap to 21-10.

The halftime margin could have been closer, but a 47-yard field goal attempt by Tiffin earlier in the quarter was wide left. He also missed a 49-yarder in the third quarter.

#16: November 11, 1961 - Utah at Colorado

2009-08-24T05:00:00.034-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Utah had a solid team in 1961. Although they finished the season with a 6-4 record, they had big wins over Arizona State and Oregon. Three of Utah's four losses were narrow defeats to really good teams: a 7-0 loss at Wisconsin (who finished the season ranked #18 in the Coaches Poll); a 13-6 loss against Wyoming (who finished the season ranked #17 in the Coaches Poll); and a 17-6 loss to Utah State (who finished the season ranked #10 in both major polls).

The fourth loss was a 21-6 defeat at New Mexico.

However, Utah's greatest achievement that season was a 21-12 win in Boulder against nationally ranked Colorado.

The Buffaloes were rated #8 AP/#9 Coaches and were the second-highest ranked team Utah had ever played up to that time (the 1957 Army team was two spots higher in the Coaches Poll).

Even as Utah led the game, fans surely expected the highly-favored home team to eventually pull themselves together and make a game of it. But as you can see from the Tribune recap below, that just wasn't the case. The Utes dominated their long-time rival until the game was out of reach.

It became, and remains, Utah's most impressive road win ever (not including neutral site bowl games).

Colorado finished the regular season 9-1, ranked #4 AP/#3 Coaches, and was crowned champion of the Big Eight Conference. They would lose to LSU in the Orange Bowl, but ended up ranked #7 in both polls.

FURTHER READING:
• Utah beat the Buffaloes again in Salt Lake the following year, 37-21. It was the 57th game in a rivalry that dates back to 1903. Unfortunately, it was also the last time these schools have played each other in football.

But still today, there are only four teams that Utah has played more often than Colorado (Utah State-108, BYU-90, Wyoming-81, and Colorado State-77).

• Deseret News article about the CU-Utah rivalry published days before the series was renewed in 2011: Utes, Colorado renew a dormant series.

• Recap from the Colorado perspective:

In a most convincing manner, Utah applied the brake to Colorado's bid for an undefeated season. "Go, go, go you Buffs!" chanted 25,000 disbelievers, as Utah smashed Colorado's collective ego, 21-12. The Buffaloes did little to enchant the Orange Bowl committee in their seventh performance of the season.

Colorado scored first and last, but in between, Utah dominated the game. The Redskins had more first downs (22-17), more rushing yardage (233-210), and more points at the game's end. Clearly, Colorado had suffered a letdown after beating Missouri the week before.

Colorado moved steadily with the opening kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown, with Weidner throwing to Hillebrand for the score from 10 yards out. But not until the last four minutes of the game could the Herd duplicate this accomplishment, and by then Utah had the game won. The Redskins moved steadily with their passing attack and, more disappointingly, Colorado couldn't halt the Ute running game either.

It was a sad day for the "invincible" Buffs.

. . .

It was almost a perfect season for Colorado. With the exception of one bleak Saturday afternoon against an upstart Utah team, the Buffaloes negotiated a rigorous ten-game test unscathed before bowing to LSU in the Orange Bowl.

Included on the Buffalo squad were four All-Conference selections and a depth of talent never before amassed at Colorado. All-American, All-Big Eight guard Joe Romig led this procession. Behind Romig came end Jerry Hillebrand, center Walt Klinker, and quarterback Gale Weidner -- all selected to Big Eight honors in their own right.

It was a good season -- the best, that Colorado has ever enjoyed.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

INSPIRED REDSKINS CRUSH UNBEATEN COLORADO
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Ute Line Stops Touted Rivals
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By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
November 12, 1961

BOULDER, COLO -- Utah, playing near-perfect football until the issue was decided, shook off the sackcloth and ashes of two straight defeats to knock heavily-favored Colorado out of the ranks of the unbeaten teams with a tremendous 21-12 football victory here Saturday afternoon.

The Redskins were mangificent in snapping the Buffs' eight-game mastery of the Utes.

THIS WAS THE first time Utah had been able to best the Buffs at Boulder since the 1947 season, and their first win over C.U. since 1948.

And the Buffs had no excuses in losing their first game of the season. It was a team victory all the way.

While Utah's backs, led by Captain Gordy Lee, Dennis Zito, Jerry Overton, Doug Wasko, and Bud Tynes, ripped through the bulky Buff line for tremendous surges and Bill Cravens and Gary Hertzfeldt pierced the Colorado pass defense in amazing fashion, the Utah line was magnificent.

The Redskin forwards, lethargic since the Oregon
game early in the season, beat the Buffs to smithereens.

The line, shackled by injuries and outweighed 21 pounds to the man, played inspired ball.

And even when the pass defense slipped momentarily in the final four minutes to let the Buffs break loose with their trade-marked "home run" long pass, the Ute defense [rose back up] to smite down the attempt for the two-point conversion after the second C.U. touchdown.

THAT LEFT the Utes nine big points ahead and even though the Buffs went down to defeat like a good ball club, with all guns booming, the Redskins had the satisfaction of winning the biggest game in Coach Ray Nagel's four seasons at Utah.

This was a bigger victory than the upset of Oregon, because Colorado was an unbeaten ball club with the scent of orange blossoms carried heavily on the crisp fall air.

The Redskins, in winning their sixth game of the season against three losses, qualified to meet the unbeaten Utah Aggies in the big game next Saturday.

And, suddenly, this isn't a push-over for the great farmer crew.

Few teams in the nation would have beaten the Utes Saturday afternoon.

Not until they led 21-6 late in the fourth quarter did the Utes make a mistake.

By then, it was too late for the Buffaloes, who had been served a royal lesson in alert, hard-charging football by a team that rode to victory on "desire."

UTAH SCORED in each of the first three quarters in turning a complete reversal of their form of last week when they blew a game to New Mexico.

There was nothing flukey about the Redskin triumph. They surrendered a touchdown to the Buffs the first time Colorado had the ball in the game. But Utah roared back to grab a 7-6 lead moments later.

The Buffs didn't know it, but that was all she wrote for the ball club Boulder people were rating as the greatest since the days of Whizzer White.

Utah won the game much easier than the final score might indicate.

Except for the 78-yard pass-run for a Colorado touchdown late in the game, the Buffs had few opportunities to spring their vaunted running and passing prowess.

The Buffs threatened several times, but the Utah defense when the chips were down was amazing.

THE UTES GAVE up ground, but the Buffs had to fight for everything they earned from this inspired Utah team Saturday afternoon. And when the big money play came, it was big time Charley Colorado who wound up a minute late and a nickel short.

Utah ran up 233 yards against the Colorado line that was shredded and torn asunder by the ferocity of Redskin blockers and runners.

THE UTES MADE the first downs, 22 to 17, and although the Buffs won the statistical battle with 418 yards to 363, Utah had the ball game in its pocket and was willing to trade statistics for time.

It didn't start out very auspiciously for the Redskins this brisk November afternoon as the Buffs powered 78 yards in 14 plays after taking the opening kickoff.

With Gale Weidner at the throttle and Ted Woods, Ted Somerville, and Bill Harris running like demons, the Buffs punched over the score.

Weidner passed to Jerry Hillebrand for the final 10 yards and the score.

A pass from Weidner to Somerville was the first gainer as Colorado cut Utah's defense alignment to ribbons in the first drive. But when Hillebrand missed the extra point, the Utes took heart.

Cravens punted beautifully to the Colorado nine and after another punt back, the Utes rolled 56 yards in just seven plays to tie the score. Hertzfeldt hit his "non-receiving end," Marv Holmes, then Marv Fleming, and finally Jerry Overton for the final 18 yards and the score.

DENNIS McLaughlin booted the Utes ahead, 7-6, in the final minutes of the initial quarter.

Colorado made a short drive, but Ron Manno intercepted a pass and returned it to the Buff 41 to set the stage for the winning marker. Utah moved 41 yards in six plays with Lee scooting 25 yards to the 14 as the key play. Hertzfeldt hit Fleming on the Colorado four and Doug Wasko boomed in to score two plays later.

Again McLaughlin kicked the point for a 14-6 advantage.

Now the Utes, who had been defensive patsies for a month, had
a chance to redeem themselves and they didn't disappoint.

Back roared the Buffs. But when they hit the Utah 15, first and 10 to go, the determined Utes hurled them back.

Colorado didn't threaten again during the half, but the Utes went for broke, hurling five straight passes as the half ended in an effort to break open the game.

UTAH WASTED little time when the second half started as they blasted 77 yards in 18 plays, with Hertzfeldt mixing up his running and passing like a genius.

Wasko boomed over from the four for the score and McLaughlin made it 21-6

Now the Utes, who lost three games when the clock and breaks conspired against them, battled the clock and the Buffs. With the final quarter underway, Lee fumbled on first down on the Buff 28.

But Ed Pine, a tremendous lineman Saturday,
made a diving interception to give the Utes a life.

Again Lee was the goat as he fumbled a pass and McBride grabbed it for the Buffs on the C.U. 11.

But Lee wasn't to remain a goat for long. Moments later he grabbed a Weidner pass for an interception on the Colorado 28.

AFTER A PUNT, Weidner hit Leon Mavity in the middle and he pulled away from Ute tacklers for a 78-yard pass play. Now the Buff fans came to life. This was the old Colorado team, that came from 19-0 to win from Kansas.

But the Utes had the big defensive play in their sock when Weidner was pulled down inches short of the goal on the two-point try.

The Buffs had one more try, but Weidner's passing attack couldn't fashion a nine-point play in the last minute and the Utes had a deserved victory, one of the big ones in Utah's football history.

#3: November 6, 2008 - Utah vs. TCU

2009-08-17T05:00:00.016-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? The morning before the game, the Salt Lake Tribune headlines declared this to be Utah's "Biggest Game Ever." It featured #10 Utah against #11 TCU.

Basically, the winner had the inside track for a BCS bowl bid and the MWC title.

One could possibly wax spiritual about what occurred at Rice-Eccles Stadium that night. It could be said that there was a special and hallowed spirit in the cool autumn air. The crowd, drenched in black, produced what seemed like a dreamlike atmosphere.

TCU got 10 quick points before anyone knew what had happened. I suppose everyone was still in awe over the blackout effect. But Utah started to come around, and whenever they needed a break or the big play -- they got it. As TCU would approach scoring position, Utah's defense would sack Andy Dalton for big losses, forcing them to punt. And when the Frogs finally did get into field goal range, the elements combined across that holy night to direct the ball away both times.

It was an incredibly tense, hard-fought, back-and-forth contest.

And it was completely surreal.

Then suddenly, out-of-nowhere, with 2:48 left in the game, something clicked for Utah.

And from that moment on, and continuing all the way through the rest of the season, the beatdown was on.

FURTHER READING:
• Sweet article about what went on in the coaches box during the game.

• On-air exchange between Versus' play-by-play team following the game-winning drive:

Tom Hart: "This is a well-built stadium. This press box is shaking right now."

Dan 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 . . . "

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

BLACK MAGIC
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
November 7, 2008

So much for 10th-ranked Utah's "blackout."

After a dramatic 13-10 come-from-behind win over No. 11 TCU, things brightened up considerably at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Fans, most dressed in black, stormed the field as the Utes improved to 10-0 and took sole possession of the Mountain West Conference lead.

And then there's the whole Bowl Championship Series thing. Utah is closing in on its second invitation in four years.

"We've still got two football games to go," quarterback Brian Johnson said after engineering a late, game-winning two-minute drive.

"This is nice to be 10-0, obviously, but I think the thing that we have to realize is there's a lot of work left to be done. It starts with beating San Diego State next week."

Johnson completed 7-of-9 passes in a final drive that lifted the Utes to victory Thursday night. A 9-yard scoring strike to Freddie Brown with 48 seconds remaining proved to be the difference.

It capped a drive that started with 2:48 remaining after TCU kicker Ross Evans missed the second of two field-goal attempts he had in the final 5:49. The freshman hit the left upright on a 26-yard kick three minutes before going wide right on a 36-yard try.

The latter gave Utah the ball and time to do something with it.

"We were very confident," Johnson said. "There was no panic when we got the ball back with a chance now to win it."

Even so, the Utes needed to convert on fourth down once along the way. They did so when Johnson teamed with Brown on a 15-yard reception with 1:24 to go.

Two plays later, the duo hooked up on the only touchdown Utah needed.

"You have to give Utah credit. They found a way to win the ball game," said TCU coach Gary Patterson. "Not taking anything away from Utah, (but) we missed two field goals and it's just one of those things. Utah plays well as a unit. They have guys who make plays."

While Johnson headlined the effort with his second successful two-minute drive for victory this season (Oregon State was the other), the Utes benefited from several key contributions.

Brown finished with a game-high nine receptions; kicker Louie Sakoda made two field goals; offensive lineman Dustin Hensel was credited for containing TCU defensive end Jerry Hughes; Sean Smith and Robert Johnson intercepted passes; and the Utah defense held TCU scoreless for the last three quarters.

"What can you say? I've been in Division I coaching a lot of years — 20-plus years — and I can't remember a time when a team showed more toughness, more grit, more determination and more character," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "You name it, they showed it. I'm extremely proud of our football team — the coaches and players. They hung in there. No one panicked.

TCU scored on its first two possessions to take an early 10-0 lead. The Horned Frogs used big plays on both drives.

A 52-yard pass from Andy Dalton to Bart Johnson helped set up the initial score, a 37-yard field goal goal by Evans.

TCU's next series included a 41-yard run by Aaron Brown. Four plays later, Ryan Christian ran three yards for a touchdown. Evans followed with the PAT to make it give Utah its first double-digit deficit of the season.

Less than nine minutes into the game, TCU held decisive advantages in total offense (141-20) and first downs (5-1).

Utah punted twice before embarking on its first scoring drive. The third time proved to be a charm. An eight-play drive ended with a 49-yard field goal by Sakoda.

After the offense closed the gap to 10-3 late in the first quarter, the defense made a big stop early in the second.

The Horned Frogs marched deep into Utah territory before running into trouble. On third-and-8 from the 22, they were knocked out of field-goal range when Dalton was sacked by Stevenson Sylvester and Kepa Gaison for a 13-yard loss.

Utah's defense continued to tighten throughout the remainder of the half. TCU's next two drives failed to net any positive yardage — minus-11 on the first and zero on the second.

A final sequence ended with an interception. Utah cornerback Sean Smith picked off a Dalton pass and returned it 37 yards to the TCU 43 with just 25.7 seconds left to play in the half. The Utes, however, had time to run four plays before turning to Sakoda once again. He responded with a 37-yard field goal as time expired to make it 10-6 at the break.

After giving up 202 yards in the first quarter, Utah's defense allowed just six in the second. TCU's defense was more consistent, holding the Utes to 60 and 59 yards over the quarters.

"It's not like we were playing the School of the Blind out there," Johnson said. "They do have the No. 2-ranked defense in the country. They did an unbelievable job."

When all was said and done, however, it was Utah's defense that won the biggest battle.

"TCU had a tough defense," safety Robert Johnson acknowledged.

"But in the end, the score tells it all."

Johnson ended TCU's final drive with a fourth-down interception on the Utah 15.

"We made a bunch of huge plays tonight," Whittingham said. "To watch these players hang in there, never quit and never give in ... I love coaching this football team."

The Utes, who are now 6-0 in conference play, can clinch at least a share of the league title with a win over San Diego State on Nov. 15.

TCU, meanwhile, fell to 9-2 overall and 6-1 in MWC play. The Horned Frogs close out their regular season next week at home against Air Force.

#6: November 22, 2008 - Utah vs. BYU

2009-08-10T05:00:00.023-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? From a completely neutral standpoint, this has to be the biggest football game in the history of the Utah-BYU rivalry. Never have both teams been so highly ranked and had so much riding on the outcome. It may not have gone down to the wire, as these games typically do. But it wasn't exactly a blowout, either . . . in fact, the Cougs managed to keep it close for three quarters.

BYU was playing for a share of the MWC title, and an outside shot at a BCS bowl bid. But they were also playing to save face after their highly-publicized "Quest for Perfection" flamed out on the plains of Fort Worth a month earlier. Finally, they were hoping they could wreck Utah's perfect season, which had the effect of magnifying their own shortcomings that year.

Utah, of course, was playing for the outright conference title, their second BCS bowl bid in five seasons, and the undeniable distinction of being the premier non-BCS team in the land.

As wonderful as the last two Holy War victories must have been for Zoob nation, I'm sure they were beside themselves at the prospect of beating the undefeated and #7-ranked Utes to reaffirm their team's divine calling. Surely, such a victory would be a testament to BYU football's sacred nature in a way that "Harline's Still Open" and "Magic Happens" never could.

But sadly for the Zoobs, it had not been foreordained as such. BYU QB Max Hall, determined not to be sacked six times like he was against TCU, handled the Ute pass rush by throwing five interceptions. And the Coogar defense, playing as though winning was only their fifth priority, got abused by Brian Johnson and the Utah offense.

When the dust had settled, BYU's worst fears had been realized. Utah had done it again. Utah had reached perfection. Utah had busted the BCS. The ensuing on-field celebration -- essentially a replay of four years earlier -- must have reopened a wound that no Las Vegas Bowl bid could ever heal. There could be no solace in looking toward next year. Their belief that Utah is nothing without Urban Meyer, went unredeemed. They learned that when you boldly declare a Quest for Perfection, you lay it all on the line.

That's what BYU did, only to get doubled-up by their arch-rival, 48-24.

FURTHER READING:

FINAL THOUGHTS: Of the nine Utah-BYU games that I consider to be among the greatest Utah games ever, I would rank their greatness as follows:

9. 1953: Utah 33, BYU 32
8. 2005: Utah 41, BYU 34
7. 2003: Utah 3, BYU 0
6. 1978: Utah 23, BYU 22
5. 1993: Utah 34, BYU 31
4. 1994: Utah 34, BYU 31
3. 2004: Utah 52, BYU 21
2. 2008: Utah 48, BYU 24
1. 1988: Utah 57, BYU 28

I rank the 2008 game a close second because that game is overshadowed by everything else that Utah accomplished that season. The 1988 game, on the other hand, stands alone as Utah's single greatest victory and most redeeming accomplishment in a ~16-year span now remembered by many Ute faithful as the Dark Ages (roughly 1974-1989).

I'm sure many will disagree with this ranking, but I know everyone still appreciates the singular greatness of the Rice Bowl. It created a satisfaction that can only arise after utterly dominating our arch-rival, who, over the preceding fifteen-year period, rose to national prominence while our own team wallowed in mediocrity and local indifference.

Other notable Utah-BYU games:

• 1955: Utah 41, BYU 9
• 1957: Utah 27, BYU 0
• 1970: Utah 14, BYU 13
• 1971: Utah 17, BYU 15
• 1995: Utah 34, BYU 17
• 1999: Utah 20, BYU 17

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

BCS BUSTING: THE SEQUEL
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
November 23, 2008

They did it again.

For the second time in five seasons, the original Bowl Championship Series busters are poised for another trip to college football's promised land. Saturday's 48-24 win over BYU at Rice-Eccles Stadium sealed the deal for Utah.

The Utes, who defeated Pittsburgh in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl, entered the game ranked seventh in the BCS standings. They completed the regular season with a 12-0 record and an outright Mountain West Conference championship after defeating the No. 14 Cougars (10-2).

BCS pairings will be announced on Dec. 7.

"I couldn't be more proud of the guys on this team," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We had a great season."

Great was a word Whittingham used frequently after the Utes defeated the Cougars for the first time since 2005.

"We played great in every phase of the game today — offense, defense and special teams — so I'm happy with our effort," he said.

"Brian (Johnson) played a great game. All three coordinators did a great job.

"Now, all we can do is sit back and let the rest of the season unfold. It would take a perfect storm for us to get (into the BCS title game), but there are a couple more weekends of football left and it will be interesting to watch," Whittingham added.

Utah sharpened up its resume against the Cougars.

Johnson led the offense by completing 30-of-36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns.

"If he's not an all-conference quarterback," Whittingham said, "I don't know who is."

Johnson, one of 18 seniors playing his final home game for the Utes, acknowledged a BCS-clinching win over BYU was the perfect way to go out.

"Tonight was a tough challenge and we stuck together and played well," Johnson said. "It's always a big challenge for me to play against other great quarterbacks and try to be the best at my position on the field."

Johnson certainly had a better outing the Max Hall. The Cougars' quarterback was 21-of-42 for 205 yards. He was intercepted five times and lost a fumble that Utah recovered.

"I think that without the turnovers it would have been a completely different game," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said after congratulating Utah on its victory. "In a game like this when there is a championship on the line, you have to play cleaner than we did."

The bulk of the Cougars' woes came after they pulled to within 27-24 midway through the fourth quarter.

Utah's defense seized control of the game with four interceptions and a fumble recovery down the stretch.

"Our defense rose to the occasion when it mattered most," Whittingham said.

The decisive turnovers came after an 11-yard touchdown run by quarterback Max Hall gave BYU the game's only third-quarter score.

Safety Robert Johnson got things started on the Cougars' next possession by intercepting Hall on the Utah 22. The next miscue came when defensive end Koa Misi forced Hall to fumble and Paul Kruger recovered it on the BYU 31.

Utah's offense cashed in on the latter. An 8-yard touchdown toss from Johnson to Brent Casteel provided some much-needed breathing room.

The Cougars' next three drives also ended with turnovers.

On the first one, Kruger picked off a pass from Hall and returned it 30 yards to the BYU 4. Matt Asiata then took a direct snap and connected on a 4-yard scoring strike to Chris Joppru.

Less than four minutes later, Hall was intercepted by cornerback Sean Smith. A 38-yard return was accompanied by a 15-yard penalty on the Cougars, giving the Utes possession on the 29-yard line. Johnson capped a nine-play series with a 1-yard TD toss to Colt Sampson.

BYU's final possession ended with safety Joe Dale's second interception of the game.

Seconds later, fans stormed the field for the conference trophy presentation at midfield.

"We competed hard and settled in to take this team to the next step," Johnson said. "We're on the verge of another BCS season and it was a great job by the coaches, seniors and all that are a part of Utah football."

The Utes came out determined to show what they could do.

Johnson completed 16-of-19 passes for 154 yards as the Utes jumped out to a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter.

After guiding a game-opening, 12-play series that ended with a 37-yard field goal by Louie Sakoda, Johnson led Utah on a pair of touchdown drives.

BYU, however, evened things up first. A 70-yard kickoff return by Austin Collie put the Cougars in scoring position on the ensuing possession. They wound up capitalizing on the field position with a 40-yard field goal by Mitch Payne.

With the score knotted at 3-3, Johnson moved the Utes downfield with precision. He was 6-for-6 passing in a drive that concluded with a 16-yard scoring strike to Brent Casteel.

It took less than 11 minutes for Utah to rack up nine first downs on BYU's defense. The Utes added five more on their next possession, which was capped by a 4-yard touchdown run from Matt Asiata with 13:44 left in the half.

Leading by 14 following Sakoda's PAT, Utah faced some ups and downs before the intermission.

Adversity crept in a couple of minutes later. On a third-down play where Hall was sacked out of field-goal range by Misi, Kruger was flagged for being offsides. The Cougars wound up with a fourth- and-1 situation and responded with a 23-yard touchdown run by Harvey Unga to close the gap to 17-10.

Utah went three-and-out on the ensuing series. BYU's offense responded to the defensive success by putting together a sustained drive that covered 75 yards on nine plays. A third-down pass interference call on Utah's Brice McCain gave the Cougars first-and-goal on the 2-yard line. Unga ran into the end zone on the next play.

Payne's extra-point kick followed as BYU pulled even at 17-17 with 6:26 to go in the second quarter.

It didn't stay that way for long. Before the half was complete, Utah scored 10 unanswered points to regain the lead. Both scores came in the final 1:41 — on a 35-yard field goal by Sakoda and a 32-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to David Reed.

The latter followed an interception by Dale and a personal foul on Hall that gave the Utes possession on the Cougar 44. Three plays later, Johnson connected with Reed in the end zone.

November 8, 1969 - Utah vs. Wyoming

2009-08-03T05:00:00.023-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? This was the first Utah football game featuring two ranked teams. Utah entered the game 6-1 and ranked #18 in the Coaches Poll; Wyoming was also 6-1, but was ranked #16 in that same poll. And as far as I can tell, this is the Utes' biggest win ever against Wyoming.

The Cowboys had been WAC Champions for each of the three previous seasons, during which time they amassed a 27-5 record -- including a victory over Florida State in the 1966 Sun Bowl and a loss to LSU in the 1968 Sugar Bowl. And they were the pre-season favorite to win the WAC title again in 1969.

However, Wyoming's 1969 squad is best remembered for the famous "Black 14" incident:

Basically, three weeks before this Utah-Wyoming game, BYU was to play the Pokes in Laramie. Fourteen black Wyoming players voiced their intent to wear black armbands during that game in protest of the LDS Church's policies regarding blacks and the priesthood. But just days before that game, Wyoming coach Lloyd Eaton summarily dismissed these players from the team. Controversy erupted, protesters took to the street, and the national media descended upon Laramie. The expelled players, who were among some of the best Cowboy players that season, became known as the "Black 14." But despite the dismissals, Wyoming handily beat the Cougars anyway, and eventually rose to as high as #15 AP/#13 Coaches.

Admittedly, Wyoming was short-handed and probably still had a lot on their minds when they arrived in Salt Lake to play the Utes. Still, Utah's victory that day impressed the pollsters enough to raise the Utes to #16. However Utah would lose on the road at Arizona a week later, 17-16. They ultimately finished the year 8-2 and in second place in the WAC standings.

Meanwhile, Wyoming dropped out of the rankings following their loss to Utah. They then lost their last three games of the 1969 season, and won only one game during the 1970 season.

FURTHER READING:
• SoCalPat was kind enough to contribute a very good article he wrote about how the Utes got screwed out of the WAC Title in 1969: The 1969 Season: Utah’s Claim On A Championship That Was Never Awarded.

• John Sayle Watterson, College Football: History, Spectacle, Controversy 322-324 (JHU Press, 2002). Discusses the "Black 14" episode in the wider context of the wave of black protests surrounding college football across the nation during the 1969 season.

• Putnam, Pat. "No Defeats, Loads of Trouble." Sports Illustrated 3 Nov. 1969 (Accessed 9 April 2009).

• Norm Thompson's 97 yard interception return for a TD against the Pokes is tied for the 3rd longest in Utah history. He set an NCAA record that year in interception return average (50.6 yards/return -- 5 for 253 yards, 3 TDs) that stands to this day.

• The official attendance at this game was 29,416, which, at the time, was the second largest crowd to ever witness a game at old Ute Stadium. It remained one of the top-5 crowds until the stadium was expanded in 1981.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

HUSTLING REDSKINS SLUG MIGHTY POKES, 34-10
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Alert Utes Use Wyoming Errors to Turn Tables
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By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
November 9, 1969

Logic says you don't play the other fellow's game and win, but Utah's tenderfoot football team did just that and outcarded Wyoming's defending WAC champions, 34-10, in the Ute stadium Saturday afternoon.

With a standing-room only crowd of 29,419 fans huddled under overcast skies, the Redskins led from wire to wire in winning their fourth WAC game and their seventh victory in a row.

And they did it by going against the percentages, which generally favored the Cowboys in the past.

They beat the percentage which had given Wyoming 10 victories in the last 11 meetings, and they beat the Cowboys by forcing the Pokes into mistakes.

Forced Mistakes

Utah smothered a punt attempt, recovered four Wyoming fumbles and intercepted two Poke passes, and that's forcing the mistakes on a team that rarely errs and frequently capitalizes on opponent mistakes.

Wyoming, the No. 1 team in the nation against the rush, was great, and limited the Utes to 78 net yards from rushing and a total of 303 yards.

But Utah's defense, which is ranked nationally only in preventing scoring, lived up to its mark by holding Cowboys to a touchdown bomb and a field goal.

Gambling Game

Wyoming huffed and puffed, but accounted for only 10 points. Utah played its gambling game to the hilt and managed to break for the big play and four touchdowns, plus a pair of Marv Bateman field goals.

It was a ball game up for grabs until the Utes broke it open with 17 points in the third quarter. And the Ute defense held the Cowboys scoreless in the final 30 minutes of the action.

This was Utah's first victory over Wyoming since the 42-3 outbreak in 1965. And it was just the second victory over the Cowboys since [1957].

Pokes' Second Loss

All this left the Utes 4-0 in the WAC and 7-1 for the season, and marked only the third time since 1950 that Utah won seven games in a season.

Wyoming, three times champion of the WAC, suffered its second loss and is out of the picture. This leaves the Cowboys 6-2 for the season and 4-2 in the WAC.

The game was won in the first quarter, when Utah smothered a punt to set up its first touchdown, and Wyoming had to settle for a field goal after recovering a Utah punt.

Bob Jacobs, who tied an NCAA record by booting his 17th field goal, later, caught a low pass from center and was swarmed by the Utes. Gary Barker got the clincher to give Utah the ball on the Cowboy 12.

7-0 Ute Lead

Dave Smith hit the line twice for three and Wyoming was offside. Ray Groth scooted over from the four and Marv Bateman kicked Utah into a 7-0 lead in the first 2 1/2 minutes.

Utah blew a chance on a fumble recovery by Scott Robbins when Groth and Billy Hunter returned the fumble, on the Utah 17.

On fourth down, Jacobs kicked a field goal, but Utah was offside, giving the Cowboys a first down. That also gave Wyoming six shots at the Utah line, but on fourth down, the Cowboys settled again for Jacobs' field goal.

Thwart Serious Threat

Barker recovered a fumble on the Ute 16 to thwart a serious Wyoming threat, but this time the Utes didn't fool around. Groth faked and pitched to Smith on the fullback fly pattern down the middle and the speedy fullback galloped 50 yards and the score. Bateman's kick made it 14-3.

Bateman added a 44-yard field goal to boost the edge to 17-3 and the Ute fans began to believe all this was for real.

But Gary Fox spotted Mike Leake whizzing down the sidelines for an 84-yard scoring pass, that established a Wyoming school record. The Jacobs kick cut the edge to 17-10 and when George Kellerman deflected a Groth pass and Brent Engleright intercepted on the Ute 38, it was still a game.

Kicked, Missed

Jacobs settled for a 45-yard field goal try, but the kick hit the goal post and Utah led 17-10 at the half.

But the third quarter is one the Ute fans will cherish for years.

Utah made its bid by driving 72 yards for the score, with Fred Graves picking up 28, Groth running for 23 and Smith punching over the final four yards. Bateman made it 24-10.

Bateman came back with a 30-yard field goal to give Utah the 27-10 margin.

Wyoming, now forced to gamble to score quickly or surrender, passed in the flat and Norm Thompson, timing it perfectly, raced before the receiver and blitzed 97 yards for the score.

This put the fine defensive halfback in the Ute record books with 263 yards in interception returns for the season.

Bateman's kick closed out the scoring, and with the bench cleared of subs, Utah still shut out the Pokes and mounted a couple of threats in the fourth quarter.

This was the most points scored on Wyoming this season.

Defensively, the Utes were led by Scott Robbins at safety, Randy Hansen and Lassy Stone at the linebackers, Mack Powell at middle guard, Ron Wolcott and Warren Tetley at the defensive tackles.

Led Ute Rushers

Groth, Graves and Hunter led the Ute rushers with 34, 28 and 29 net yards respectively, against a Poke defense that has given up only an average of 28.1 yards a game to rushers.

Frosty Franklin carries 24 times for 96 yards and Jeff Howe 66 yards. Groth completed seven of 18 passes for 122 yards and Fox seven of 17 for 143 and Ed Synakowski 10 of 22.

Utah has Arizona and BYU left on its schedule, both on the road, to bar the way to the first undisputed WAC championship for Coach Bill Meek.

The 1969 Season: Utah’s Claim On A Championship That Was Never Awarded

2009-08-03T04:59:00.006-06:00

By SoCalPat

Much was made, most of it by our neighbors to the south, of Utah’s lack of success in winning conference championships. Most of it was justified. Utah went 30 seasons from 1965-1994 without winning a conference title. And the titles won in 1964 and 1995 were not outright crowns.

But what about the 1969 season? Utah lost one conference game, as did Arizona State. Utah beat Arizona State 24-23 in Salt Lake City. No one went undefeated in conference play.

So why is Arizona State recognized as outright Western Athletic Conference champion that year?

There really is no short, concise answer to this. But football fans know that schedules are made up years in advance. And in September 1968, Colorado State and Texas-El Paso were admitted into WAC. Therefore, teams had the option of playing six or seven conference games. Utah, with non-conference games against Oregon, San Jose State, Oregon State and Utah State, played only six WAC games.

Arizona State played seven. Instead of a fourth non-conference game, the Sun Devils did play Colorado State, taking its frustrations out on the Rams to the tune of 79-7 after finding out it was again being bypassed for a bowl game.

See, the Sun Devils would finish 8-2 for the third consecutive year, yet had no bowl invitation to show for it. Meanwhile, Utah and Wyoming teams had landed bowl berths earlier in the decade, making the Sun Devils’ anger justified. These repeated snubs helped give rise to the Fiesta Bowl, which would be played for the first time in 1971.

What could have Utah done to win the WAC outright? Certainly after beating Arizona State to improve to 3-1 overall, 2-0 WAC, it controlled its own destiny. Led by a defense that allowed just 107 points – only the 1964 team allowed fewer in the modern two-platoon era – Utah held its next four opponents to a total of 20 points. Only Oregon State – a 7-3 victim in Portland – came close to beating Utah.

However, Utah can’t say it wasn’t aware of the one-game difference and that a loss would not result in a shared crown, but in a second-place finish. Sports Illustrated even said as much in its Nov. 19, 1969 edition:

In the Western Athletic Conference, Utah pinned Wyoming with its second straight loss, 34-10, knocking the Cowboys out of championship contention and enhancing its own chances considerably. The Utes now are 4-0 in WAC play, with games left against Arizona this week and Brigham Young after that. Utah plays one less league game than Arizona State, the hottest contender, and thus would lose the title if both teams finished with only one conference loss.

The game against Arizona proved to be one of many stumbling blocks Utah would trip over for the next 25 years in pursuit of that elusive conference crown. Again, we turn to Sports Illustrated (Nov. 26, 1969) for a description of the events:

Just when Utah was thinking it had the Western Athletic Conference title in the bag, the Redskins ran into a big snowstorm in Tucson and wound up being upset by Arizona 17-16. The winning points came on Steve Hurley's 21-yard field goal with 11:28 left, but the real hero was Arizona's defense, which got two interceptions and two fumbles to keep Utah in check. Now Utah and Arizona State (which beat UTEP 42-19) are tied for the WAC lead, each with a 4-1 record, but the edge belongs to State, which plays one more league game than Utah.

Not only did Arizona State lose to Utah, it also lost to Oregon State, both at home and in one-sided fashion, 30-7. Both teams played San Jose State and won convincingly. Yes, Arizona State did beat Arizona – something Utah couldn’t do. But that game came in Tempe, while Utah’s loss came on the road.

That’s just one example of the lopsidedness of the home-road split both teams had. Arizona State played four home conference games and three road conference games. Utah had all of two home conference games and four road conference games.

It should also be noted that CSU had only four home games in 1969. Given Utah’s unbalanced home-road ratio in conference games, the fact that the two teams didn’t play in 1969 may have been the result of a conflict that couldn’t be resolved: Utah wasn’t going to play five conference road games in one season, and CSU wasn’t going to drop one of its three home non-conference game to play a road conference game – and leave it with only three home games total in a 10-game season. It's clear that the WAC's collective message to CSU was as such: You can come play us at our place in 1969, but no way are we going up to Fort Collins when we don't have to.

Utah was not the only team to face this predicament in the 1969 season. Arizona and New Mexico also played only six WAC games. As a result, CSU played only four conference games in 1969. UTEP, on the other hand, had no problem playing a full seven-game conference slate.

With so many of the league’s membership facing an insurmountable handicap entering the season, the WAC should have counted games against Colorado State for the purpose of individual and team statistics, but the games themselves should not have counted toward the conference race. By doing what the WAC did, it in effect removed the head-to-head factor in determining a champion. All things equal, that should never be trumped, and certainly not by an extra game against a team that went 4-6, with wins two FCS/Division 1-AA competition, Utah State and Idaho

If that had taken place, Utah and Arizona State would have been declared WAC co-champions – a fitting conclusion given Utah’s one-point home win in Salt Lake City. In essence, the teams were dead even with one another. And the history books should be rewritten to reflect that.

#12: October 2, 2008 - Utah vs. Oregon State

2009-07-27T05:00:00.017-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? The story leading up to this game was all about Oregon State's 27-21 upset of #1 USC in Corvallis one week earlier, and the Beavers' 5'7'' RB Jacquizz Rodgers, who had 186 yards rushing in that win against the Trojans.

45,599 fans turned out to see the #15-ranked Utes try to prolong their undefeated season. At the time, it was the 3rd-largest crowd ever to attend a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Today, it stands as the 5th-largest crowd.

The buildup alone probably makes this one of Utah's most important victories of all time. Nevertheless, the thing that stands out about this game now, and the thing that truly makes it one of Utah's greatest games ever, is the way in which the Utes got the victory.

Utah led 20-9 shortly before halftime, and it seemed that the Utes would probably just keep on rolling through the rest of the game. But OSU scored a TD right before the end of the first half, and another right at the beginning of the second half to take a one-point lead and make a game out of it after all. Then it was back-and-forth . . . until 2:18 left in the game when OSU scored what appeared to be the clincher.

I won't attempt to explain what went on after that point. It will suffice to say that I had my doubts that Utah could pull off the comeback.

I had absolutely no idea, with Utah trailing 28-20 at the 2:18 mark, that in just a few long minutes, my brother and I would be running rampant on the RES turf in celebration with all the rest of you.

FURTHER READING:

• Brian Johnson, recalling his thoughts while Utah was trailing Oregon State 28-20 with 2:18 left in the game:

“I looked into stands and saw all these people leaving. I thought, ‘Man, they’re about to miss a show. There’s no way we’re going to lose this game.’ ”

• King Louie Blogs About the Kick.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

LOUIE LOUIE
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Sakoda Kicks Field Goal To Win It As Time Expires
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
October 3, 2008

Utah's quest for perfection continues.

A 37-yard field goal by Louie Sakoda as time expired lifted the 15th-ranked Utes to a 31-28 victory over Oregon State on Thursday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The kick capped a wild comeback from an eight-point deficit in the final 1:29 and upped Utah's record to 6-0.

In the process, the Utes also became the nation's first bowl-eligible team.

"I couldn't be more proud of a group of players and assistant coaches as I was tonight," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "The resiliency and the ability to handle adversity was tremendous. Our backs were against the wall and we fought through it."

After tying the game and then forcing the Beavers to punt after three plays, Utah began its game-winning drive. The Utes moved into field-goal range with a 16-yard pass from Brian Johnson to Brent Casteel with 36.3 seconds remaining. Darrell Mack followed with a four-yard run to the Oregon State 20.

Utah then let the clock run down to just two seconds before calling a timeout. When play resumed, Sakoda knocked the game-winner between the uprights. He connected on a similar kick two years ago at Air Force. "When I got out there, the only thing going through my head was concentrating on making the kick," Sakoda said. "This was the biggest kick of my career, without a doubt."

Turnovers — and not the tasty treats found in a bakery — continued to plague the Utes. They entered the game with six fumbles and five interceptions this season. Both tallies would grow before the game was complete.

Johnson, who vowed earlier in the week he was determined to avoid such miscues, fumbled just over one minute into the third quarter. He lost the ball after getting sacked by defensive end Slade Norris. Defensive tackle Pernnell Booth recovered it for Oregon State on the Utah 34.

Three plays later, the Beavers took a 21-20 lead on a 7-yard touchdown run by Jacquizz Rodgers.

It stayed that way until a wild exchange over a span of 49 seconds late in the fourth quarter.

Oregon State got things started with a sustained drive that covered 80 yards on 11 plays and took 6:35 off the clock. The Beavers converted on third-and-9 with a 41-yard pass from quarterback Lyle Moevao that gave them possession on the Utah 3. They cashed in with 2:18 to go on a 2-yard touchdown toss from Moevao to tight end Brady Camp.

After the PAT, Utah trailed 28-20. Four plays later, it was 28-26 after Johnson connected on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Bradon Godfrey.

"I knew all along that we'd get a shot to win it," Godfrey said. "We practice the two-minute drill every week in practice, so (Johnson) stepped up and made the plays that we make in practice."

The Utes then had two shots at a two-point conversion. A second opportunity materialized after a pass interference call on the Beavers. Johnson capitalized on the situation by rolling right and running into the end zone to even things up, setting up the dramatic finish.

Johnson, who has led Utah to 14 wins in his last 15 starts, said the last two drives showed the team's toughness. He called it the "biggest win" since he joined the program.

"They made plays that we weren't covering. We'll look back at the last 20 plays and see that we had a couple of opportunities to get a few more points," said Oregon State coach Mike Riley, whose team fell to 2-3 one week after upsetting top-ranked USC. "... I think it was a great football game and both teams came out to play. I thought we had enough at the end, but it turned out we didn't."

Utah led 20-15 at halftime, overcoming an interception return for a touchdown along the way.

Oregon State pulled ahead 9-3 early in the second quarter when safety Al Afalava picked off a Johnson pass intended for Casteel and took it back 26 yards for a touchdown. The ensuing PAT failed.

The Utes got a much-needed momentum swing on the kickoff that followed. David Reed returned the kick 79 yards to the Oregon State 15. It set up a 28-yard field goal by Sakoda and ushered in a run of 17 straight points by Utah.

The outburst included a 14-yard scoring strike from Johnson to Freddie Brown and a 12-yard touchdown run by Brent Casteel. Between scores, the Utes recovered a fumble. Linebacker Nai Fotu pounced on the ball after defensive tackle Derrick Shelby jarred it loose on a sack of Moevao.

Leading 20-9, Utah was unable to maintain the margin down the stretch. Jacquizz Rodgers had a 28-yard run and a 27-yard reception on an Oregon State scoring drive in the closing minutes of the half. The Beavers needed just four plays to march 80 yards and reduce the deficit. A 24-yard touchdown toss from Moevao to Shane Morales closed the gap to five points with 1:13 to go in the half.

The score was knotted at 3-3 after one quarter. Both teams capped opening drives with field goals. Oregon State took the lead on a 37-yard kick by Justin Kahut and Utah countered with a 33-yarder by Sakoda.

November 6, 1948 - Utah at Colorado A&M

2009-07-20T05:00:00.046-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Utah's 1947 and 1948 teams were two of the best of the Ike Armstrong era (1925-1949).

Both seasons they went 8-1-1 , and were undefeated in conference. In 1947, they even enjoyed their first-ever national ranking -- a week at #18 in the AP Poll. I believe it was the first time a team from the Mountain States Conference (aka Big Seven or Skyline Conference) was ranked. The 1947 team also received an invitation to play in the Raisin Bowl, which they turned down.

But whereas the 1947 team was essentially unrivaled in conference play, the conference was much better in 1948. Colorado A&M was right there along with Utah all season. In fact, when the teams met in Fort Collins, they had identical 6-1, 3-0 records.

I suspect that the Rams were pretty desperate to become a major force in the league. Colorado U., had just joined the Big Eight and they left a vacancy for a team to step up and be Utah's next rival for conference supremacy. Ram fans wanted A&M to be that team. 10,500 of them turned up in the hopes to see their team dethrone the mighty Redskins, and were undoubtedly on the edges of their seats the entire game.

This game had all the makings of an ambush . . . until the opening kickoff. Utah's Gil Tobler ran it back for six points right off the bat. From there, it was a close, defensive struggle. And from what I've read about this game, Utah's defense did to Ram QB Bob Hainlen what later generations of Utes would do to the likes of Carson Palmer, Tyler Palko, and John Parker-Wilson.

Utah left Fort Collins with a 12-3 victory, and finished the season with a perfect conference record and the Mountain States Conference title. Colorado A&M finished in second place with only this one conference loss.

During the Ike Armstrong era, Utah rarely had the chance to play a big-name team or attract the attention of national media or pollsters. Instead, they just consistently dominated their regional foes, racked up numerous conference titles (11 OCCs and 2 shared titles during Armstrong's 25-year tenure), received a few bowl invitations, was ranked briefly, and produced the occasional All-American.

It was probably the most success a team from this region of the country could hope to accomplish during that period.

So as I was researching games to highlight on this countdown, I continually found that Utah's greatest wins during this era were ones against the usual foes: Utah State, Colorado A&M, Wyoming, Colorado, etc. Sure, these wins went unnoticed on the national scene; but such wins were a huge deal to the local community, the students, and definitely to Ike "Chief Kickapoo" Armstrong and his players.

Here are a few other notable examples from the 1947 and 1948 seasons:

October 18, 1947 - Utah vs. Denver
Utah hosted Denver and their "Little Monsters" defense for homecoming. With just four minutes left in a tie game, Utah's Bill Van Sandt intercepted a tipped pass at the Denver 27-yard line. Cannon Parkinson scored the game-winner on a three-yard QB sneak with just 45 seconds left. UTAH 13-7.

November 1, 1947 - Utah at Colorado
Trailing 7-6, the Utes scored the go-ahead touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The drive included two fourth-down conversions, and resulted in a four-yard touchdown pass from Parkinson to Tally Stevens. The Ute defense then came up with two crucial interceptions deep in their own territory to preserve the win and ruin Colorado's homecoming. 22,000 fans went home disappointed, while a band of 700 traveling Utah fans took down one of Folsom Field's goalposts. UTAH 13-7.

. . .

October 30, 1948 - Utah vs. Colorado
Each team scored two touchdowns, but the difference was that Colorado missed both their PATs, and Utah's Bud Gleave hit both of his. Parkinson connected with Bob Matthews for a 50-yard touchdown pass and run in the second quarter. And then halfway through the fourth quarter, "Parky" found Banard Hafen for a 15-yard touchdown pass. After the game, Coach Armstrong praised his kicker by saying "Gleave us this day our extra points." UTAH 14-12.

FURTHER READING:
• The 1948 Rams were coached by Bob Davis, who once played quarterback at Utah under Ike Armstrong, and was captain of the Utah's 1929 RMAC Championship team. He was also named the Skyline Conference coach of the year in 1948.

• Colorado A&M received their first ever bowl bid that season. They lost to Occidental 21-20 in the 1949 Raisin Bowl.

• Utah declined two bowl bids at the end of the 1947 season. They turned down an invitation to play Pacific in the Raisin Bowl (in Fresno) and an invitation to play Nevada in the Salad Bowl (in Phoenix). The decision was left to the players, who voted down the proposals at a 3 to 1 ratio.

The following season, Utah was invited to play against #17 William & Mary in the Delta Bowl on New Years Day 1949, and they would have gone but for a little snafu:

Utah's players initially voted to decline the invitation. But Delta Bowl officials urged them to reconsider; they did, and this time decided to accept the invitation. So everybody's happy. But on the day the Bowl match-up was officially announced, the Delta Bowl declared that William & Mary would play Oklahoma A&M . . . not Utah.

I don't believe all the details ever surfaced about why Utah didn't get the official invite. It was generally believed, however, that if Utah had agreed to play in the first place, the invitation would have been theirs. Instead, they lost out on the bowl and the $35,000 payout. One member of Utah's Athletics counsel said of the missed opportunity: "that was an easy punt we muffed."

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

REDSKINS CAPTURE 12 to 3 BATTLE
----
By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
November 7, 1948

FORT COLLINS, Colo., Nov. 6 -- Scoring the first time they handled the ball in the game and the last time they held the ball in the third quarter, the University of Utah Redskins clinched at least a share of the Skyline Six football championship here Saturday afternoon by defeating a game and gallant Colorado A and M crew, 12-3, before an estimated 10,500 fans.

Actually, Utah won the game in the initial seconds of the game when Gil Tobler took the kick-off in the end zone and raced 101 yards for the touchdown. Tobler fumbled the ball, picked it up, found his blockers opening a hole in the converging wedge of Aggies, and burst into the open on the west sidelines for his amazing solo jaunt.

Bud Gleave missed the conversion attempt and Utah settled down to protect its six point lead.

Aggies Come Back

And that settling down almost proved fatal to the Redskins hopes for their second straight Skyline Six crown. The never-say-die Aggies rose up after the opening punch by the Utes and had the Redskins in trouble the entire first period. Three times in that initial round the dauntless men of Coach Bob Davis drove within the shadows of the Utah goal post and three times the Utes rose up to hurl them back -- just when it seemed the Aggies would break a scoring drought which has plagued them through their last three meetings with the Redskins.

The Aggies drove to the Utah 14 after receiving the next kick-off, came back after a punt exchange to reach the Utah 32 and then saw their last threat of the quarter die out on the Utah 28-yard line. Utah handled the ball only six times in the initial quarter and two of the six were to punts. Utah never neared the midfield stripe.

Neither could fashion an offense in the second period as the Aggies line thwarted the Utes' vaunted running attack and Hainlen's inability to connect bottled up the Aggie offense.

Parky Pitches

Oliver Woods' punt return, from the Aggie 40 to Utah 35, fired the Coloradans to their only offensive in the second period. The Aggies finally lost the ball on Utah's 38 and Parkinson started to dive into his bag of tricks. Parky's first pass was short, his second hit Gene Evans who was dropped on the Aggie 35, his third hit Banard Hafen on the Aggie 24 and his fifth in a row was taken by Tally Stevens to the Aggie 11. With time running out, Parkinson elected to pass again and Woods stole the ball off Stevens' fingers in the end zone to stop the threat in the half.

The Aggies made their bid for an upset and the conference title midway in the third period.

After an exchange of punts, the Aggies started rolling from their 31. Hallmark, Woods and Eddie Hanna carried to the Utah 22 on three plays. With the attack bogging, Hainlen dropped back to loft a perfect 30 yard field goal through the uprights to make the game 6-3. And then the Aggies gambled to win and almost did it.

Dasel Hallmark, the reserve Aggie fullback, kicked a crazily bounding on-side kick which Bill Adamson pounced on for the Aggies on the Utah 48 to keep the ball in Aggie possession.

Hainlen passed to Adamson on the Utah 36, but big Ralph Olsen was in on the receiver like a tent to cause a fumble which Olsen recaptured for the Utes on their own 36.

The threat had been enough to snap the Utes out of whatever lethargy remained in their systems. The Utes opened up and drove the 64 yards necessary for their clinching touchdown without surrendering the ball.

Ficklin scooted around right end to the Utah 46. Allen wracked the center of the line for four more and Parkinson's hook pass was carried to the Aggie 35 by Tally Stevens. Ricklin and Summerhays pounded out a first down on the Aggie 18, and Parkinson passed to Hafen on the Aggie six.

On the first play, Allen found a gaping hole and sliced over left guard for the score. Bud Gleave's accurate toe, which beat Colorado U. a week ago missed the conversion again.

But that was the ball game, and although the Aggies pulled everything in their book, the Utes had the ball game won. Holding the spotlight for the Utes was Cannon Parkinson, who broke the Aggies back with his great passing. Parky hit 11 of 16 passes for 90 yards, and his alternate, Herb Anderson completed one pass in one attempt for 14 yards. In contrast, Bob Hainlen, the ace passer of the Aggies, connected with only three passes in 13 attempts as the Ute linemen shattered his pass protection unmercifully.

Colorado A. and M. had the edge over Utah's running game, piling up a net of 160 against Utah's 144 yards from scrimmage. But Parkinson's 90 yards through the air, against Hainlen's 52 yards in passing, spelled the difference.

Utah's line, defensively, was sparked by Rusty Thornton at tackle and Tally Stevens at end. Three times Stevens broke through to smear Hainlen on pass attempts, just when the Aggies appeared on the verge of cracking loose. Summerhays and Hal Tate led the Utes' running game while Herb Anderson's punts matched the superb efforts of Hainlen, both averaging nearly 40 yards each for their seven kicks.

Oliver Woods, subbing for the injured Keith Thompson at halfback for the Aggies, was the big gun, although Eddie Hanna was dangerous all afternoon.

But in the end, it was Utah's superior air arm which told the story. And, with the passes clicking, the Aggies had to juggle their defense. When they did, the Ute backs rolled every time the Aggies went out in their in-and-out line shift.

Pickups- When Hainlen booted that field goal, it was the first time in four games that the Aggies had scored on the Utes. The victory leaves Utah as the only team unbeaten in conference play with four wins. Utah can lose to Utah State and still share the conference title. If Colorado A and M beats BYU, as expected next week, and the Utes beat Utah State as expected Thanksgiving, Colo. A and M will wind up second in the Skyline Six race, the highest point a Fort Collins team has finished since the Harry Hughes team of the 30s.

Morris Ficklin, starting left halfback, suffered knee injury and had to be carried from the field. Bob Summerhays reinjured his shoulder again. Coach Hughes, by the way, said Parkinson and the Utah ends were the difference in the ball game.

October 30, 1993 - Utah vs. San Diego State

2009-07-06T05:00:00.028-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? It was Jamal Anderson vs. Marshall Faulk. A billing more impressive now that we know what these players went on to do in the NFL. Still, even at the time, this game was attracting widespread attention.

Faulk, who had led the nation in rushing and scoring the previous two seasons, had already rushed for 924 yards (in eight games) that season. And the Aztec offense could pass the ball too. They ranked ninth nationally in passing offense (led by WR Darnay Scott - nation's fifth-leading receiver, and QB Tim Guitierrez).

And finally, San Diego State (6-2, 4-0) entered the game as the WAC leader in total defense.

But nevermind all the pre-game hype. The Utes certainly didn't pay much attention to it.

Utah (4-4, 2-2) held tough against the Aztecs and fought their way out to a 14-7 halftime lead. But anyone familiar with the wacky-WAC of the 1990s probably knew there was a lot of scoring yet to come. And there was.

The second half featured 65 points-scored, and nine lead changes. San Diego State scored their final points on a touchdown with 1:02 left in the game, giving them a 41-38 lead. But Utah returned the ensuing kickoff near their own territory, and quickly moved the ball down to the 17 yard-line. From there, with 9 seconds left, Mike McCoy found Greg Hooks for the winning TD strike.

There were plenty of stats to go around that day. Jamal Anderson finished with 156 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. McCoy passed for 389 yards, including an 87-yard TD bomb to Henry Lusk, who finished with 166 yards receiving.

The opponents also racked up the stats. Faulk rushed for 146 yards -- 10 shy of Anderson's total. Guitierrez passed for 419 yards to 10 different receivers.

FURTHER READING:
• "The most fantastic win I've ever been around."

--Utah Coach Ron McBride.

• "I knew right then we were going to win. I saw there was no safety [covering Hooks], and Greg was smiling. I could feel it . . . I was smiling too."

-- Utah QB Mike McCoy,
recalling the thoughts he had right before the game-winning play.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

ATTENTION WAC: UTES ARE BACK
----
By Doug Robinson
Deseret News
October 31, 1993

Even while San Diego State was still driving for a last-minute go-ahead touchdown and fans and teammates were tearing their hair out, Utah quarterback Mike McCoy, the coolest man in Rice Stadium, was plotting his next move.

McCoy was on the phone with coaches in the press box, making a list of plays for the comeback drive. When Utah got the ball back, down 41-38 with 56 seconds and 58 yards to go, McCoy's heart rate was barely riled as he trotted onto the field. "He had all the plays in his head before we even went out there,” said fullback Jamal Anderson.

In the huddle, center Lance Scott threw down the challenge: “Which one of you receivers or running backs is going to make the big play?” Calling half the plays himself with hand signals to the sideline, McCoy took the Utes down the field in six plays and 47 seconds. A 2-yard run by McCoy, a 22-yard scramble by McCoy, a 12-yard pass to Deron Claiborne, a dropped pass by Curtis Marsh, an incomplete pass, and, whew, with 14 seconds left, the Utes faced third-and-10 at the Aztec 17.

Offensive coordinator Rick Rasnick sent in the play: a Quick 21. Translation: a quick slant to wideout Greg Hooks. McCoy knew it was the right play, especially when he hunched over the center and saw that Hooks had drawn single coverage with no free safety help.

“I knew he'd be open then,” said McCoy.

Hooks, who had been dropped to second string earlier this season after a string of dropped passes, grabbed the pass a step in front of his defender and veered into the end zone. With just nine seconds left, Utah had taken a 45-41 lead.

Bedlam. The Ute bench charged onto the field for the celebration, drawing a penalty for “unsportsmanlike conduct” (go figure). The 23,025 fans stood in front of their chairs and roared. On a day when no lead was safe and the best defense was to keep scoring and scoring, not even the Aztecs could come back with nine seconds left, and they didn't.

After eight lead changes in the second half, the Utes, with their first-class offense and hand-me-down defense, had finally beaten the Aztecs, who had begun the day atop the Western Athletic Conference standings with a 4-0 (6-2 overall) record.

“That was the most fantastic win I've ever been around,” said Utah coach McBride, who has watched his team reverse a three-game losing streak with a three-game winning streak since switching his sideline attire to a gray suit ensemble.

The Utes, 5-4 overall, 3-2 in WAC play, are back.

“They were the best team today,” said Aztec coach Al Luginbill. “I didn't expect this at all.”

The sheer numbers were staggering: 86 points, 1,213 yards (592 for Utah, 621 for SDS). McCoy, who is turning into a terrific quarterback after a shaky start, completed 21 of 34 passes for a career-record 389 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions and was sacked just once. His counterpart, Tim Gutierrez, was also prolific, completing 32 of 49 passes for 419 yards, 4 TDs and 2 interceptions.

But this wasn't just another WAC aerial show. The game also turned into an unexpected showdown between running backs: SDS's Marshall Faulk, the defending national rushing champion, and Utah's Jamal Anderson, a 244-pound fullback. Faulk, who was spelled part of the day by his talented backup, Wayne Pittman, rushed for 141 yards on 22 carries and 1 touchdown, but he was actually overshadowed by Anderson.

Earlier in the week, McBride had told Anderson, “I think we have the best back on our side,” and maybe he did. Anderson has been begging for the ball all year. The problem is, he is also one of the team's best blockers, and since he can't run and block at the same time, the Utes finally put 270-pound lineman Dave Boghossian in the backfield with him on Saturday to pave the way in short-yardage situations. Anderson turned a career-high 23 carries into 156 yards and 3 TDs.

“All week the offensive line kept telling me, 'We'll open the holes for you,' and they did,” said Anderson. Even so, Anderson spent much of the day carrying one or two terrified tacklers on his back or leaving a trail littered with would-be tacklers.

After the game, Anderson and Faulk shook hands at midfield. “Man, good job. Good job,” said Faulk, shaking his head in disbelief.

That was about the last anyone heard from Faulk, who refused to meet with reporters after the game, preferring instead to sit in front of his locker. Perhaps he was wondering how it is possible that a team can score 41 points and still lose.

There were two games played on Saturday. The first half belonged to the defenses, the second half to the offense. Late in the first quarter, McCoy began to flee upfield to escape a hard rush when he flipped a sidearm pass to Henry Lusk, crossing from left to right. Lusk turned north at the sideline behind a block from Keith Williams, high-stepped out of a tackle and, displaying surprising speed for a man of 220 pounds, sprinted for an 87-yard touchdown and a 7-0 Utah lead.

The Aztecs tied the score midway through the second quarter on a 4-yard pass from Gutierrez to Will Tate, but just before the half McCoy completed a 42-yard pass to Claiborne at the 17, and from there the Utes gave the ball to Anderson on four straight running plays, finally scoring on a 1-yard run. That gave Utah a 14-7 halftime lead.

End of half. End of defense. Of the 14 offensive possessions in the second half, 10 ended in scores, including four consecutive 80-yard drives. Who could tell that the Aztecs were the top-ranked defense in the WAC? Certainly, the Utes are the WAC's most battered defense.

Before the game began, Utah had six starting defensive backs sidelined with injuries. On Saturday, three more joined the sideline club - Adolph County (sprained knee), Jimmy Pryor (concussion) and Ernest Boyd (sprained ankle). On a couple of plays, safety Harold Lusk also left the game with a shoulder injury, and the Utes considered moving wideout Bryan Rowley to the secondary. The Utes are so thin that kicker Brian Alba was placed on the kicking team - as a tackler.

The scoring binge began. The Aztecs made it 14-14 on a 5-yard run by Faulk. A 42-yard pass to Rowley set up a 46-yard Chris Yergensen field goal for a 17-14 Utah lead. A 43-yard run by Faulk set up a 12-yard scoring pass to Jake Nyberg. Score: 20-17, Aztecs. Lusk, who caught 5 passes for 166 yards, turned a short pass into a 47-yard gain, setting up another score: a 9-yard pass to Hooks. Score: 24-20, Utah.

Fourth quarter. Gutierrez's pass into the end zone deflected off the hands of safety Harold Lusk and into the waiting arms of Darnay Scott. Touchdown. Score: 27-24, Aztecs. On a nine-play, 80-yard drive, the Utes gave the ball to Anderson six times, including a 3-yard TD run. Score: 31-27, Utah.

More scoring. On third and 27, Pittman ran 27 yards for a touchdown and a 34-31 Aztec lead with 7:43 remaining. Anderson ran 2 yards for another touchdown and a 38-34 Utah lead with 5:24 remaining. Utah finally stopped the SDS offense for the first time in the second half, but the Aztecs did the same to the Ute offense. The Aztecs then moved 44 yards in 39 seconds for a score - an 18-yard pass from Gutierrez to DeAndre Maxwell - to take a 41-38 lead with 1:02 remaining.

The Aztecs celebrated, but they were premature. "I had all the confidence in the world,” said McCoy. “I told the guys, ‘We’re going to score. We’re going to win.’" The Utes did just that.

October 24, 1953 - Utah vs. Wyoming

2009-06-29T05:00:00.017-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? This was the best kind of Utah-Wyoming football game. Terrible weather. Sloppy field. Players ejected for fighting. Closely-fought till the final minutes. It featured the two best teams in the league, and as it turned out, this game decided the Skyline Conference championship.

Nearly 25,000 fans were expected to attend the game at Ute Stadium. But when Saturday came, so did the storm, and the actual attendance turned out to be half that many.

It seemed that the weather would give Wyoming the advantage. The Cowboys (4-1, 3-0) were a running team that was most effective in pounding the ball up the middle out of the Single Wing. The Utes (5-0, 2-0), on the other hand, ran a slashing-type offense out of the Split-T, and relied heavily on their passing game. Ironically though, Wyoming out-gained Utah in the passing game that day (119-37), and Utah creamed Wyoming in the rushing game (267-79).

By the fourth quarter when the rain began to let up, Utah found themselves with a 13-6 lead. This is when the game really got interesting.

In order to maintain possession of the ball and protect their seven-point lead, Utah gambled three times in the final quarter. Two times they went for it on fourth-and-one, and they converted both times.

The third gamble was a screen pass back in their own territory with just a few minutes left. This one backfired. The pass was intercepted and returned for a Cowboy touchdown. This cut Utah's lead down to one, pending Wyoming's extra point.

But Utah's line wouldn't settle for a tie. As soon as the ball was snapped, they rushed in and smothered the extra point attempt. And that was the ballgame.

Utah went on to win the Skyline crown with a 5-0 record (8-2 overall). The Cowboys finished 4-2 (5-4-1 overall). This game proved to be the deciding battle, for had Wyoming won, the outright conference title would have been theirs. Instead, it was Utah's for a third time in as many years.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

'SKINS SURVIVE W.U. POWER
----
By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
October 25, 1953

Plagued by rain, cold, mud, and a tenacious Wyoming defense, the University of Utah capitalized on Carter Cowley's perfect placement Saturday afternoon to maintain its unbeaten record with a 13-12 victory over the 'Poke gridders in Ute Stadium.

The victory was No. 6 of an unbeaten season for the Utes, and it was a "hard-way six" for Coach Jack Curtice's Redskins, who were battled down to the final gun by a fighting Wyoming crew.

And while the Utes never trailed in this 28th renewal of their Cowboys 'n' Indians feud, the outcome was so much in the balance that very few of the 12,429 chilled fans left the game before the clock started its final circuit sweep.

Cowley Shares Hero Honors

Cowley, the skinny alternate quarterback, shared hero honors with a host of hard-running backs and a Ute defense which held Cowboy Joe Mastrogiovanni to a net 46 yards in 16 rushing plays and the Cowboy single wing attack to a meager 62 net yards in rushing for the afternoon.

Don Peterson, the chunky fullback who took charge of Wyoming a year ago with 170 yards in rushing, picked up 80 yards in 20 carries to outrace the Cowboy from Brooklyn. It was Peterson who swooped untouched into the Wyoming end zone which eventually gave Utah the victory.

And Little Pete had plenty of help from Jack Cross, the 60-minute man, who added 70 yards to Utah's total in 17 carries. And in Don Rydalch, the Ute aerialist who was all but grounded in his passing, but who churned for 41 yards in seven attempts on the quarterback keep series.

Eliminates Most Serious Threat

The victory eliminated Utah's most serious threat to its third straight Skyline Conference title. The Utes now have three victories and have only to beat Colorado A. and M. and BYU to wind up a perfect conference season.

The loss was the second on consecutive week ends for the Cowboys, and it was a bitter pill to swallow. In fact, so bitter was the feeling that the final period resembled the Golden Gloves almost as much as football. Two Cowboys, center Dick Viner and guard Bill DeMontebreum, were given the heave-ho by the officials for slugging in the fourth quarter.

Back to the Old Days

It was a thrilling, brutal game -- one which must have carried the fans back to the old bruising days of football.

And any cynic who contends that the modern touchdown comes too cheaply need only to look at the churned and cleat-chopped football field in the stadium for his answer.

With the exception of Wyoming's final touchdown, every tally was earned dearly with bumps, bruises, and sweat.

Utah drove 64-yards for its first touchdown and the Cowboys came right back with a 74-yard march of their own. The Utes moved 84 yards for their final tally and the Cowboys ran an intercepted pass back from the Utah 43 for their second marker.

Then, with the Cowboys trailing 12-13 and only a few minutes remaining in the game, Cowboy Joe Mastrogiovanni -- who hadn't missed a conversion attempt this year -- lined up his sights.

This was the play that could put Wyoming even, probably insure a tie in the game and keep the Cowboys' hopes alive for a piece of the conference championship.

Mastro's Kick Blocked

But Cowboy Joe, the nation's leading player in total offense, was not destined to snatch the victory from the Utes. As the ball was centered, the Utah line rose up like a tidal wave to engulf the pigskin and drown the desperation hope of the Cowboys.

A 15-yard penalty put the Utes in the sock in the first quarter and it wasn't until the closing minute that the Redskins could get their offense rolling.

On the second play of the initial period, Rydalch flipped a pass to Paul Cook, which moved the Utes across midfield. But the holding penalty set them back to their 24 and three long desperation passes couldn't connect.

Wyoming, grinding out yardage like a sausage machine, drove to the Utah 34 in 10 attempts. When the attack was stymied, Mastrogiovanni sliced a perfect punt out of bounds on the Utah 6. The Utes could advance only to their 25 before Peterson was forced to boot, and his wobbly kick went out of bounds on the Wyoming 34.

Mastrogiovanni started passing, with only average success. He steered the 'Pokes to the Utah 45 before the Utes smeared him back to the Cowboy 30 and forced him to punt.

Starting on their 36, the Utes started to move with Peterson and Cross lugging the mail. They drove to the midfield stripe for the first time as the quarter ended. Max Pierce swept end for 22 to take it to the 18, Cross picked up 12 in two attempts and Pierce swept end for the tally. Cowley booted it squarely between the uprights for a 7-0 lead.

A "fast whistle" helped the Cowboys on their first sortie. George Galuska, the big fullback, fumbled as he hit the line and Dick Bubak recovered, but the ball had been blown dead. That gave the Cowboys a life and they moved 73 yards in 19 plays for a touchdown.

Heave 2 Passes

Forty-seven of those yards came on two passes, the first from Mastrogiovanni to Cedric Couch and the second from Mastrogiovanni to Pete Kutches, who was stopped on the Utah 3. Galuska hit the line twice and the second time he penetrated. Jack Jones missed the conversion and it was 7-6.

Mastrogiovanni's interception and Peterson's fumble slowed the action in the third frame until Utah started its winning drive on its 16 after a punt.

Cross, Rydalch and Peterson, aided by a 15-yard penalty which put the Utes on the Wyoming six, drove for the score, with Peterson going the last five yards around his left end. A 15-yard holding penalty against the Utes stopped the drive, but the 15-yarder against Wyoming put 'em back in contention again.

Misses Conversion

Peterson's run made it 13-6, and this time Cowley missed the conversion.

In the fourth period, Utah drove to the Wyoming 33 on the ground before Corky Roberts intercepted a Cowley pass to stop the drive. Rydalch intercepted a pass right back to give the Utes a "life" and then Rydalch had a chance to wear the goat's horns.

Holding Penalty

A 15-yard holding penalty set the Utes back and Rydalch elected to gamble on a screen for the first down. But Carter, cutting in behind the Ute screen, plucked off the flat pass on the Utah 43 and he was into the end zone pronto. Then Mastro missed the big conversion.

The dismal day held one advantage for spectators, if it could be called an advantage.

The big scoreboard to the south, usually difficult to see in the day time, was glowing brightly on the dark afternoon. By fourth quarter, it was almost dark enough for the field lights to be turned on.

2007 Poinsettia Bowl - Utah vs. Navy

2009-06-22T05:00:00.018-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? This game could be considered as the beginning of Utah's great run that eventually led to the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

The Utes finished the 2007 season 8-4 and in third-place in the MWC standings. However, when the bowl parings were announced, Utah was fortunate to get the best opponent of all the MWC teams: 8-4 Navy.

Navy's crowning achievement that season was winning their 5th-straight Commander-in-Chief trophy. However, I suspect that they took more pleasure in beating Notre Dame for the first time since 1963. They also had nice wins against Pittsburgh and Air Force, but also lost a few head-scratchers to the likes of Delaware and Ball State. Overall, their season was a real success, and was even good enough to earn coach Paul Johnson the HC gig at Georgia Tech.

Navy held a three-point lead at halftime, and extended it to ten early in the second half. But that's when Brian Johnson took over. After playing the entire season with a shoulder that was never 100% healthy, Johnson finally had a breakout game, finishing 20 out of 25 for 226 yards and a TD passing, as well as 69 yards and a TD rushing.

The Ute defense also came up big, holding Navy on a crucial 4th-and-2 on their own nine-yard line, after Navy had held Utah on a goal line stand in the previous possession. This set up Darrell Mack's second TD of the night, and gave the Utes enough points to survive a late rally and successful onside kick by Navy.

With the win, Utah extended their bowl-winning streak to seven. More importantly, they began an overall winning streak that has extended to 14-straight games . . . so far.

FURTHER VIEWING:

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UNSINKABLE
----
Utah Wins Seventh Straight Bowl Game
As Midshipmen's Rally Comes Up Short
----
By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
December 21, 2007

SAN DIEGO — Utah's seventh consecutive bowl victory didn't come without a fight.

Thursday's 35-32 victory over Navy in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl went down to the wire.

"We'll take this win and celebrate it," said quarterback Brian Johnson, the game's offensive MVP. "Any time you play the Naval Academy you know you're going to get their best shot. You know they won't give up. They'll fight to the very end. That's what they're trained to do."

A wild finish kept the 39,129 fans at Qualcomm Stadium in their seats until the final horn sounded.

An interception by defensive MVP Joe Dale on the Utah 31-yard line sealed the deal with just 26 seconds left in the game. It came two plays after Navy recovered an onside kick after Zerbin Singleton caught a 58-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada.

Prior to that, Utah scored on a 1-yard run by Darrell Mack to make it 35-25. The Utes cashed in on good field position after the defense stopped Navy on four plays after the Midshipmen stopped Mack on fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

Adding to the drama was what officials acknowledged was a blown call in a postgame statement. On third down, Jereme Brooks lost the ball while reaching for the end zone on a touchdown attempt. A touchback wasn't called, however, allowing the Utes to keep the ball — costing Navy possession, time and yardage.

The Utes, meanwhile, snapped a nine-game losing streak (dating back to a 2003 loss to New Mexico) when trailing at halftime.

Utah coach Kyle Whittingham didn't dwell on it. He opted to focus his postgame remarks on other things — namely his team's ninth win in a season plagued with injuries.

Upon receiving the championship trophy, Whittingham said he'd never been around a group of players who fought through adversity like this.

The Utes faced tough times Thursday as well.

"Things weren't working for us in the first half," said Johnson, who praised former teammate Eric Weddle of the San Diego Chargers for some halftime inspiration. "(He) came in and was like 'Don't press it, you've got it.' So we wanted to come out and keep playing and it turned out good for us."

Navy added to a 10-7 halftime lead early in the third quarter when fullback Eric Kettani rambled 43 yards for a touchdown. The 10-point deficit was Utah's biggest since a 27-0 setback at UNLV on Sept. 22.

Unlike that night, this one wasn't insurmountable.

Led by Johnson, who overcame a 2-for-5 start by completing 11 consecutive passes, the Utes rallied and managed to take the lead before the fourth quarter began.

After handing the ball off to Brooks on a 23-yard misdirection play resulting in a touchdown, Johnson later teamed with Derrek Richards on a 40-yard scoring strike.

The outburst put the Utes ahead 21-17 with 1:12 remaining in the quarter.

For good measure, Johnson added a 19-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

Leading 28-17, Utah established a comfort zone — for a little while, anyhow.

Navy battled back into contention less than four minutes later. A 10-yard touchdown catch by Shun White and a successful two-point conversion by Kaheaku-Enhada made it 28-25 and set up the dramatic conclusion.

A scoreless first quarter featured three turnovers. The miscues began when Navy punter Greg Veteto was unable to handle a bad snap. Justin Taplin-Ross recovered the fumble for Utah near midfield.

Three plays later, the Midshipmen regained possession when linebacker Ross Pospisil picked off a Johnson pass intended for Bradon Godfrey and returned it 20 yards to the Utah 47.

Navy, however, failed to capitalized on the opportunity — despite driving into scoring position. A fumble by running back Reggie Campbell was pounced on by Utah middle linebacker Joe Jiannoni on the 2-yard line with 7:40 remaining in the first quarter.

Campbell later made amends with a 44-yard run to set up another chance to put points on the board. A 50-yard field goal attempt by Joey Bullen was wide left, though — leaving the game in a scoreless tie.

It stayed that way until the final 8:42 of the first half.

Utah broke through first. The Utes converted on a pair of third-down situations while marching 70 yards on eight plays. A 2-yard touchdown run by Mack capped things off.

Trailing 7-0, Navy responded with a pair of scores before the half was complete.

The Midshipmen responded to Utah's touchdown with one of their own on the ensuing possession. Kaheaku-Enhada's 2-yard run into the end zone finished off an eight-play series that covered 70 yards.

After forcing the Utes to punt, Navy once again embarked on a sustained drive. The Midshipmen ran 10 plays before taking the lead on a 39-yard field goal by Bullen with 28 seconds left in the second quarter.

October 10, 1992 - Utah vs. Hawai'i

2009-06-15T05:00:00.031-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? For the first time in many years, Utah was a real contender in the WAC title race. Ute fans had to have been pleased to know that their team, nearly halfway through the season, was playing in the WAC spotlight, and would be hosting the other main title contender - the Hawaii Rainbows - at Rice Stadium.

Moreover, Utah (3-1, 1-0) was a three-point favorite over this undefeated Hawaii team (3-0, 2-0), which had just beat BYU and Air Force, and had won at Oregon a few weeks prior.

And to up the ante, officials from the Copper, Aloha, and Freedom Bowls were among the 30,506 people in attendance (old Rice Stadium's official capacity was 32,500).

Not only was this game great because it was such an important WAC clash, but also because of the way Utah won. It was a rout. Pierre Jones (starting for injured tailback Keith Williams) rushed for 159 yards -- despite the fact that the Rainbows were leading the WAC in rush defense that season (127.7 yards/game).

On defense, consensus All-American Luther Elliss and the rest of the Ute D., held Hawaii to just 4-21 passing: a mere three completions in the first half, and a fourth during the final minute of the game.

After this victory, Utah was in the driver's seat to claim the WAC title. Instead, they lost their next two games (to a 3-8 New Mexico team and a 1-10 UTEP team). Utah's 1992 team became an example of a group who would contend in the big games, yet somehow find a way to lose to the weaker opponents -- a trait the has come to define that era of Ute football. Their crowning achievement that season was earning Utah's first bowl bid since 1964: to the Copper Bowl, where they fell short to #18 Washington State, 31-28.

The Rainbows bounced back from their loss to Utah and finished the 1992 season with a 11-2 record, a share of the WAC title, a victory over Illinois in the Holiday Bowl, and a #20 ranking in both polls. It was the best team Hawaii ever fielded, until their almost-undefeated 2007 team.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

RAMPAGING UTES POUND RAINBOWS
----
By Joe Baird
Salt Lake Tribune
October 11, 1992

There's something happening here.

Utah made that much abundantly clear Saturday afternoon, hammering previously unbeaten Hawaii 38-17 before 30,506 revelers at Rice Stadium.

In recording their fourth straight victory, the Utes:

Stayed in the WAC championship chase, improving to 2-0 in the conference and 4-1 overall.

Impressed a troika of scouts from the Copper, Aloha and Freedom Bowls, who were looking on from the press box.

Unburdened themselves of six years worth of frustration by beating the Rainbows for the first time since 1985.

Avenged last year's embarassing 52-26 rout in Aloha Stadium with a resounding stomp of their own.

"Beating Hawaii was something we needed to get off of our back," said coach Ron McBride, who has guided the Utes to their best start in seven years. "This is a game that we needed to win."

"It's one of the biggest wins I can remember," said senior linebacker Pita Tonga. "We're in a helluva position now. We've got a great opportunity to show people what we can do."

Most of the usual suspects weighed in for the Utes.

Frank Dolce completed 19 of 34 passes for 248 yards and two TDs and ran for a pair of 1-yard scores, while Sean Williams made eight catches for 82 yards. But it was Pierre Jones who posted the gaudiest numbers. Subbing again for the injured Keith Williams, the junior tailback turned 23 carries into 1 TD and 159 yards -- 125 of them after intermission. "Pierre and the offensive line just took over in the second half," said Dolce.

For the day, the Utes generated 478 yards of offense with a nearly perfect pass-run mix (248 through the air, 230 on the ground). "They really loaded up on us, even on the passing downs," said center Lance Scott. "We had to adjust. But once we did, we really got it rolling."

Defensively, Utah limited Hawaii to 335 yards. After some early problems, the Utes clamped down on the Rainbow option, and made life miserable for QBs Michael Carter and Ivin Jasper. The two combined to complete just 4 of 21 passes, and were sacked three times.

But most singificant were three Hawaii miscues -- two fumbles and an interception -- that the Utes cashed in for 17 points.

"Turnovers are always costly," said Hawaii coach Bob Wagner, whose team fell to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the WAC.

The Rainbows looked unstoppable early, dashing 54 yards on their first six plays to earn a 1st-and-goal at the Utah five. But the Utes stiffened and limited the 'Bows to a 35-yard Jason Elam field goal, then got their first break when Sharrieff Shah jumped on a Carter fumble one possession later.

In business at the Hawaii 15, Utah stunned the Rainbows on first down when guard Roy Ma'afala rumbled 14 yards on the old fumblerooski play. Dolce scored one snap later to make it 7-3.

Luther Elliss' recovery of an errant Carter pitch set up a 22-yard pass from Dolce to Henry Lusk and gave the Utes a 14-3 advantage. The Rainbows got back to within 14-10, but were back on their heels when Dolce and fullback Jamal Anderson linked up for a 24-yard scoring toss with 1:02 left in the half.

November 8, 1952 - Utah at Colorado A&M

2009-06-08T05:00:00.014-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Colorado A&M (aka Colorado State) was midway through their sixth-straight winning season. They were 5-1, 4-0 with three conference games left. They lost to Arizona State (the 1952 Border Conference Champion) in the second week of the season, but they beat all the other teams so far on their schedule by at least two touchdowns. A Skyline Conference title was on the horizon, and their main obstacle -- Utah -- had to come play them in Fort Collins.

A&M chose the Utah game to hold a special ceremony honoring Harry Hughes, the Ram A.D., who had also been their head coach from 1911-1941. On the verge of the conference championship, it seemed appropriate that they would dedicate this game to the man who last coached the Rams to a conference title, which was back in 1934.

The Utes (3-3-1, 3-0) were up for this game too. They had stumbled through their non-conference schedule, but had nevertheless set themselves up to compete for the Skyline title. And the week before the game, Coach Jack Curtice hinted that Utah would throw some offensive surprises at the Rams.

But it was actually their defense and special teams that won the day.

The Utes held a 7-0 lead until the third quarter when the Rams finally got on the board with a TD . . . but missed their extra point. Minutes later, still clinging to a one-point lead, Utah's Frank Branham returned a Ram punt 80 yards for the clincher. Finally, the Ute defense held the Rams through the final quarter to preserve the victory.

Utah crashed the A&M celebration and came away with an 8-point win in dramatic fashion. They then won their last two games to finish with a respectable 6-3-1, 5-0 record and the Skyline Championship. The Rams, on the other hand, stumbled down the stretch to finish 6-4, 5-2; they wouldn't finally claim another conference championship until 1955.

FURTHER READING:
• If the Rams had only beat the Utes, they would have won the 1952 Skyline title with a 6-1 record. However, with this loss, they actually finished in third place behind Utah (5-0) and New Mexico (5-1).

New Mexico and Montana joined the conference in 1951, bringing the total number of Skyline teams to eight. However, Utah didn't play against either newcomer in 1952; thus they only played five conference games that season. All the other Skyline teams played each other.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTES NEAR SKYLINE TITLE ON 14-6 WIN OVER RAMS
----
Tight Defense Baffles A-M
----
By Jack Schroeder
Salt Lake Tribune
November 9, 1952

FORT COLLINS (Special) -- Utah's mighty Redskins, sensing their second consecutive Skyline Eight football crown, got over their biggest obstacle Saturday afternoon by crushing the hopes of Colorado A. and M., 14-6, in a titanic struggle that forced the Utes to use all their offensive tricks.

The Utes bottled up the talented Don Burroughs much to the dismay of 12,500 fans that filled Aggie Stadium on a gray, cold day in Fort Collins.

Actually it was the tremendous work of Coach Jack Curtice's Utah defenders that insured the victory. The Redskins' forward wall gave Burroughs the worst afternoon of his life by constantly rushing him in the backfield and covering his receivers on almost every occasion. And on the ground the Rams could do little better.

Branham Loose

But it wasn't until Set Branham grabbed one of Jerry Callahan's punts on the Utah 20-yard line and raced 80 yards for a touchdown that the Utes could breathe a little easier. Branham's electrifying touchdown run clearly broke the backs of the Rams and they then would have had to score two touchdowns to win the game.

Meanwhile, the Utes turned things over to Don Rydalch, the brilliant passing junior quarterback, who guided the Utes to their first touchdown and sent them on several other goalward drives. Rydalch's passing was not his best performance of the season, but he completed the aerials that really hurt the Aggies.

Ground March

Ironically enough, the Rams scored their only touchdown on the ground when their air game was stymied. They capitalized on a partially blocked punt to take charge on the Redskin 46 and then marched goalward from there, but Bob Rollins missed the extra point and the Utes still were in front in the third quarter, but only by one point.

It was then that Branham, a few minutes later, grabbed one of Callahan's punts and rambled for the clincher.

Callahan, incidentally, was the Aggies' best defensive weapon. His eight punt averaged 48 yards per try and he kicked on that rolled to the Utah 2-yard stripe and another to the 3. Cowley came up with a 43-yard average.

Completed 13 of 32

Burroughs, the Rams' best offensive bet, was harassed all afternoon by the Redskin defenders. He attempted 32 passes and completed only 13, most of these coming in the fourth quarter. He threw out of the T-formation, I-formation, and spread-formation, but nothing seemed to help.

Utah's ground game, sparked by George Bean, Don Petersen, Jack Cross and Glen Plaga, amassed a total of 210 yards as compared to only 120 for the Ags. The Utes competed seven of 18 passes for 96 yards to add to their advantage.

Utah's first touchdown was scored on an 80-yard march spearheaded by the passing of Rydalch. Don Peterson cut through tackle and lateraled to Gean Plaga, who scampered to the 28. Then Jack Cross and Plaga combined for a first down on the 30.

Rydalch hit Cross with a pass and the big right half rambled all the way to the Aggie 39. Plaga got to the 31 and Petersen moved to the 28. Rydalch hit Plaga again and the stocky little halfback pushed his way to the Aggie 15.

After Petersen got to the 13, Rydalch passed to Sandy Morris to the 3. On the next play, from scrimmage, Cross broke up through the middle for a touchdown. Charlie Kilani kicked the extra point and Utah held a 7-0 lead with less than six minutes to play in the first quarter.

The Utes had two more scoring opportunities in the first quarter, but neither paid off.

Jim Dublinski recovered Dorsey's fumble on the Aggie 29. On the first play, George Bean fumbled the ball and fell on it back on the Aggie 36. On two plays Rydalch failed to hit his target and Carter Cowley punted out of bounds on the Aggie 6-yard stripe.

Utes Out of Gas

Then at the end of the quarter, the Utes drove to the Aggie 24 before finally running out of gas. A Rydalch-to-Sandy Morris pass carried to the Aggie 31 and then Petersen hit the line four straight times, but couldn't get a first down.

The Aggies got back in the ball game when Carter Cowley's punt was partially blocked and rolled out of bounds on the Utah 36-yard line. Charles Mikkelson got 8 yards and then Burroughs passed to Dorsey for a first down on the Utah 14.

Gerald Zaleski shot up the middle to the 7-yard stripe and then bucked his way to the 1-yard line. On the next play he got inches from the goal line and Burroughs carried over on a quarterback sneak. Bob Rollins tried the extra point, but it was no good and the Utes were still in front 7-6.

Game on Ice

Branham put the game on ice when he took Callahan's punt a few minutes later on the Utah 20-yard line and cut to his right and rambled down the sidelines all the way to the goal line for a touchdown. Kalani again kicked the extra point and the Utes were in front 14-6 and that's the was it ended.

Utah had complete control of the game through the first half. The Utes racked up 11 first downs to only three for the Aggies and had 90 yards rushing and 90 yards passing for the first two periods. The Ags could get only 39 on the ground and 13 through the air for that same period of time.

The 2009 Utah Football Countdown

2009-05-21T07:00:00.007-06:00

Welcome to the Utah Football Countdown blog, which lists the greatest University of Utah football games ever.

During the summer of 2007, I selected 35 great Utah games, ranked each from #35 to #1, and featured them on my blog, one per day, until the 2007 season began. I believe that this list was pretty thorough and included all of the obvious, as well as a few not-so-obvious, great games from Utah's football history.

However, over the last two years, Utah has played some pretty phenomenal games that will surely go down as some of their greatest ever. Furthermore, I also found some gems that I overlooked the first time around. In total, I have come up with an additional 15 games that need to be added.

Now, not all of these games deserve to be included in the Utah's Top-35, and maybe not even in the Top-50 (I'm sure there are still many deserving games I have overlooked). However, each one should still be considered great, and should never be forgotten or underestimated.

I have made a special effort to include great games from all eras of Utah football. Also, I have made every effort to include Utah's greatest victories against each of their historic rivals. Unfortunately, I was unable to identify any games involving UNLV, UTEP, or Colorado College that deserve "great" status.

So, beginning Monday, May 25th, and continuing until the Monday before Utah kicks off the 2009 season against Utah State, I will feature one game each week on this blog. Yet unlike in 2007, I have not ranked these games in any particular order, but instead hope to generate discussion and debate as to whether each of these games should be considered Top-50, Top-25, Top-10, etc. It's no secret that a couple of these games may even deserve to be remembered as the greatest ever.

And to give you all a taste of what to expect, I wish to now present one very important game from the annals of Utah Football history. This game is not one of the 15 I have chosen to feature this summer. In fact, it's not even a Utah game. Nevertheless, it still impacted Utah greatly. It is featured now to illustrate one of the many interesting stories in the history of Utah's football program:

November 21, 1940 - Colorado vs. Denver

HOW DID IT AFFECT UTAH? Before the 1940 season began, Utah was one of three teams expected to compete for the Big Seven Conference title. The other two were the Colorado Buffaloes and the Denver Pioneers.

But just four weeks into the season, Utah was only 2-2, and more importantly, was 1-1 in conference. And they had yet to face Denver or Colorado -- both of whom were still undefeated in conference.

In week 5, Utah hosted Denver (3-1, 2-0) in what was considered a "must-win" for the Utes. With this notion, and the loss to Utah State the week prior still fresh on their minds, Utah dominated the Pioneers right from the start - scoring the first 19 points, and cruising to a 25-14 win. With one loss each, Utah and Denver were now tied for second-place in the Big Seven.

The following week, Utah traveled to Boulder to play the first-place Colorado Buffaloes (4-1, 3-0). There, Utah overcame pre-game jitters (Utah's kicker completely missed the ball on the opening kickoff) and an easy Colorado touchdown on the first drive of the game, to win 21-13. And it wasn't as close as that score would seem to indicate.

At this point, Utah, Denver, and Colorado were all tied for first place with one loss each. And that's the way the standings stayed until the last week of the season. Utah finished their conference schedule 5-1 (7-2 overall), and had clinched a share of the league crown. They beat Idaho in a non-conference game played on Thanksgiving Day to end the season.

But meanwhile in Denver, the Pioneers (now 5-2, 4-1) and the Buffaloes (now 4-3, 4-1) played to determine who would share the conference title with Utah. As it turned out, Denver and Colorado tied, 3-3, meaning they both finished with a 4-1-1 conference record -- leaving Utah alone on top as the outright conference champions.

FURTHER READING:
• Colorado and Denver had a long and intense rivalry from 1892 to 1947. Most of the games were played on Thanksgiving Day.

• From 1909 to 1960, Utah and Denver were always in the same conference, although they didn't necessarily play each other every year. Utah holds a 28-10-5 record all-time against the Pioneers. Denver discontinued their football program after the 1960 season.

• Very interesting article by Brad Rock of the Deseret News about the defunct Utah-Denver rivalry, and the old rivalry trophy in particular.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY (EXCERPTS):

COLORADO AND DENVER BATTLE TO 3-ALL
DEADLOCK TO GIVE CROWN TO UTAH
----
By Louden Kelly
Associated Press
November 22, 1940

DENVER, Nov. 21 (AP) -- Sour breaks and gripping goal line stands blunted every touchdown charge, so Colorado and Denver both turned to a weapon as old as football, the field goal, and wound up their Thanksgiving day fixture in a 3 to 3 deadlock Thursday.

This may have been a stroke of gridiron justice because now the Big Seven title goes to Utah, the team that beat both of them. The Utes finished their league season Saturday, a half game in front, and Thursday's winner would have shared the championship with them.

These old rivals turned for help to their kickers when assorted ground plays and forward passes failed in the pinch.

. . .

Approximately 23,000 spectators sitting in sunny, nippy weather, watched in electrical suspense as little Hank Walsmith stepped back and kicked the tying field goal from Colorado's 18-yard line with less than a minute to play. The kick started as if too low, but cleared by two feet.

. . .

Colorado dug in for three downs, but couldn't smear Walsmith's place kick that sent the undisputed league title winging over the mountains to Utah.

INJUNS CHEER RESULT OF DENVER GAME
----
Salt Lake Tribune
November 22, 1940

The Utah gridders were just as interested in the Colorado-Denver football game as they were in their own contest Thursday and as soon as they got into the dressing room after the game they wanted to know the Denver score.

Most of the boys had left when the news came in that Denver had tied the Buffs but the lads on hand put on a real celebration. There was cheering and laughing and back-pounding. It was the finish of a great Thanksgiving day for the Indians.

Coach Ike Armstrong beamed with happiness as he told his gridders: "Go out and have a good time, you've earned it. You've played some great football this year."

The Indians planned to elect a captain after the game but there was too much excitement so the selection was postponed until Tuesday evening.

August 30, 2008 - Utah at Michigan

2008-08-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Here's what needs to be remembered about this game: Michigan was ranked #24 in the Coaches Poll and was favored to beat Utah by 3; was coached by Rich Rodriguez, who had previously led West Virginia to national prominence; the game was played at perhaps the most storied venue in college football; and Utah came away with the victory to begin the greatest season in their history.

Nevertheless, should one choose to examine this game further, it will be discovered that this win wasn't as amazing as one might initially suspect. Like Texas A&M in 2004, Michigan had some lofty expectations in 2008 that they failed to live up to (they finished 3-8). But unlike in their game against A&M, Utah failed to put Michigan away early, and let them hang around all game.

This was a difficult game to watch. Right from the start, Utah clearly appeared to be the better team, but was never able to get rolling. Penalties brought back every big play for the Utes, and the offense couldn't seem to finish drives -- apart from their two first half touchdowns, they had to settle for four long Louie Sakoda field goals.

It was evident by the end of the Michigan game that if Utah was going to have another undefeated run, it wouldn't be like the one they had in 2004. Instead of destroying every opponent on their schedule one by one, Utah's 2008 team would have to grind it out, endure some stiff adversity, and survive some close calls.

Still, this game should be remembered as one of the great Utah football games due to the circumstances as they existed on the day of the game: the venue, Michigan's ranking, and Utah's upset victory. It was the start of what would become the greatest season in Utah's history, and in some ways epitomized that season overall.

FURTHER READING:
• "Go out and play like a top-10 football team, because that's what you are."

-- Brian Johnson,
speaking to the team in the locker room before the game.
From Utah's 2008 Drive For Dominance DVD.

• The 2008 Michigan team featured YouTube sensation Sam McGuffie, who had 30 yards and a TD against the Utes. McGuffie, who chose Michigan over Notre Dame and USC, left the team at the end of the season and has transferred to Rice.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE
----
By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
August 31, 2008

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Utah made itself at home in the Big House on Saturday. The Utes walked through the front door and did just about everything but lie on the couch and root around in the kitchen — for the better part of three quarters, anyhow.

OK, things weren't that cozy.

In fact, the action wound up getting a bit dramatic at Michigan Stadium.

Utah, however, weathered the storm and held on to defeat Michigan 25-23 before a crowd of 108,421 and a national television audience.

"I'm very proud of our guys and the way they hung in there," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said after the 2008 season-opener. "This house got rocking."

Trailing 25-10 with less than nine minutes remaining, the home team climbed back into contention by blocking a punt and recovering a fumble. The Utah turnovers led to a pair of Michigan touchdowns. A failed two-point conversion attempt on the second and final score proved to be the difference.

So, too, was effective play on offense, defense and special teams.

"It was gut-check time, and we had to have some guys step up," said Whittingham, who acknowledged it shouldn't have been as close as it ended up.

The outcome, however, was pleasing.

"It's a very good way to start the season," Whittingham said.

Knocking off the 24th-ranked team in the coaches poll on the road left the Utes in a festive mood.

"Words can't explain how I feel right now," cornerback Sean Smith said as he walked off the field. "The defense came out clicking and the offense was clicking. It was great to come out and get a win in the Big House."

Early on, Utah dominated the game statistically and reeled off 19 straight points over the second and third quarters. The Utes inflicted most of the damage in the first half, holding a commanding 313-102 advantage in total offense yardage.

Michigan got off to a shaky start in Rich Rodriguez's debut as head coach. The Wolverines managed just four first downs before the break and were a paltry 1-of-7 in third-down situations.

"In the first half, I thought Utah controlled the game with their quick passing game and they had our defense on its heels a little bit," Rodriguez said. "That got adjusted in the second half. We got some momentum going and didn't quit. But we just didn't execute."

Utah quarterback Brian Johnson did. The senior wound up completing 21-of-33 passes for 305 yards (253 in the first half) and a touchdown.

"There were stretches when Brian looked lights out," Whittingham said. "He's our guy. He's our team leader and to have him managing the offense, running the offense, is a huge plus for us."

Johnson, who teamed with Bradon Godfrey on a 19-yard scoring strike just before halftime, wasn't the only bright spot for Utah.

Contributions were plentiful in the season-opener.

Louie Sakoda tied a school record by making four field goals. He connected from distances of 28, 43 and 41 yards in the second quarter and made the longest kick of his career at Utah with a 53-yarder in the third.

When things got tight down the stretch, the All-American had a 50-yard punt that wasn't returned to bury Michigan deep in its own territory.

Whittingham said another key was the play of the offensive line against the Wolverines' experienced defensive front.

"To me that was the most critical match-up in the game," he explained. "I think our guys held their own."

The biggest difference-maker, however, was Utah's defense. Whittingham said their speed was a factor in slowing Michigan down.

The Wolverines used two inexperienced quarterbacks in Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet, and neither reached 100 yards passing or had more than two yards rushing.

"The kids played extremely tough," defensive coordinator Gary Andersen said. "I didn't sense any fatigue at all."

Paul Kruger led the Utes with nine tackles, including 2.5 behind the line of scrimmage. Linebacker Nai Fotu matched the latter and was one of five Utah defenders to make a tackle-for-loss and one of three with a sack. Greg Newman recovered a fumble and Smith picked off a pass.

"I think we just stuck to the game plan and came out real aggressive and flying around," Kruger said. "A lot of things went well for us and a lot of things didn't. I think we responded to opposition and it was just a great day for us."

It wasn't perfect. The Utes had just 28 yards of offense in the second half, turned the ball over three times by game's end and had a punt and PAT blocked.

The mistakes helped set up an 8-yard scoring strike from Sheridan to Michael Shaw that gave Michigan an early 7-0 lead. Utah responded with an 8-yard touchdown run by Corbin Louks, but trailed 7-6 when the extra point was deflected.

The Utes eventually gained control of the game and held a comfortable lead until the final minutes.

Michigan began its late rally by blocking a punt and scoring a play later on a 33-yard touchdown toss from Threet to Junior Hemingway.

Less than three minutes passed before the Wolverines added a 3-yard run by Sam McGuffie, capping a drive that began by recovering a Utah fumble on the 31-yard line.

An ensuing two-point conversion attempt, which would have tied the game, failed when Threet's attempt to connect with receiver Toney Cleamons near the back of the end zone was incomplete.

The Wolverines never got another chance to erase the deficit. Sakoda's punting and Utah's defense stuffed them inside their own 35 the rest of the way to preserve the victory.

And a big one at that.

"For me personally, this is our biggest win since Coach Whit has been the coach here — huge venue, huge task," Johnson said. "We accepted that challenge. We came out, played well and got a win."

September 15, 2007 - Utah vs. UCLA

2007-09-15T13:30:00.001-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? No one really knew what to make of this unexpected win. Nearly two years later, I'm still not totally sure what place this victory holds in Utah football history.

The 2007 season was off to a very disappointing start. The Utes were 0-2 and playing without key players Brian Johnson, Matt Asiata, Brent Casteel, Jason Boone, and Gabe Long, all of whom were injured. Meanwhile, UCLA was 2-0, ranked #11 in both polls and was a 16-point favorite to beat Utah.

UCLA was led on defense by Bruce Davis, who was a first-team All-Pac 10 Defensive End in 2007. On offense, they featured QB Ben Olsen, who torched the Utes for 318 yards passing at the Rose Bowl the year before.

But despite Utah's depleted roster, the Utes came out and immediately, and totally, dominated the Bruins. Fans were introduced to newcomers like Robert Johnson, Darrell Mack, Caleb Schlauderaff, Paul Kruger, and Corbin Louks -- each of whom made big plays that day. And Ben Olson was personally introduced to just about every member of Utah's front seven (a.k.a. he got his a$$ kicked).

The most puzzling thing about this win, however, is that one week later Utah looked as bad as they ever have - losing 27-0 at UNLV. Meanwhile, UCLA went on to win their next two and even climbed back into the polls before losing at home to Notre Dame a few weeks later.

By the end of the season though, Utah had managed to right the ship and prepared themselves for a great run in 2008. UCLA, on the other hand, finished the season with a losing record (6-7) and fired their head coach, Karl Dorrell.

Still, this was the highest-ranked opponent Utah had beaten since 1973.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

STUNNER
----
Utes Put Together Complete Effort In Upsetting Nationally Ranked Bruins
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
September 16, 2007

Before addressing the media following Utah's 44-6 upset victory over No. 11 UCLA, head coach Kyle Whittingham tossed a crumpled piece of paper towards a garbage can a few yards away.

The throw was perfect.

"It's all going my way, isn't it?" Whittingham said.

It certainly was Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The Utes (1-2) surprised the Bruins in a variety of ways. Schemes, personnel changes and a little trickery added up to success.

"I've never been more proud of a group of players and a coaching staff as I am today," Whittingham said. "We put some different guys out there, and it all clicked."

Sophomore safety Robert Johnson had a stellar outing in his first start for Utah. He intercepted highly touted UCLA quarterback Ben Olson twice and forced a fumble on what would have been a pivotal touchdown by the Bruins.

The Utes sacked Olson five times and picked him off three times as the defense held UCLA to just a pair of field goals.

Offensively, tailback Darrell Mack put an end to Utah's season-long troubles running the ball. He netted 107 yards rushing to become the first Ute since Quinton Ganther in the 2005 Emerald Bowl to reach the century mark.

Quarterback Tommy Grady threw three touchdown passes in the victory, while true freshman Corbin Louks had one in his collegiate debut.

"It was a complete team effort out there," Whittingham said. " ... I feel so good for the players. They worked so hard."

After opening the season with losses to Oregon State (24-7) and Air Force (20-12), a blowout win over a nationally ranked UCLA team wasn't expected. Whittingham acknowledged it. He did, however, anticipate his squad putting a complete game together.

"I think this team, obviously, showed a lot today and throughout the week," senior captain Steve Tate said. "We kind of used the Davey vs. Goliath mentality. Nobody gave us a chance, but I think we stuck together."

And how.

UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said there wasn't enough time to discuss all the issues his team had in the game.

"It's disappointing. We didn't even play close to our potential and we were never in sync," he said. "We didn't handle the crowd noise and lost our poise. We stalled on several crucial drives.

"Our hats are off to Utah for being hungry and dying for the win today," Dorrell added.

Utah pulled away in the third quarter, taking a 27-6 lead into the final 15 minutes.

Kicker Louie Sakoda did his part by connecting on field goals from 47- and 45-yards out. The latter followed Johnson's second interception of Olson in the game.

Between kicks, freshmen Louks and Dallin Rogers, a tight end, teamed up on a 12-yard scoring strike.

In the midst of the outburst, though, Utah withstood a scare.

While holding a precarious 17-6 lead, the Utes nearly gave up a touchdown when Olson connected on a 50-yard pass to Marcus Everett. When the receiver raced to within two yards of the end zone, however, Johnson hit his arm and jarred the ball loose. It bounced out of the end zone for a touchback.

"That really killed any momentum we had gained," said Dorrell, who called it the big play of the game.

Johnson agreed.

"I couldn't give up a touchdown. Our defense was going too well to give up a touchdown," he said. "My plan was to knock the ball loose."

It worked, and UCLA never recovered.

In the fourth quarter, Utah put 17 more points on the board and Paul Kruger intercepted Olson.

Grady connected on a pair of short touchdown passes (5 and 4 yards, respectively) and Sakoda made a 44-yard field goal.

Utah wound up a season-high 386 yards of total offense and 19 first downs. The Utes entered the game as one of the nation's worst rushing teams, but wound up with 122 yards on the ground.

"We established the run game early," Mack said. "The offensive line did a great job today. They blocked everybody and pushed the defensive line back."

The Utes held a 14-6 halftime advantage. They capped things off with a wild sequence late in the second quarter — scoring on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Grady to Mack with just 23 seconds remaining.

The scoring drive featured four first downs, including a fake field goal that moved the markers when holder Bradon Godfrey took a direct snap and ran 5 yards on fourth-and-3.

Five plays earlier, Utah obtained possession when Johnson intercepted Olson in the red zone and returned it to the Ute 39. Linebacker Kyle Brady set the play in motion by hitting Olson as he threw the ball.

"Our whole defense did very well," said Johnson, who nearly wound up with three interceptions by game's end.

Utah took a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. A 53-yard touchdown pass from Grady to Marquis Wilson capped a seven-play drive. The Utes threw a surprise in along the way by inserting Louks, who alternated snaps with Grady on two occasions during the series.

UCLA also scored on its first possession. The Bruins crept to within the Utah 15-yard line at one point before settling for a 45-yard field goal by Kai Forbath. The Utes forced the kick when defensive end Martail Burnett sacked Olson for a 7-yard loss on third-and-12.

The 7-3 score remained intact until midway through the second quarter. That's when UCLA capitalized on a Utah turnover — a fumble recovery by defensive end Tom Blake — to close the gap to one when Forbath connected on a 52-yard field goal.

The Bruins (2-1) never scored again. Saturday's loss was their first to the Utes in nine meetings.

Both teams return to conference play next weekend. UCLA hosts Washington in the Pac-10 and Utah visits Mountain West foe UNLV.

#2: 2005 Fiesta Bowl - Utah vs. Pittsburgh

2007-08-29T07:00:00.017-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? In 2006, the BCS rules were revised, partly in an attempt to be more inclusive. Up until that time, there had been six non-BCS teams who would have qualified for a BCS bid under these new rules.

But only one had managed to crash the BCS anyway.

The 2004 season is remembered as a perfect storm for Utah. They were ranked #20 AP/#21 Coaches in the pre-season; opened the year with a convincing victory at home against the storied Texas A&M; had five regular season games televised nationally by ESPN, ESPN2, or ABC; and won the love and fascination of pundits and journalists across the nation.

The result was a rapid rise in the polls - essential in accomplishing what no other non-BCS teams had before: a ranking high enough to clinch a BCS Bowl bid.

If there was any letdown for Utah that season, it was in drawing the 8-3 Big East Co-Champ in the Fiesta Bowl. However, if indeed this was a blight on an otherwise perfect storm, the Utes more than compensated for it in the way they beat the Pitt Panthers.

Any lingering suspicions that Utah would suffer a let-down were quickly dashed. Right away, the Utes put on a show for the millions watching across the nation. The Panthers were thoroughly outmatched and in waaaaay over their heads. And Pitt QB Tyler Palko will forever rue the day he met Utah's front seven.

It was a total team effort. In fact, the Fiesta Bowl felt inclined to name three MVPs instead of two. Alex Smith, Paris Warren, and Steve Fifita were the ones honored.

FURTHER VIEWING:

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UNDEFEATED, UNCHALLENGED
----
Storybook Season Ends With Big Victory
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
January 2, 2005

TEMPE, Ariz. — Utah's quest for perfection is complete.

Saturday's 35-7 win over Pittsburgh in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl capped a 12-0 season for the Utes, who made quite a splash in their Bowl Championship Series debut.

"In today's day and age of college football going undefeated is hard to do. There's a lot of great teams out there," said head coach Urban Meyer, who finished his two-year stint at Utah with a 22-2 record." It's hard to say goodbye, but I'm saying goodbye 12-0. What a great effort by our guys. This is the best group I've ever been around."

Utah quarterback Alex Smith and wide receiver Paris Warren were named co-Offensive Players of the Game and nose guard Steve Fifita claimed defensive honors.

"It wasn't an easy game," said Warren. "We just executed well in all three phases."

The offense shined with 467 yards and 25 first downs. Smith completed 29-of-37 passes for 328 yards and four touchdowns. Warren scored twice and caught a Fiesta Bowl-record 15 catches.

Defensively, the Utes racked up nine sacks while limiting the Panthers to just 268 yards. Eric Weddle led the way with a game-high 11 tackles and Tommy Hackenbruck had three sacks.

"We blitzed them a lot. We gave them a lot of different looks," said Fifita. "I don't know how to explain the pressure we got. We just saw openings and took advantage of them."

Besides a convincing performance on the field, they also did well in the stands. A vast majority of the sellout crowd of 73,519 at Sun Devil Stadium wore red in support of the BCS busters. Utah is the first team from a conference without an automatic bid to participate in one of the system's financially lucrative bowl games — the expected payout is between $14-17 million.

Smith said the victory sent a message to the establishment.

"Hopefully that college football needs a few changes," he said. "That's been the mind set all along."

Utah received the Fiesta Bowl championship trophy in a postgame ceremony on the field. Amidst the celebration, the large contingent of Ute fans chanted "undefeated" to the team and "one more year" to Smith, who is contemplating a jump to the NFL and its riches.

The Utes cashed in early and often against the Panthers. They built a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter while cruising to their school record-tying 16th consecutive victory. The streak equals a mark established in 1930, the last time a Utah team went unbeaten or untied.

Warren scored twice down the stretch to give the Utes a pair of 28-point leads. Less than six minutes after hauling in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Smith, Warren took a hook-and-ladder pass from teammate Steve Savoy for another score.

Between touchdowns, Pitt scored its first points of the game on a 31-yard pass from Tyler Palko to Greg Lee.

The Panthers (8-4), however, were never in contention after a sluggish start. Their problems were compounded by Marty Johnson's 18-yard touchdown run on the Utes' first series in the second half.

Utah continued a season-long streak of leading at halftime by holding a 14-0 advantage. The Utes scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions to pull away from the Panthers. The first score came late in the first quarter when Quinton Ganther reached the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown run. The second came on a 6-yard scoring strike from Smith to John Madsen with 5:29 remaining in the half.

Defense and special teams also made contributions. The Utes recorded four quarterback sacks over the first and second quarters while holding Pitt scoreless. The Panthers attempted a 48-yard field goal between Utah touchdowns, but it was blocked by freshman Martail Burnett.

"We obviously ran into an excellent football team. I think in the physical parts of the game we did not match up," said Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris. "We had trouble on offense protecting our passer. On defense, you know, I think they put the pressure on people all year long and that's why they score big."

The fifth-ranked Utes have now won four consecutive bowl games. The streak includes the Las Vegas Bowl in 1999 and 2001 as well as the 2003 Liberty Bowl. The last two victories came under Meyer, who officially turned over control of the program to long-time defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham.

"It's a fairy-tale season and I'm just excited to move forward and continue this program heading in the direction that it's at," said Whittingham.

#4: 1994 Freedom Bowl - Utah vs. Arizona

2007-08-28T07:00:00.010-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Utah's 1994 resume included a win over eventual Pac-10 Champion Oregon (#11 finish), eventual WAC Champion #11 Colorado State (#16AP/#14Coaches finish), and #15 BYU (#18AP/#10Coaches finish). Unfortunately, two inexplicable losses left them tied for second in the WAC but ranked #12 in the Coaches Poll. Arizona (8-3) was in a similar situation: the Wildcats finished the regular season ranked #13, but missed out on a Rose Bowl berth and had to settle for a second-place tie in the Pac-10.

Also, both teams were defensive-minded. Arizona's "Desert Swarm" defense was led by All-American DL Tedy Bruschi; Utah's defense was led by All-American DL Luther Ellis.

Utah boasted one of the top offenses in the nation, but you wouldn't know it just by watching them play the Wildcats that night. They managed only 75 yards total offense. Fortunately, the Ute defense and special teams kept them in the game until the offense could make a big play. And when they needed it most, the offense came through. Cal Beck returned a kickoff 72 yards to the Arizona 5-yard line. There, the Ute offense stalled for three downs. On fourth-and-goal and only 3:34 left in the game, QB Mike McCoy tossed up a desperation pass to freshman Kevin Dyson in the endzone for the game winning touchdown.

Utah finished the season 10-2 and ranked #10AP/#8Coaches - at the time, their best finish ever. This accomplishment is even more impressive in light of the fact that only a few years before, Utah couldn't even get to a bowl. Ron McBride and the Utes experienced steady success for the next eight years, but Utah wouldn't again get to this elite level until 2004.

Arizona finished #20 in both polls.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

LET FREEDOM RING! UTES WIN
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By Mike Sorensen
Deseret News
December 28, 1994

While it may rank right up there with the greatest wins in school history, Utah's 16-13 victory over Arizona in Tuesday night's Freedom Bowl will certainly top the list as the unlikeliest win ever.

The Utes defeated the Wildcats by scoring touchdowns on two 5-yard drives, getting just five first downs in the entire game and producing only 75 yards of total offense. They watched the Wildcats drop three sure touchdown catches - two in a row on a crucial fourth-quarter series. And in the final minutes of the game, the Utes needed the heroics of pair of freshmen, from Utah no less, to pull out the unbelievable victory.

The bowl triumph, 30 years after their last bowl win, improved the Utes' record to 10-2, giving them a 10-victory season for the first time in school history. It also gives them a chance of finishing in the Top Ten, depending how the other bowl games work out. Regardless, they'll finish with their highest ranking ever.

"This is as big as it comes,'' said Utah coach Ron McBride, clutching one of the game balls firmly in his right arm. "I've been through a lot of highs and lows in this profession. This is history - it's never been done at Utah.''

The Utes did it, despite an offense, ranked 11th in the nation, that was made to look anemic by the Wildcats' vaunted Desert Swarm defense.

What the Utes got, however, was an outstanding performance by its own defense, which limited Arizona to just 184 total yards, some huge plays by their special teams and those two heroic plays by the freshmen from Utah.

The first big play was turned in by Cal Beck, who played for Cottonwood High last year and was only recruited to Utah at the last minute.

After Arizona had taken a safety rather that risk a punt from their end zone, the Wildcats kicked off from their own 20. Beck, a two-time state track champion, returned the kick 72 yards to the Arizona 5.

Then it was Kevin Dyson's turn. On 4th down, Mike McCoy made a desperation heave that was snagged one-handed by the former Clearfield High star for the winning touchdown.

"I knew if we could stay close, we could win it in the fourth quarter,'' said McBride. That the Utes were still in the game going into the fourth quarter was remarkable, considering they had 39 yards of total offense at the time.

After the two teams traded first-half touchdowns and went scoreless in the third quarter, Arizona finally broke through with a 44-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 10-7.

An interception by Sean Harris and a personal foul penalty on Utah set up the Wildcats' next score. But it turned out to be just three points on another Steve McLaughlin field goal, this one from 20 yards.

But the Wildcats had two big chances to score a touchdown and blew them both. First tight end Tim Thomas dropped a wide-open pass in the end zone. Then wide receiver Lamar Lovett dropped a pass all alone in the end zone.

"Who knows why they dropped those balls,'' said McBride. "The ball bounces funny ways sometimes.''

Luther Elliss laughed when he said, "I think God was blessing us on those plays.''

After the reprieve, the Utes felt like they were destined to win, since they were down just 13-7 with 8:05 left. All they needed was a touchdown and an extra point.

They moved to midfield and were forced to punt. Jason Jones got off a beauty that was downed at the 1-yard line. When the Ute defense held, Arizona decided to take the safety, rather than risk a punt.

After getting stuffed all night by the Desert Swarm defense, the Utes needed something out of the ordinary - such as a long kickoff return - to have any chance at victory.

Beck had done it against BYU, setting up the winning touchdown with a 70-yard return and he was ready to do it again.

"As we were waiting for the kickoff, I turned to Clarence Lawson and said, 'Do you remember when I told you before the BYU return that this was the biggest return of our lives. Well I lied. This one is the biggest,' '' said Beck.

The ball was fielded by Beck at the 23 and the speedster split the Arizona defense before heading to the left sideline, finally being pulled down at the 5-yard line.

On first down, McCoy couldn't find anyone and threw the ball into the stands. On second down, the pass was tipped and almost intercepted. On third down, McCoy threw to the left corner, but Curtis Marsh never got close to it.

That left a fourth-down pass play designed to go to tight end Rick Tucker, but he was covered. So McCoy rolled out to the right where he was grabbed by noseguard Chuck Osborne. McCoy appeared to be halfway to the ground when he heaved up a sidearm prayer toward the end zone.

Dyson had gone to the front corner of the end zone, covered well by linebacker Charlie Camp. But he broke back toward the middle when he saw McCoy in trouble and made his one-handed grab.

"To be honest, I don't know how I did it. I was fortunate to get it off and Kevin made a great play,'' said McCoy.

After that the Utah defense came through again when Jeff Kaufusi hit White and forced a fumble and Henry Kaufusi recovered at the Utah 31.

With 2:37 left, Utah still needed a first down to run out the clock and they got it when on 4th and 1, McCoy faked up the middle, rolled out and found Tucker for a 10-yard gain.

All that was left was the celebrating as McBride got his obligatory Gatorade dousing and a lift to the shoulders of his players. Then Ute fans, who accounted for nearly half of the small 27,477 crowd at Anaheim Stadium, stormed the field and mobbed the Ute players.

The finish was very similar to the BYU game a month earlier. The Utes trailed by four late in that game when Beck returned a kickoff more than 70 yards to set up a winning pass by McCoy to give the Utes a 3-point victory, after which the fans stormed the field.

Early in the contest, it looked like no one would ever score as the teams traded punts on their first six combined possessions.

Then Arizona broke through with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Dan White to Ontiwaun Carter. The ball appeared to be intercepted by Utah's Edwin Garrette, but as he was coming down with it, Carter swiped it away as he fell into the end zone.

The Utes' first break came early in the second quarter after an Arizona interception at the 1-yard line.

On the first play, White fumbled on a quarterback sneak with Utah's Ernest Boyd recovering at the 5-yard line. Then after a loss, Charlie Brown broke a pair of tackles on his way to a 6-yard touchdown run.

"The linebacker shot the gap and had my leg. But as I broke it I saw the defense flowing the other way and I just cut it back,'' said Brown.

For the game, Brown finished with just 44 yards rushing, which matched the total Carter had on three more attempts.

The Wildcats had come into the game as the No. 2 defensive rushing team in the nation and they showed why as they held Utah to six net yards on the ground.

"They were quick, the best defense we've played by far,'' said Ute tackle Anthony Brown. "But when stuff had to happen, it happened for us.''

Like the dropped Arizona passes, the Beck runback, the McCoy throw and the Dyson catch.

After the game, Beck was presented with the Most Valuable Player trophy, which fulfilled a dream he recently had.

"I had a dream two weeks ago that I was standing on a podium holding a trophy with all my family in front of me,'' said Beck.

After the game, Beck was presented with the Freedom Bowl MVP award, up on a platform as his family and several Ute fans looked on.

For Beck, Ute players, coaches and fans it was a night they'll never forget.

#5: November 19, 1988 - Utah vs. BYU

2007-08-27T07:00:00.016-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? As usual, BYU was favored to win the 1988 Holy War, this time by 11 points. After all, BYU had won 15 of the last 16 meetings.

If you weren't alive when this game was played, or if you had no interest in the teams at the time, you may wonder what's the big deal about this game. It may seem to you that this win, and this era of Utah football in general, is best forgotten. For doesn't harping on about this win necessarily recall the fact that BYU totally owned the Utes from 1972-1992? Isn't that a fact best left ignored in light of Utah's nine Holy War victories in the 14 meetings since?

The sheer satisfaction felt by Ute fans during this game was so immense, it made up for years of previous miserable and disappointing Holy Wars. And 19 years later, this game allows Ute fans to look back at "the Dark Ages" and know that they were not completely devoid of success and great moments.

Not only did Utah upset the highly-favored Cougars (ranked #19 in the Coaches Poll, and only four years removed from their 1984 MNC), but they beat the living crap out of them. Utah was basically scoring at will. Scott Mitchell threw for 384 yards and 3 TDs; Eddie Johnson rushed for 4 more scores.

Utah finished the 1988 season with a winning 6-5 record. Of course, those were the days when a winning record alone couldn't get you into a bowl game like it would today. But that doesn't matter. No bowl game could have been as sweet as the "Rice Bowl." BYU finished 9-4; but despite a rare bowl win, and a stint in the national rankings, the season is still considered by BYU fans to be a mediocre one. And being upset by their rivals has more to do with that sentiment than anything else.

FURTHER VIEWING:

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTAH 57, BYU 28
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By Dick Rosetta
Salt Lake Tribune
November 20, 1988

Yeah, there was another season ending rout at Rice Stadium Saturday afternoon in the storied Utah-BYU football rivalry.

Are you sitting down?

Get this: Utah 57, Brigham Young University 28.

You're incredulous. I just know it.

The goalposts came down, an emotional Jim Fassel nearly broke down as he saluted his club, most notably the seniors, and the game ball went to the school with President Dr. Chase Peterson accepting -- "We had some guys stand by us when the going got tough," Fassel said of the Ute administration as he delivered the ball to his boss.

If you're still wavering over this 29-point Ute win, the most points a Utah team has ever scored against a BYU team, count yourself among the legions of Crimson faithful who have gone into winter hibernation the last nine years, and 15 of the last 16 seasons, to have nightmares about Cougar victories in this sizzling in-state rivalry.

In what Ute followers will surely savor as the sweetest 60 minutes in the school's 95-year football history, Utah put the Cougars to sleep this time.

It was a basic blowout, the genesis of which could be traced to totally uncharacteristic inept Cougar ball-handling -- eight turnovers -- and which reached its fruition through a ravenous Utah offense that scored touchdowns on six of nine possessions in the second and third quarters.

"It doesn't get any better than this," said brilliant Utah sophomore quarterback Scott Mitchell after his 384-yard passing day produced three touchdowns.

Of all the Ute revelers, including senior all-time leading school rusher Eddie Johnson and his record-equaling four touchdowns, Mitchell had as big a right as any to bask in the glory of whipping a school in whose shadows he grew up.

The ex-Springville High flash, who opted for Utah over BYU in a heated recruiting contest in 1985, skirted the revenge avenue and walked down "class avenue" following a game in which he eclipsed four more NCAA records (12 for his career).

"It wasn't a case of 'I'll show you.' But this was BYU, a well-recognized program that everyone knows about. Everyone will see this and know about us now. We believed. Now maybe others will," said Mitchell, who had an even 400 yards total offense versus the Cougs.

Oh, BYU believes.

From the time Mitchell drove the Utes 73 yards for the game's first touchdown with 4:37 left in the first quarter, to the time he orchestrated Utah's final touchdown -- Johnson's 7-yard sweep off the right side -- with 10:09 to play, there was no question who the field general was this day.

In one giant sweep of his marvelous left arm that will almost certainly become the most prolific appendage in NCAA history over the next two seasons, Mitchell made patrons forget, at least for a season, the "quarterback factory" of Utah County.

Utah's defense victimized the "factory" for five interceptions, an incredible feat considering Cougar junior Sean Covey had gone 124 straight attempts without an interception coming into the game. The BYU duo of Covey and freshman Ty Detmer (who played all but one series of the second half), had thrown just 10 interceptions all season.

"Everyone came to play and we just clicked. This was no fluke," boasted the Utes' all-WAC free safety Eric Jacobsen. "This was BYU -- bowl-bound BYU. After nine straight losses to them, this win means everything -- everything to us [players], the coaches, to the school and to the community."

It never seemed like a fluke. It just seemed inexplicable.

Mitchell threw a pass interception on the fourth play of the game. At that point, it made sense. Utah has invariably crawled out of the starting blocks this season.

Immediately following Scott Peterson's interception, the Cougars drove 52 yards. However, on the 10th play of the initial drive, sophomore Matt Bellini missed a handoff from Covey and the fumble was recovered by Ute sophomore Sean Knox at the Utah 27.

Who could have fathomed the bobble would be a precursor of BYU's misery for the day?

Mitchell's 29-yard toss to the right flat to Johnson gained 29 yards, a third down toss to senior split end Aaron Grimm picked up nine and two E.J. runs later, Utah was up 6-0 and kicker Tim Wagstaff made it 7-0.

The floodgates didn't open just yet, but the trickle became a torrent in the second quarter.

With Ute defenders Greg Reynolds, Brent O'Brien, Sammy Tausinga, Joe Clausi and James Thompson causing havoc up front, parlayed with linebackers Garland Harris, Frank Bonifaco, Darren Patterson and Pasa Tukuafu suffocating the Cougar underneath passing game, Utah's offense got the lift it needed.

On the first Ute possession of the second quarter, Mitchell floated a 61-yard pass to Johnson down the right sideline. Following a face mask penalty on BYU, E.J. danced untouched into the end zone for a 2-yard TD.

That was a slap to the proud BYU defense, ranked No. 19 in the country coming in.

The Ute defense whacked the nation's 10th-ranked offense on the other cheek on the very next Cougar possession. On third down, Covey faded to pass and was gobbled up by Thompson charging in from the left side. The ball popped up in the air and into the waiting arms of Tausinga, a 6-foot, 265 pound junior, who sprinted into the end zone for a 17-yard score, the first TD of his college career.

Now it was 21-0. And it was getting ugly.

The Cougars saved some face when Covey's passing and Bellini's running resulted in an 80 yard scoring drive, with Bellini's 2-yard run at 7:35 of the second quarter and Jason Chaffetz' PAT cutting the Ute lead to 21-7.

The turning point of the game occurred 65 seconds later. Utah's Scott Lieber punted to Rodney Rice, who streaked 68 yards for an apparent TD, his first of the season on 25 punt returns. However, the Cougars were called for a clip and four plays later BYU had to punt.

Utah pounced. Mitchell threw over BYU cornerback Eric Bergeson's head and into Carl Harry's hands for a 48-yard completion. Two plays later, Johnson leaped over the BYU defensive wall and Wagstaff's conversion made it 27-7 with 3:20 left in the half.

BYU got a reprieve in the third period when Detmer took over for Covey. Detmer, using a 32-yard scramble of his own, hit tight end Darren Handley with a 22-yard TD pass to cap a 67-yard drive and with 11:00 to play in the third, some Ute partisans were fearing the worst -- another BYU comeback.

Utah was at the ready with some Pepto-Bismol. Mitchell, scrambling out of the pocket to his left and giving the impression he was going to run, shoveled a pass to Smith who spurted 21 yards for a TD with 7:12 left.

Freshman LaVon Edwards then pilfered his fifth pass in the last three games, snagging a sure TD pass from Detmer right out of Tyler Anderson's hands and returning it 40 yards to the BYU 28. Three plays later, Mitchell's 16-yard TD pass made Harry a record breaker as the senior wideout hauled in his 20th career TD, breaking a tie he had forged with Steve Odom.

At 43-14, delirium reigned. Another Mitchell pass, this one 7 yards to Smith, and Johnson's forth touchdown, a 7-yarder, would only be more frosting.

The south goalposts came down. Coach Jim Fassel embraced Mitchell on the sidelines, lifting him completely off the ground, as Mitchell thrust his long left index finger skyward to the student section.

A new era dawned. Utah got its winning season (6-5 overall, 4-4 in the WAC), and dealt BYU its third WAC defeat (8-3 overall), the first time that's happened since 1975.

And Utah will enter 1989 with a four-game winning streak. That hasn't happened since that 1978 team gave Utah its last "miracle" win over BYU.

#7: November 20, 2004 - Utah vs. BYU

2007-08-26T07:00:00.014-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? All that stood between Utah (10-0) and the Fiesta Bowl was BYU (5-5). Perhaps not the most daunting task that year, but it was still a rivalry game, and Coogie fans would have loved nothing more than to spoil Utah's dream season.

And the anticipation wasn't only felt in Utah. Apparently, ESPN also thought it was a pretty interesting game, because they sent their College GameDay crew out to Salt Lake to broadcast the weekly show live from the RES parking lot.

But any hopes for an upset were dashed - if not by halftime, then certainly by the time Bo Nagahi returned a BYU fumble 12 yards for a touchdown, making the score Utah 31, BYU 14. Moments later, Steve Savoy took a pitch from Alex Smith 92 yards to the south endzone, extending Utah's lead to 17, and crushing BYU's spirits once and for all. Finally, a four-yard TD run by Steve Fifita with just over a minute left in the game was the icing on the cake.

45,326 fans were on hand, most of whom ended up on the field after the game to celebrate the victory.

FURTHER READING:
• "We want to go to a bowl game. We're going to prepare better than we did last week and put a hurt on them."

-- BYU WR Austin Collie's famous warning to the Utes.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

BCS BUSTED
----
Utah Puts BYU Away Early In Second Half
----
By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
November 21, 2004

Utah cleared a path to the Bowl Championship Series with a 52-21 victory over BYU at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Saturday's victory gave the Utes their first 11-0 season.

"This is a dream come true for the team. I can't say enough about my teammates. They deserve this," said quarterback Alex Smith. "We are gonna get our shot to go to the BCS and play with the big boys."

Though not official until the final BCS standings are released on Dec. 5, the fifth-ranked Utes are most likely headed to the Fiesta or Sugar bowls in January. They'll be the first team from a non-BCS conference to crash the financially lucrative system that was established in 1998.

"I don't want to be overly dramatic but I think it's an historic day," said athletic director Chris Hill. "For a school like ours to earn our way into the biggest of bowls is absolutely fantastic."

A celebration ensued as hundreds of the 45,326 fans in attendance began pouring onto the field in the closing seconds. Many sported sombreros and tossed tortilla chips into the air (Tostitos is the Fiesta Bowl's chief sponsor) before tearing down the goal posts.

"What a great day for Salt Lake City," marveled Urban Meyer. "What a great day."

A trophy presentation at midfield, complete with defensive lineman Sione Pouha leading a group singing of the school song, enhanced the postgame festivities.

"I do believe that Utah is one of the top six teams in the country," Meyer said after the national broadcast on ESPN2. "We proved a point today on the field against a very good opponent."

BYU (5-6) could have become bowl eligible with a victory. The loss dropped the Cougars to 5-6 and gave them their third consecutive losing season, a first for the program in 40 years.

"I want to give Utah a lot of credit. They are an outstanding football team, so give them credit," said BYU coach Gary Crowton. "They represent the MWC very well and they have had a great season. I think they will represent the conference well, whoever they play, and will be very hard to beat."

Utah racked up 26 first downs and 538 yards of total offense in winning the Holy War for the third straight year. Smith completed 16-of-24 passes for 184 yards to lead an effective offense. Quinton Ganther finished with 122 yards rushing, while Paris Warren had a game-high eight receptions.

BYU quarterback John Beck was 17-of-32 passes for 213 yards and a pair if touchdowns. The Cougars wound up with 294 yards and 19 first downs.

"Alex threw two interceptions, which is very un-Alex like, but we played a very good defensive football team," said Meyer. I think with all three phases—offense, defense and kicking—did a great job. It was a complete football game."

If it weren't for one pivotal minute early in the third quarter, Utah's BCS hopes may have vanished into the cool Autumn air.

Exactly 60 seconds separated two scores by the Utes that turned a slim lead into a comfortable advantage. A 40-yard field goal by David Carroll preceded Bo Nagahi's 12-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown that made the score 31-14.

Middle linebacker Tommy Hackenbruck created the latter by jarring the ball away from BYU receiver Antwaun Harris.

Though the Cougars responded quickly—on a 16-yard scoring strike from John Beck to Austin Collie—they would draw no closer the rest of the way. After an exchange of interceptions, Spencer White for BYU and Eric Weddle for Utah, the Utes scored a pair of touchdowns to take a 24-point lead into the final 10:34.

Savoy opened the outburst with a 92-yard touchdown run down the right sideline. It was the second-longest ground score in Utah history, trailing only a Frank Nelson's 93-yarder against BYU in 1947. The Utes' next possession ended with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Savoy.

With just over a minute to go, defensive lineman and former high school running back Steve Fifita added a four-yard TD run to give the Utes their widest margin of victory over BYU since a 57-28 win in 1988.

Utah led 21-14 at halftime despite losing wide receiver Travis LaTendresse to a shoulder separation, Morgan Scalley to a migraine headache (he returned in the second half) and cornerback Gerald Fletcher to a knee injury. Though the Utes never trailed, Smith's first interception in 113 attempts prevented them from pulling away early in the second quarter.

It came on a fourth-and-7 play from the BYU 23 when Utah held a 14-7 lead. Nathan Soelberg picked it off for the Cougars and returned it 60 yards before being brought down by Smith. Two plays later, Curtis Brown rambled six yards for the tying touchdown.

The Utes, however, managed to regain the lead before the intermission thanks to a 12-play, 79-yard drive. The series featured a successful fake punt that Bo Nagahi kept alive with a 23-yard gain. Smith capped the sequence with a 2-yard touchdown run with just 1:19 remaining.

Utah's earlier scores came on short runs by Savoy and Marty Johnson. Between touchdowns, BYU ended a three-year touchdown drought against the Utes when John Beck teamed with Todd Watkins on a five-yard pass.

#8: 1964 Liberty Bowl - Utah vs. West Virginia

2007-08-25T07:00:00.034-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? By 1964, Utah fans had been waiting a long time to make some noise on the national scene. The 1957 team nearly reached greatness, but couldn't keep it up into subsequent seasons. Utah hadn't played in a major bowl game since the 1938 season, even though they regularly competed for conference titles and even won their fair share of them.

Then in 1964, Utah suddenly found themselves with a #14 ranking and a share of the WAC title. The team featured All-American Roy Jefferson, who played defensive back, wide receiver, and kicker. It also included Ron Coleman (6.0 yards per rush avg. in '64, 154 rushing yards against WV), C.D. Lowery (whose six interceptions in 1964 remain a Utah school record), Allen Jacobs (Utah's leading rusher), future NFL and Utah assistant John Pease, and Mel Carpenter. The quarterback position was split between Richard Groth and future Boise State HC "Pokey" Allen.

That year, the Liberty Bowl was just one of eight major bowl games, and Utah was fortunate to get the invite instead of Villanova. Because of the cold weather conditions, bowl organizers decided to move the game from Municipal Stadium in Philadelphia to the Atlantic City Convention Center, making it the first-ever indoor college football game. ABC agreed to broadcast the game nationally, and brought their main play-by-play crew along.

The Utes (8-2) faced West Virginia, champions of the Southern Conference and favorites to win the Liberty Bowl. WV's 7-3 regular season record included a 28-27 upset over #9 Syracuse in the last game of the season. The Mountaineers were led by QB Allen McCune, who had a passer rating of 138.40 in 1964. West Virginia also featured RB Richard Leftridge who was the #3 overall pick in the 1966 NFL Draft (though he only played four games for the Pittsburgh Steelers). Leftridge led the team in rushing that year, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

But what makes the 1964 Utah team, and this particular game, great is the way the Utes performed under the national spotlight. They completely dominated West Virginia from the start with their speed and fundamentals, and didn't let up until the final whistle. In the end, Utah had racked up 466 yards in total offense en route to a 32-6 win.

FURTHER READING:
• Recap with Pictures

• Antonik, John. "Unique Game." MSNsportsNET.com (June 22, 2005).

• Members of the 1964 team were honored during halftime of the 2004 Air Force game:

• Sports Illustrated Preview (Bowl Exposure Is Growing Longer, 21 Dec. 1964):

Dec. 19 - Atlantic City - 12:30 P.M. (E.S.T.) NBC
West Virginia, which came on with a rush to win its last four games, unfortunately yields too many points -- 179 in ten games. And lacking good runners, the Mountaineers depend heavily upon Allen McCune's passing. This will hurt against Utah, which is exceptionally good on pass defense. And the Utes like to run which will hurt the weak West Virginia defense, too. UTAH

• "I remember their guys looked like playboys, dressed up in their fancy clothes . . . They got there first and were making fun of us as we walked by."

-- Utah fullback Allen Jacobs,
on initial meeting with West Virginia players.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

REDSKINS ROUT MOUNTAINEERS IN LIBERTY BOWL
----
By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
December 20, 1964

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- For the first time in television history, the Indians won the battle here Saturday afternoon.

Sixth Game
The Utah Indians, playing in the sixth annual Liberty Bowl classic, which offered studio TV of football for the first time in intercollegiate history, completely bushwhacked the Mountaineers of West Virginia, 32-6.

So complete was the triumph of the Utes from the University of Utah that even had the U.S. Cavalry appeared in the last scene, as usual in the TV script, the history of this game couldn't have been changed.

Small Crowd
Only 6,050 fans sat in the 60-degree temperature of the huge indoor hall where the Democrats launched their devastating attack last summer en route to a sweep in the political field.

But millions more saw the game on coast-to-coast TV. And they may have realized LBJ would have faced tough competition had he brought his bandwagon around a few months later.

Redskins Lead
The Utes led all the way, 3-0 at the quarter, 19-0 at the half, 25-0 at the third period and held that lead until West Virginia scored later in the third period.

Atlantic City and the weather-plagued Liberty Bowl found a way to overcome the climate problems of the Eastern Seaboard, but not the weather of the Intermountain country.

So it was the reverberating thunder of the charging Allen Jacobs.

Or the lightning-like gyrations of Ron Coleman and Andy Ireland.

Passing Game
And, for a variety, since mountain weather is changeable, the Utes unlimbered the passing artistry of Pokey Allen or Richard Groth.

And behind all this pyrotechnical display was the craglike Utah defense that smothered the Mountaineers until it was too late.

West Virginia came boasting of its "mountain dew," but Utah cured them, although it left a hang-over, with the Western version of "mountain don't."

Foiled Rivals
The Utes just didn't let the Mountaineers play their game, and you know you can't beat the other fellow at his game.

Utah got the jump and didn't let the Mountaineers gain any momentum until it was way, way too late.

Utah scored on 32 and 35-yard field goals by Roy Jefferson, an 11-yard run by Allen, a 53-yard run by Coleman and a 47-yard sprint by Ireland, a 33-yard pass from Groth to Bill Morley.

Lone Score
West Virginia's lone score came on a six-yard pass from Allen McCune to Milt Clegg in the fourth quarter.

The Utes and Mountaineers, who each share in 75 per cent of the total receipts, will receive approximately $60,000 each from the live and TV crowds.

A brilliant defensive rush by Tom Hawkes and the following short West Virginia punt gave the Utes their first scoring break.

Field Goal
But Utah, after two illegal motion and one delay of game penalty, finally kicked the field goal with Jefferson doing the honors.

That 3-0 lead stood at the end of the first quarter, as W. Virginia was able to get to Utah's 45-yard line only twice on offense.

Utah lost the ball on the one-yard line to stop a drive in the first minute of the second period, but Allen engineered a drive to score a touchdown a few minutes later.

Draws Penalty
After some extra-curricular scrapping in the mid-field area, West Virginia drew a pass interference penalty. Coleman bobbed for 12 and Allen ran the last 11 yards on the keeper.

Jefferson kicked Utah into a 10-0 lead and the game was over.

Second Period
But Jefferson added a 35-yard field goal midway in the second period and Coleman, aping the playing that developed so fast BYU forgot him on its all-opponent team, cracked into the line, wiggled and squirmed until he saw running room, and then galloped 53 yards for the score.

Utah missed the two-point try and the score was 19-0 at the half.

Utah's defense shared the TV spotlight in the third quarter when the Mountaineers lost the ball on downs after getting a first down on the Utah eight.

Ireland Rolls
The Utes came back with the offense demanding equal TV time to get a score, with Ireland blasting 47 yards for the score to cap a 98-yard drive.

The two-point try again failed by Utah sat fat on a 25-0 lead and even West Virginia was willing to concede.

A roughness penalty set up West Virginia's score, with Allen McCune finally hitting Clegg for the score from six yards out.

Three Periods
West Virginia also displayed a weakness on the try for the two-point pass and that was it, 25-6 after three quarters.

Hawkes intercepted a McCune pass to launch the final drive for the score with Groth passing to Morley, who made a classic grab and scampered home free.

West Virginia gained only 105 net yards from scrimmage, and Coleman contributed 154 yards for the Utes in winning the award as the outstanding back on the field.

Utah Gains
Jacobs netted 57 and Ireland 74 for the big Utah gains. The Redskins had a whopping 323 net yards from rushing.

McCune finally wound up with 123 passing yards (13 of 28) but he had only two for nine in the first half when the game was up for grabs.

Allen had five for 11 completed and 72 yards and Groth hit six of 12 for 71 yards.

Utah's excellent secondary also came up with four interceptions to offset the three Utah fumbles lost.

#13: September 2, 2004 - Utah vs. Texas A&M

2007-08-24T07:00:00.008-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? The opening kickoff went into the endzone for a touchback. Utah's first play from the 20 was called back for a tripping penalty. First-and-20 from the 10: Alex Smith ran the ball for no gain. Second-and-20 from the 10: Smith passed to Travis LaTendresse for a gain of 12. Third-and-eight from the 22: Smith completes a ten-yard pass to Steve Savoy, who heads to the right sideline and goes all the way to the house for a 78-yard TD reception. The 2004 season had begun . . .

The buildup to this game was huge. All summer long, we'd been hearing about how good the 2004 team was going to be. The Utes were chosen early on by the national media to be the best candidate to bust the BCS. Utah players were given pre-season accolades, and numerous games were selected to be shown on national television. But all this excitement was tempered by the fact that the Utes had to open up against traditional power Texas A&M.

But Texas A&M couldn't beat the Utes that day. They couldn't even keep it close. Utah scored early and often. By halftime, the game was over, and the worry and anxiety Ute fans had felt all summer had suddenly vanished. But the momentum that began with this game continued all season long - picking up speed each week, until the Utes had thoroughly beat up the Big East Champion in front of 73,519 spectators on New Years Day.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

GREAT START FOR U.
----
Smith Leads Utes To Huge Victory Over Texas A&M
----
By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
September 3, 2004

So far, so good for the 19th-ranked Utes.

Alex Smith threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two more scores as Utah opened the season with a 41-21 victory over Texas A&M at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The game was played before a capacity crowd of 45,419 and a national television audience on ESPN.

"We just beat Texas A&M and that doesn't happen often at a school like Utah. A Mountain West team isn't supposed to beat a top-shelf Big 12 team," said Utah coach Urban Meyer. "So I'm very proud of our effort."

Running back Marty Johnson ran for a team-high 77 yards in his first game in nearly two years. He was pleased with how the Utes performed on both sides of the ball.

"On defense, if we can keep doing this we'll be tough to beat," he said. "And it's great to play with a quarterback like Alex. They can't really key on the run. They have to respect both games."

Smith set the pace offensively by completing 21-of-29 passes. Paris Warren led the Utes with seven catches.

"We played a good team on the road tonight," said Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione. "Alex Smith had a great game, and if he continues to play as well as he did tonight, Utah will be tough to beat."

Meyer's concern about weathering a first-half storm proved to be unfounded. Unlike last season's 28-26 loss in College Station, when Texas A&M jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead, the Utes came out strong both offensively and defensively.

They held a 27-7 advantage at the break despite losing four contributors to injury — two, however, returned in the second half.

"I thought this would be the hardest 10 minutes we had ever gone through together," said Meyer.

Utah scored on its third play from scrimmage when quarterback Alex Smith teamed with wide receiver Steve Savoy on a 78-yard touchdown pass. The longest scoring play in the Meyer era capped a game-opening drive that took just 1:13 off the clock.

Early in the second quarter, after Utah's defense extended its streak to 11 shutout quarters over four games dating back to last November, the Utes doubled their lead.

One play after a 24-yard run by Smith, Savoy ran nine yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.

It stayed that way for more than 7 1/2 minutes. That's when Utah reached the end zone for the third time. A sustained drive that covered 65 yards on seven plays, including a 45-yard pass to Travis LaTendresse, was concluded by a 7-yard TD run by Smith.

After forcing Texas A&M to punt for the sixth consecutive series, the Utes marched downfield again. A 38-yard touchdown pass from Smith to John Madsen increased the lead to 27-0 (kicker Bryan Borreson's PAT attempt hit the left goal post and missed) with 3:52 to play in the half.

The Aggies responded this time around and became the first team since Wyoming last November to score on Utah's defense. The shutout streak lasted 292 days and spanned games against the Cowboys, BYU and Southern Mississippi. It came to an end with 3:02 remaining in the second quarter when Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal scrambled 59 yards for a touchdown on a third-and 4 situation.

The play increased the Aggies' total offense to 140 yards. They managed just 81 over their first 28 plays — much of which came against a depleted Utah defense. Safeties Eric Weddle and Kawika Casco, as well as nose guard Steve Fifita, left the game with knee injuries early in the game.

Weddle (MCL tear in his left leg) and Casco (blown right knee) wound up watching the rest of the game in crutches. Fifita, however, returned to play in the third quarter—as did Savoy, who had an X-ray taken of his ribs just before halftime.

Despite the lopsided score, Meyer said the Utes had some major issues to overcome.

Utah regained its momentum following the intermission when Smith finished a six-play drive with a 37-yard touchdown run.

The defense also got rejuvenated.

Linebackers Corey Dodds and Tommy Hackenbruck stopped Texas A&M running back Courtney Lewis at the goal line on fourth down just before the third quarter came to a close.

And though Utah's new shutout streak proved to be shortlived — the Aggies scored on short runs by McNeal and Jason Carter down the stretch — it failed to tarnish a stellar effort.

"We deserved this one. We worked so hard," said Scalley. "People go down and people step up. This game says a lot about our character."

Between the A&M scores, Smith teamed with Jerome Wright on a 13-yard touchdown pass to keep the game well out of reach.

"I'm glad we're done with them," Meyer said of the two-year series with the Aggies. "I don't want to see A&M again for a long time because I know what they're going to look like in the next year or two."

The Utes will take today off before begin preparations for next week's game at Arizona.

#14: October 3, 2003 - Utah vs. Oregon

2007-08-23T07:00:00.009-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? At this point in the 2003 season, the Utes already had a near-win in College Station, TX, a victory over a Pac-10 foe on national TV, and a last-minute win on the road against a strong MWC title contender. The next item of business was another different kind of test: a ranked team; one that won at Michigan two weeks earlier.

Even though Oregon followed up their upset over #3 Michigan with a home loss against Washington State, they entered Salt Lake 4-1 and ranked #19 (Coaches Poll) in the nation. ESPN2 was present to broadcast the Friday night game.

But the Utes did not shrivel under the heat of the national spotlight. They made the Ducks earn every point they got. A long scoring strike from Alex Smith to Steve Savoy made the score 13-10 in favor of Oregon with 9:15 left in the first half and began what would be a tough defensive battle for the final 39 minutes featuring big plays by the usual playmakers such as Dave Revill (five tackles) and Morgan Scalley (interception), and by newcomers such as Marquess Ledbetter (three sacks) and Eric Weddle (sack-fumble recovery in the clutch).

Before the season started, I decided to fly out to Utah from Cincinnati to see one Utah game. Oregon seemed to be the biggest game on the home schedule, but I had no idea at the time that the game would turn out to be as big as it was. Absolution, who sat with me through the painful 2002 season, hooked me up with the ticket. Being at RES for the first time since the UNLV '02 game, the difference in atmosphere and energy was as obvious as night and day.

After this loss, Oregon was dropped from the national polls, but finished the season with a respectable 8-5 record and a Sun Bowl appearance. Curiously though, Utah did not receive a ranking following this game and wouldn't appear in the polls until they beat UNLV two weeks later.

2007 RANKING: #7. This was one of six games from 2003 featured on the countdown. That season had a mixture of both close finishes (CSU, AFA, BYU), and great performances in the national spotlight (Cal and Southern Miss). But this game had the best of both worlds. It was the greatest game in one of Utah's greatest seasons ever.

FURTHER VIEWING:

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

PRESSED DUCKS
----
Utes Rally, Then Hang On For A Huge Win
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
October 4, 2003

Utah coach Urban Meyer got what he asked for against 19th-ranked Oregon.

His pleas for a packed house and more playmakers were answered Friday night as the Utes defeated the Ducks 17-13.

"This was a great win for Utah football," Meyer said. "I've coached for 19 years and I've never been more proud of a group of guys and I really mean that."

With a national television audience watching on ESPN2 and the sixth-largest crowd in Rice-Eccles Stadium history (44,676) packed into the stands, the program picked up its first victory over a ranked team in nearly four years. At 4-1 overall, the Utes will likely end up in the top 25 themselves.

"Hopefully this will get us into the ranking this week," freshman Steve Savoy said. "This is a big win."

An 8-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith to tight end Ben Moa gave Utah its first and only lead with 13:07 remaining. It capped a spirited rally that featured timely performances on both sides of the ball.

Smith had a career performance by completing 25-of-38 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Savoy also had his best game as a Ute.

He caught six passes for 176 yards and a score on a night when Utah racked up 466 yards of total offense.

Facing a rushing defense that ranked sixth in the nation and allowed just 59.2 yards per game, tailback Brandon Warfield managed 74 on 22 carries. It complemented a passing attack that as Meyer promised would be less conservative. Former Oregon receiver Paris Warren, who transferred to Utah two years ago, had 10 catches for 54 yards against his old team. He also had 32 yards rushing.

Strong efforts also came on defense. Freshman Eric Weddle, in just his second career start at cornerback, recovered a fumble after hitting Oregon quarterback Jason Fife near midfield with less than five minutes remaining. It ended the last serious threat the Ducks had.

"Ever since the second half of the Texas A&M game these guys have been terrific," Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham said. "They are just a resilient, gutsy group. They just keep getting better and better each week."

Freshman Shaun Harper also made a big play down the stretch when he batted a fourth-down pass down with 2:21 to go. Other defenders of note include Josh Savage, who broke up three passes, and Marquess Ledbetter, who was credited with three sacks.

After Utah was stopped at the goal line in the closing minutes, Spencer Toone made a tackle on the Oregon 34 to end the game.

"I give credit to Utah's defense," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. "They did a very good job tonight."

The Ducks jumped out to a 13-3 lead early in the second quarter by bridging two scoring drives with a fumble recovery. Utah's only miscue in the half followed an Oregon touchdown and preceded a 40-yard field goal by Jared Siegel.

The go-ahead score, on a drive that included a fake punt that produced a pass completion for a first down near midfield, came on a 2-yard keeper by Kellen Clemens. He dove into the end zone for a touchdown just ahead of pursuing Utah linebacker Ray Holdcraft.

On the ensuing possession, the Utes turned the ball over when Travis LaTendresse was hit by cornerback Steven Moore. Massive defensive end Igor Olshansky, who is 6-foot-6 and weighs 309 pounds, secured the loose ball on the Utah 30. Four plays later, SIegel's kick gave Oregon the game's biggest lead with 11:13 remaining in the half.

Meyer's vow to be less conservative with his spread offense first came to fruition in Utah's comeback bid. A 69-yard touchdown pass — the longest for the Utes in nearly a year — closed the gap less than two minutes later. Smith teamed with Savoy on the scoring strike that made it 13-10.

Kicker Bryan Borreson converted the PAT, but failed to connect on a pair of chip shots that could have tied the game and eventually put the Utes ahead before the intermission. A 24-yard attempt caromed off the left upright, while a 25-yard kick was wide right.

The misses, the first of which negated a 25-yard interception return by Morgan Scalley, allowed Oregon to hold a 13-10 lead at halftime.

After opening the game with an exchange of punts, the teams swapped sustained drives and field goals.

Oregon struck first by moving 55 yards on 10 plays. Siegel capped the drive with a 42-yard field goal. Trailing 3-0, Utah pulled even in the final two minutes of the first quarter when Borreson connected on a 28-yard kick. It concluded a 14-play, 69-yard series that took 5:46 off the clock.

Though opportunities later materialized, the score was never tied again.

With its last non-conference game in the books, Utah enters a season-ending stretch of six league games in seven weeks. Things get started next Saturday when San Diego State comes to town for homecoming. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.

The Utes have won four straight Mountain West Conference games dating back to last season. On Sept. 27, they prevailed at Colorado State 28-21.

#9: November 27, 1930 - Utah vs. Utah A.C.

2007-08-22T07:00:00.010-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? The 1930 season started out on a sour note. Preston Sumerhays, the tailback that was supposed to fill in for the great Earl "Powerhouse" Pomeroy (who graduated after 1929), went down with an injury in the first game against Nevada. So Ike Armstrong had to turn to sophomore Frank Christensen to fill the role.

And fill it he did. Christensen and the rest of Utah's offense were absolutely phenomenal that season -- for the next seven games, the Redskins averaged over 500 yards total offense. Whenever defenses attempted to focus on stopping Christensen, Utah turned to their deep threat, receiver George Watkins, or would run a misdirection to wingback Theron Davis. Still, Christensen managed to run for over 100 yards in each of those seven games.

In one game against Colorado, the "Frontiersmen" (as the Buffaloes were then known) tried the opposite approach: shut down QB Ray Forsberg and the Utah deep threat. In one sense this strategy worked, and Utah was held to only three completions for 40 yards. But in another sense, this strategy was an utter failure, as Christensen was left to run wild, finishing the game with 201 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

In the meantime, a simple glance at the season's scores will show you how strong Utah's defense was that year, led by Marvin Jonas. In the eight games that season, Utah only allowed their opponents 20 points total, and shut them out five times.

Which brings us to this game against the Utah Agricultural College (aka Utah State). This game epitomizes the 1930 season to a T. Even with the Rocky Mountain Conference title already clinched, the Redskins came out in full force and put on a show for the 10,000 fans that braved the cold and fierce wind that day. Utah totally shut down their rivals to the north. It was entirely fitting that Utah complete this amazing feat at home against their rival.

2007 RANKING: #8. This win capped off Utah's second-straight undefeated season, and a winning streak totaling 16 games. Plans were made for Utah to play in a post-season game against St. Mary's (a team known for their exceptional defense), but they didn't materialize. Apparently, Utah even made an open offer to play any team in the nation in a charity game, but no one accepted.

We will never know how good the 1930 Utah team was. Certainly they would have ranked in the Top-20 nationally -- one college football website speculates that they would have been #17. Notice that Utah was one of just three teams with perfect records that year. Notre Dame and Alabama were the other two.

FURTHER READING:
• Purcell, Mark. "1930 Utah: How Good Were They?" College Football Historical Society Newsletter May 1993, pg. 16.

• Personal Note: I recently had a talk with my Grandma, who informed me that her father (my great-grandfather) was a true Utah Man, through and through. In 1918, he moved his family from Salt Lake to Logan where, according to my Grandma, he was the only Utah fan in town. Each year, Utah and Utah State (then called the Utah Agricultural College) would play each other at the end of November. Whenever the Aggies would win, my great-grandfather would stay indoors and avoid all his friends, expecting them to give him grief about the loss.

But when Utah would win, he would dress up from head to toe in red and walk up and down Main Street in Logan all day, hoping to run into his pro-Aggie friends and neighbors. I like to think that's how he spent the evening of Nov. 27, 1930.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTE GRIDMEN WIN HISTORIC BATTLE, 41-0
----
Second Half Comeback of Aggies Astonishes Crowd
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Salt Lake Tribune
November 28, 1930

The curtain rang down on the Rocky Mountain conference football season Thursday afternoon when Utah university triumphed over its traditional rival, Utah Aggies, 41 to 0, on a frozen, slippery gridiron in almost frigid temperatures.

Although the outcome of the contest was never in doubt, 8000 persons shivered through the Thanksgiving day classic, marveling at the spirited second half comeback of the light Blue and White eleven from the north. Trampled and crushed under an avalanche of touchdowns in the second period, Coach Dick Romney's men arose fearless in the third period; gamely fought off the Indian reserves -- held the powerful Utes for four downs on the one-foot line and bitterly contested every thrust and pass that Armstrong regulars uncorked in the final quarter. It was a courageous, thrilling last-ditch stand, which added color to the annual classic; gladdened the hearts of Aggie supporters, who feared a much larger score, and won a lion's share of praise for the Logan warriors, who fought gallantly against tremendous odds to the final whistle.

Stubborn Line Surges In to Halt Drives.
Three times a stubborn, fighting Blue line, backed by Co-Captains Dan Gillespie and Clive Remund, surged in and halted the powerful Utah off-tackle drives inside the 15-yard line, a feat that has not been accomplished since early season.

The Armstrong machine opened the game with its usual slashing drives, marched once to the 10-yard line, lost the ball on downs; came back with another drive to the 14-yard line and finally, near the end of the quarter, Frank Christensen plowed over center for a touchdown and Captain Ray Price added the extra point. The chance for a score came after Theron Davis raced to the Aggie 26-yard line on the return of a punt and Captain Price and "Big Chris" had lanced the Blue line in successive thrusts.

Utes Begin Scoring Rampage in Second.
The Utes went on a scoring rampage in the second quarter, and for a spell it appeared as if the score might range in the seventies. "Tiny" Forsberg replaced Tedesco, and on the first play around end, Davis raced behind perfect interference for 25 yards. Forsberg passed to Christensen to bring the ball to the 15-yard line and in two thrusts Christensen again crossed the goal line. True to form, Captain Price booted a placement over for the extra point.

The famous combination, Forsberg to Watkins, brought the third touchdown. The crowd had barely settled down after the second score when Forsberg whipped the oval to "Watty" and the three-time all-conference end raced 25 yards over the goal line. Captain Price again sent the ball spinning between the uprights for the extra point.

Aerial Maneuver Again Leads to Score.
Another aerial maneuver, Forsberg to Watkins, paved the way for the fourth score. After Christensen and Davis had punctured the Aggie forward wall for a first down in their own territory, Forsberg shot the ball to Watkins and the big end was not downed until he reached the Aggie 19-yard line. Completely outguessing the Farmers on the next play, Davis slipped a lateral pass to Forsberg and the little fellow took the ball to the eight-yard line. Captain Price smashed over center for the touchdown and astounded the crowd by again kicking goal.

In the last minute of the second quarter, Davis received Aland Forgeon's punt on the Aggie 36-yard line, swerved to the east side line and dashed over the goal line without being touched. It was the most beautiful run of the day and was only excelled by his own 95-yard run for touchdown against Colorado College. Captain Price had been replaced in the lineup and Forsberg's drop-kick was blocked.

Third Period Turns Into Punting Duel.
The third period developed into a punting duel, with Forsberg keeping the advantage, but it was not until the waning minutes of the quarter that Utah threatened to score. Tedesco slipped off left end and carried the ball to the two-foot line, but try as they could the Utes could not push it over in four downs. Dan Beckstead tried three times to lance the line and on the fourth down Forsberg passed, but Remund knocked the ball down over the goal line.

Coach Armstrong sent his regulars, including Pres Summerhays, into the fray in the final quarter, but even with the added strength the Utes were able to make only one touchdown. Summerhays flipped two perfect passes, one to Watkins and one to Utter, but both were just ticked enough by Aggie defensive backs to deflect them from their course.

The quarter was only five minutes old when "Big Chris" baffled the Aggies by passing to Captain Price, and the Ute leader carried the ball to the 26-yard line. Davis raced around right end to the 13-yard line and the Davis-Forsberg lateral pass combination, with the latter on the receiving end, took the ball to the four-yard line. Christensen added two yards through center and Davis, on a crisscross, scored the touchdown around right end. Captain Price kicked a placement for the extra point, giving him a perfect day for points after touchdowns.

From then until the final whistle, Utah tried valiantly to score by the aerial route, but alert Aggie backs battered down every attempt. Once Remund intercepted the ball and was headed in a clear field for a touchdown, but he was brought down by Davis.

The game was played throughout in Aggie territory, and only twice in the sixty minutes did the eleven from the north cross the fifty-yard mark. Once the Blue and White offensive reached the 48-yard mark and then again in the final minutes rushed to the Utah 43-yard line.

The slippery condition of the field hampered both elevens and cheated Davis out of another 95-yard run for a touchdown. On the opening kickoff, the elusive Ute back caught the ball on his own five-yard line, came out of a huddle on the 30-yard line and was headed for a touchdown in a clear field on the 50-yard mark, when he lost his footing and was caught by an Aggie tackler.

The champions maintained their statistical superiority over their rivals in almost every department of the game. They amassed a total yardage of 472, of which 306 were by rushing, against the Aggies' 114, including 96 from scrimmage. First down honors went to Utah with 20 to the opponents' five, two of which were made by passes and one by a penalty. Utah completed nine passes out of 36 attempts to the Aggies two out of nine. In punting, Forsberg far outclassed Forgeon, averaging 42 yards on his punts to opponent's 33. On returning punts, Utah frequently resorted to a lateral pass and gained 212 yards to the Aggies' 122.

Forwards Demonstrate Their Superiority.
The powerful Utah forwards again demonstrated their superiority over the smaller Blue line. Marvin Jonas slashed from right to left, stopping Aggie thrusts and oftentime went back to cover the flat territory and knock down passes. Jack Johnson, Walling and Ike Howard knifed through repeatedly at tackles and Hap Lybbert wound up his college football career by running beautiful interference. In the Aggie line, Wilkins, I. Smith and Nelson displayed the best brand of ball, Wilkins sticking to his post, despite the battering that he took from his heavier opponents.

In the backfield, "Big Chris," Captain Price and Theron Davis were again the outstanding trio, each playing in such perfect unison that it would be difficult to choose an outstanding man among them. For the Aggies, Co-Captains Dan Gillespie and Clive Remund played bang-up defensive football and Odell Thompson and Del Young starred on the offensive.

Undoubtedly the outstanding feature of the contest was Captain Price's kicking after touchdown. He negotiated five times out of five, which runs his average up to 9 out of 10 in the last two contests.

The contest was hard-fought and bitter, but it was clean throughout, the penalties being evenly distributed.

#11: November 19, 1994 - Utah vs. BYU

2007-08-21T07:00:00.008-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? You couldn't have scripted it any better than this. The Utes beat the Cougars in one of the most evenly-matched and exciting Holy War games ever. And to do so with such poetic fashion: 34-31 for the second year in a row!

This game had it all. Two nationally ranked teams. Bitter rivals. Conference and bowl implications. An outcome that came down to the final drive.

Going into the game, Utah was 8-2 and ranked #20 in the Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, BYU was 9-2, ranked #15, and anxious for revenge after losing to the Utes the previous season. And they nearly got it.

Those who saw this game would agree that it was a great one to watch, regardless of who the eventual winner was. With just over two minutes left, BYU took a four-point lead. Avid Ute fans can recite from memory what happened next: Cal Beck returned the kickoff to the BYU 32; Mike McCoy to Charlie Brown for the winning touchdown; Dan Pulsipher's kick is good; BYU drives back into Utah territory with just seconds left; Bronzell Miller sacks John Walsh, causing him to fumble the ball; Luther Ellis recovers the fumble; Utes win . . . 34-31!

This game was even more important considering how Utah nearly threw away a legendary season during the previous two weeks. Having to save the season against a ranked rival was a tall order indeed. Then the Utes managed to capitalize on the victory by winning an exciting bowl game. Doing so only adds to the greatness of this win.

2007 RANKING: #9. This and the 1993 game usually get grouped together for obvious reasons. But if compared to each other, this game has the edge due to both team's successful seasons and national rankings. And Utah's uncanny ability to win by the identical score.

Even though this game did not have quite the national draw and media attention of the CSU '94 game, I rank this game higher because it was a rivalry game and the local excitement was immense. Plus, this was a game that Utah had to win in order to salvage their season. Because they pulled it off and continued the momentum into the post-season, I have to place this higher than the CSU game played just weeks earlier. This game also ranks higher than ASU '73 because that game was followed by numerous poor seasons, while this BYU game, and the 1994 season in general, led to a string of winning seasons and a winning mentality.

Because both teams were so good in 1994, and because the game had such an exciting finish, a purely objective analysis must conclude that this was the greatest game in Holy War history. However, from a biased pro-Utah standpoint, there are two other Ute victories over BYU that were even more satisfying. Stay tuned to the countdown.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

IT'S U. 34, BYU 31 AGAIN
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By Mike Sorensen
Deseret News
November 20, 1994

Even though BYU had just gone up by four points with a little over two minutes left, the Rice Stadium crowd could see the intriguing possibility. Some fans started to chant - "Thirty-four, thirty-one; thirty-four, thirty-one.''

That score made so famous by those recent bank commercials was just a touchdown away from reality for the Utes, who were trying to salvage a season that had turned sour the two previous weekends. First freshman Cal Beck, the fastest player on the Ute team, broke loose up the sidelines for a 67-yard kickoff return. Then Mike McCoy found Charlie Brown for a 20-yard touchdown pass with 56 seconds left and Dan Pulsipher added the extra point. It was all over when Bronzell Miller forced a fumble by John Walsh after the Cougars had driven dangerously into Ute territory.

Final score: 34-31, Utah . . . again.

Just like a year ago at Provo, the Utes pulled out a last-minute 34-31 victory over their longtime rivals. And if you thought last year's game was special, this one was even better. The 34,139 fans witnessed a classic, one of the greatest Utah-BYU games ever, regardless of who ended up on top.

Saturday's game not only featured a possible Holiday Bowl berth, it also marked the first time the two rivals had played as ranked, Top 20 teams. The contest showcased six lead changes, including four in the final quarter. It featured two of the finest quaterbacks in college football trading touchdown passes, as McCoy and Walsh each fired up four on the day.

"I'll tell you, it doesn't get any better then this,'' said Ute coach Ron McBride, who was mobbed by fans and supporters after the game. "I don't think anyone in the state of Utah could want a better game than that.

"What a game by this football team,'' continued McBride. "That's the way we played when we were winning and we forgot about it for a couple of weeks. Today we found a way to win.''

With the victory, the Utes appear headed to the Copper Bowl Dec. 29 in Tucson for the second time in three years, although the Freedom Bowl is a possibility. The win gives Utah a 9-2 record, tying it with the 1964 team for most victories. They are also expected to move up in the rankings, perhaps into the top 15 when the polls are announced Sunday morning.

A Ute victory didn't look likely when BYU's Walsh fired a 27-yard touchdown pass to Mike Johnston with 2:15 left in the game. But on the ensuing kickoff, Utah's Beck took the ball at the one and headed up the middle. He broke free near the 25, but ran into his own teammate Devo Fineanganofo, slowing him briefly. Still he found an opening up the west sideline right in front of the BYU bench. Near midfield, Beck lost his balance and staggered a few more yards to the BYU 32 where he was run out of bounds.

"I didn't even realize how far I had gone until my teammates came up and started jumping on me,'' said Beck, who also didn't remember bumping into his teammate early in the run.

On the Utes' first play they ran Brown up the middle as they had done on eight of their previous 12 possessions. The following play was another Brown run up the middle for no yards.

On the next play, McCoy was looking to pass downfield. With everyone covered, he looked to his left and found Brown all alone. "I saw they were in extra coverage so I dumped the ball off to Charlie,'' said McCoy.

Brown caught the ball in the flat at the 22 and turned up the sidelines. He had clear sailing until the 3-yard line when Jack Damuni hit him, but Brown dove across the line just inside the flag.

For Brown, the touchdown was redemption for a couple of costly mistakes earlier. His fumble in the second quarter set up BYU's first touchdown and later he dropped a pass after beating his defender.

"I had to make it up after I let my teammates down,'' said Brown, who finished with 107 yards rushing.

After that it was up to the Utah defense, which had performed so well earlier in the season before giving up considerable yards in consecutive losses to New Mexico and Air Force.

A third-down pass from Walsh to Hema Heimuli picked up 34 yards down to the Ute 34 with just 17 seconds left. Another few yards would put the Cougars in good field goal range. A tie seemed sensible because it would give them the Holiday Bowl should Colorado State lose later.

"We were still trying to decide whether or not to try the field goal or go for the win,' said LaVell Edwards.

The decision went for naught on the next play when Miller bowled over James Johnson and hit Walsh from behind. Jeff Kaufusi and Luther Ellis pressured Walsh from the other side and when Miller knocked the ball loose, Ellis pounced on it.

"I pushed (Evan) Pilgrim all the way back and Walsh stepped back a little bit. Then Bronzell came in and cleaned up. The ball fell right in my hands,'' said Ellis.

After the Utes wasted the final 10 seconds, bedlam reigned on the field as fans and players together took down the south goal posts, the same scene the Utes witnessed the previous two weeks at Albuquerque and Colorado Springs.

The Utes had jumped out to a 10-0 lead as Pulsipher hit from 20 yards out and McCoy found Curtis Marsh on a 57-yard TD pass.

The field goal came after Harold Lusk intercepted a pass and returned it to the BYU 30. On their next possession, the Utes took six plays as McCoy found Marsh on a simple slant that Marsh turned into a touchdown by outrunning the BYU defenders and diving to the flag.

The early lead was not a good omen to Ute fans, who had seen their team blow leads of 18 and 17 points in their two previous outings.

Sure enough, BYU came back with 17 straight points in a four-and-a-half-minute stretch in the second quarter. David Lauder booted a 30-yard field goal, Walsh hit Chad Lewis with a 4-yard TD pass and Bryce Doman hauled in a 31-yard pass from Walsh.

The Ute offense didn't make a first down during that stretch, but the Utes regrouped and re-took the lead on a 28-yard Pulsipher field goal and a 15-yard pass from McCoy to Deron Claiborne with just 29 seconds left.

BYU went up 24-20 early in the third quarter on an 8-yard pass from Walsh to Tim Nowatzke. The Utes had a miserable offensive third quarter just as they had the previous two weeks.

A great punt by Jason Jones left the Cougars at the 2-yard line, setting up the Utes' next score when Marsh returned Alan Boardman's low punt 19 yards to the BYU 17. A penalty put the Utes at the 8 and two plays later McCoy hit Claiborne, who made a great grab of a pass thrown behind him for a 5-yard touchdown.

The Cougars weren't through, however, as they dove 80 yards with Walsh hitting Johnston for the score. Their only mistake was scoring too early.

McBride gave credit to all sorts of people including his wife, Vicki, for buoying him up all week and Senator Orrin Hatch and Jazz president Frank Layden for inspirational talks the day before the game. Still, his players deserved most of the credit.

"This was a real gut check,'' said McBride. "A week ago we were at the bottom of the barrel. But this team found a way to dig down and win.''

#17: November 3, 1973 - Utah vs. Arizona State

2007-08-20T07:00:00.014-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? The Sun Devils came into Salt Lake City riding a 12-game winning streak, a 7-0 record, and a #8 national ranking. They featured two backs who would rush for over 1,000 yards in 1973 (Woody Green and Ben Malone, the former being a consensus All-American that season, the latter having rushed for 250 yards and 6 TDs against Oregon State one week prior -- still a school record for rush yards in a game). ASU also featured future NFL Hall of Famer Mike Haynes in the defensive backfield.

And their QB was none other than Danny White.

Sadly for Arizona State, they didn't play like national title contenders against the Utes that day. And Utah took advantage of this. The Utes jumped out to a big lead after a slew of Sun Devil turnovers and hung on for the win. It was the highest-ranked opponent Utah has ever beaten.

Two things need to be emphasized about this game: First, Ute QB Don Van Galder requested to be taken out of the game early in the third quarter after a hit caused him to see double-vision. At that time, Utah was leading 30-10. However, with Van Galder out the Utah offense stalled and ASU began the comeback. The Sun Devils managed to cut the Ute lead to six: 30-24 with about a full quarter left.

Second, with the lead still at six points, ASU had a first down at the Utah four-yard line. The Utes then made an incredible defensive stand to hold the Sun Devils at the Utah five-yard line. But confusion erupted over whether ASU had used up all four of their downs or if they had one remaining. After discussing the issue for 20 minutes, the officials decided that the Sun Devils did indeed have one more down left. But the Ute defense rose to the occassion and made a final heroic stop to finally end the ASU drive. At this point, Van Galder returned to the game and drove the Utes 95 yards to score the touchdown that put Utah up for good.

The loss dropped ASU to #14 in the polls, but they went on to win a share of the WAC title. They beat Tony Dorsett and the Pitt Panthers in the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season 11-1 and ranked #9AP/#10Coaches. Utah, on the other hand, would win two of their four remaining games that season . . . and then two more over the course of the next two seasons.

2007 RANKING: #10. This was another one of those games that Utah had no business winning. And as Arizona State was the highest-ranked team that Utah has ever beat, this win automatically has a place among the greatest Utah games of all time.

But this was also another one of those games that will always be underrated simply because it occurred on the eve of "the Dark Ages." Ute greats like Van Galder, Steve Odom, and Steve Marshall graduated after the 1973 season, and Coach Bill Meek left Utah with a dearth of talent. The agony Utah fans would experience the next few years would outweigh the satisfaction this win gave us.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTES SUBDUE STUNNED SUN DEVILS BY 36-31
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By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
November 4, 1973

Underdog Utah snapped the nation's longest current winning streak, handed Arizona State, the No. 8 team in the nation a 36-31 football lesson and thoroughly vindicated itself in the eyes of 22,135 fans in Bob Rice stadium Saturday.

After alertly capitalizing on Arizona State fumbles and pass interceptions for a 30-3 lead in the first half, the Ute defense rose to its highest pitch this season to hurl back the Sun Devils, just when it appeared the four-time WAC champions were going to take the lead.

The turning point in this thrilling game came early in the fourth quarter, after the Sun Devils had picked up a first down on the Utah four-yard line, with the Utah team leading only 30-24.

Turned Game Around
Starting in the third quarter, Arizona State had found the handle on the football and trimmed Utah's 30-10 halftime lead to 30-24.

Then, with the ball first and goal on the four, Arizona State hurled the nation's most productive offensive juggernaut at the Ute defense, and surrendered the ball on the Utah six.

That may have been one of the finest goal line stands in Utah's long football history. It was the longest, because a hassle over a first down which wasn't recorded on the scoreboard, delayed the game some 15 minutes and gave what the fans believed to be a "fifth down" to the Sun Devils.

It was a bonafide fourth down that Arizona State got finally, but Utah hurled down the pass which would have given the lead to ASU for the first time.

Launched 95-Yard Drive
Utah's offense, which was Johnny-on-the-spot in getting points when the defense offered the opportunities, then drove 95 yards to get a touchdown which ultimately meant the winning margin, since ASU scored a touchdown on the last play of the game to leave Utah five points in front.

Don Van Galder, who was the victim and the goat in the crucial loss to Arizona a week ago, picked up the hero medals by coming off the bench with his double-vision ailment to get the winning marker.

Victory March
Starting on the Utah 5, the Utes picked up 15 yards on a personal foul call, added 15 more on a fine surge by Steve Marlowe, 14 more on a fine catch by Willie Armstead, 10 on a sweep by Ike Spencer, and 15 more when pass interference was called on the ASU 20.

Steve Odom then caught a Van Galder pass for 11 yards and Van Galder came right back with a pass on which Odom made a sensational catch to get the touchdown in the coffin corner.

That put the Utes ahead 36-24 with 9:20 to play.

Arizona State's fine defense then held the Utes after a pass interception.

Mike Stevens had intercepted Danny White for the ninth Arizona State turnover, and Utah was knocking on the gates, but after picking up a first down on the ASU 5, Utah missed a touchdown by inches.

That only set the stage for the final ASU heroics with White passing 51 yards to Greg Hudson for the final touchdown as the game ended.

That was how much the Utah goal line stand and the offensive march meant to the outcome of the thriller on a chilly afternoon.

The game started out as a comedy of errors, with eight turnovers in the first quarter.

Twice White completed passes, only to have the ball dropped and recovered by the Utes. The first set up the touchdown which gave Utah a 7-3 quarter lead.

Utah, which used one screen pass against Arizona, went to the screen time and again and two screens to Spencer brought first blood, the score coming on a seven-yard burst to Ike.

Slow the Scoring
Interceptions and fumbles -- Arizona State lost the ball three times on fumbles and twice on interceptions, and Utah lost the ball on an interception and two fumbles -- held the score to 7-3 at the quarter.

A fumble by Van Galder allowed Arizona State to get on the scoreboard with a 30-yard field goal by Dan Kush.

Steve Marshall recovered a fumble by Ben Malone to set up Utah's field goal, with Dan Marrelli getting the 23-yarder to boost Utah's lead to 10-3.

Utes Make Drive
Utah then drove 60 yards wth Van Galder stretching into the end zone for the second Utah touchdown and a 17-3 lead.

Scott Reed recovered a Woody Green fumble to set up another Utah score, with Reed getting the ball on the eight after the ASU All-American lost the kickoff fumble.

Van Galder passed to Armstead for five yards and the score for a 23-3 lead.

A great punt return by Odom, a 70-yard surge down the sideline, set up a Utah score. Odom fumbled almost on the goal line and Utah's John Huddleston got the ball for the Utes on the one.

Van Galder hurdled into the end zone and Utah held a 30-3 lead and the fans were beginning to believe in footbal miracles.

Arizona State had lost five fumbles and two interceptions in the half.

Arizona held onto the football in the third and drove 58 yards with Green getting the final yards on a diving catch of a White pass. That made it 30-17.

A great save by Stevens stopped the Sun Devils on a bomb bid, but Odom fumbled a punt to give ASU a life, on the Ute 16.

Green finally scored from inside the one-yard line and Kush's kick cut Utah to the final margin, before the offensive and defensive heroics.

The defeat left Arizona State 7-1 for the season and 3-1 in the WAC. Utah moved up to 3-1 for the WAC and 5-3 for the year.

The big story of the game was shown in the turnovers, with ASU losing the ball 10 times to Utah's five.

ASU outgained the Utes in total offense, 506 yards to 263, but Utah won the score battle, which is the one they pay off on at the window.

Malone, who gained 250 yards in the victory over Oregon State last week, picked up 112 yards in 17 carries.

Green, the great runner who has been averaging 110 yards a game, had to settle for 48 yards in 16 carries.

Spencer added 83 yards in 23 carries and Marlowe 33 in seven tries.

It was a tremendous comeback victory for the Utes, because Arizona State was a threat every time the backs and receivers could hold onto the ball.

Utah did a great job and deserved the victory on the basis of those final minutes when it took the best shots ASU had from the five and slammed the door and then drove 95 yards for the clincher against the best defensive team in the WAC.

#15: 2005 Emerald Bowl - Utah vs. Georgia Tech

2007-08-19T07:00:00.010-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? What do you do when you've had a fairly successful year and finish the regular season with a national ranking, but have to settle for a second-tier bowl game across the country against a team from a second-tier conference? Well, you go out and kick some ass, obviously. You let every expert and every pundit know that they had you figured wrong, and that you consider your bowl assignment to be a sign of disrespect!

No matter what Georgia Tech fans tell you, the truth of the matter is that Utah was the better team that day. Don't believe their lies about GT not caring or trying their hardest, or that the field was too slick, or whatever. Those are the desperate words of losers. For weeks leading up to the game, we had to endure the endless taunts about how GT's second-strings were more talented than our first-strings, how the ACC was too good to be associated with the Emerald Bowl, and how Calvin Johnson was going to have 200+ yards receiving.

The Utes (6-5, 4-4) owned the Yellow Jackets (7-4, 5-3) that day. And if Georgia Tech did indeed give up and stop caring about winning the Emerald Bowl, it wasn't until the Utah victory was well in hand. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

Georgia Tech entered the game ranked #24 and favored to beat the Utes by nine points. Nevertheless, backup QB Brett Ratliff and WR Travis LaTendresse shredded GT's 10th ranked überdefense for four touchdown completions. But what may not show up in the boxscore was Eric Weddle's legendary performance in holding future #1 draft pick Calvin Johnson to a mere two receptions for 19 yards.

2007 RANKING: #11. I admit this may be a case of a game receiving a better ranking in the countdown because it was relatively recent. But before the game, I was bracing for a beat-down. I thought Georgia Tech was going to kill us. I remember hearing about GT's performance in their two previous bowl games: winning both by a combined score of 103-24. Ouch.

So for Utah to go out and dominate on both sides of the ball makes this game exceptionally memorable to me. It extended Utah's bowl-winning streak and in a way extended the wave of glory that Utah had been riding since 2003.

So yeah, that's my reason for putting this game at #11. I realize that it beat out some pretty legendary games, but for as long as I remember this upset, it will be difficult for me to ever doubt our Utes again.

FURTHER READING:
• Block U named this the #9 Game of the Decade.

• "Man, it was a nightmare. The field was in terrible condition. We brought the wrong cleats. I couldn’t run a route without slipping."

-- Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

GEM DANDY
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Utes' 5th Consecutive Bowl Victory Is Another Lopsided Season-Ender
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By Dirk Facer
Deseret Morning News
December 30, 2005

SAN FRANCISCO — Utah's fifth consecutive bowl victory was a lot like the fourth — lopsided.

Wide receiver Travis LaTendresse and defensive back Eric Weddle earned MVP honors as the Utes surprised 24th-ranked Georgia Tech 38-10 in the Emerald Bowl at SBC Park. The margin of victory was equal to last season's 35-7 win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

"We had so many guys make plays today it was unbelievable," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, whose team finished 7-5 in his first season at the helm.

Contributions were plentiful as the Utes quickly and decisively overpowered the favored Yellow Jackets (7-5).

"I guess all of our doubters can shut their mouths now," senior captain Steve Fifita said. "Everybody just let it go."

Utah excelled on both sides of the ball.

On offense, LaTendresse set bowl records with 16 catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Brett Ratliff completed 30 of 41 passes for 381 yards in his encore to last month's heroics in Utah's 41-34 overtime win over BYU.

"When the whole offense plays great, it makes me look good," said Ratliff, who executed Utah's game plan to exploit holes in Georgia Tech's cover-three defense.

"Brett Ratliff just did a great job of throwing the ball in the hole," LaTendresse said. "We were just on the same page all night."
The Utes wound up with 550 yards of total offense and 31 first downs, all but 10 via the air.

"I really don't think the ACC has seen a passing attack like we have," LaTendresse said. "We knew if we spread it out it would cause a lot of issues for them."

It did.

Former Georgia Tech redshirt Brian Hernandez caught eight passes for Utah to support LaTendresse's performance.

The Utes also moved the ball on the ground,

Tailback Quinton Ganther rushed for 127 yards and a score against a nationally ranked defense that had allowed an average of just 98 yards on the ground during the season.

"They executed very well I thought. They did a great job of execution," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said. "We didn't do a good job of getting people in the right spots to defend like we needed to do."

Utah never trailed — scoring the game's first 20 points. It took just one quarter and 30 seconds for Ratliff and LaTendresse to team up on three touchdown passes.

The first capped a game-opening drive featuring positive yardage on all five plays the Utes ran. In a 4 1/2-minute span over the first and second quarters, the duo connected on scoring strikes of 23 and 25 yards.

Georgia Tech didn't reach the end zone until quarterback Reggie Ball threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to George Cooper with 9:25 remaining in the half. The Yellow Jackets added a 29-yard field goal by Travis Bell just before the break to make it 20-10.

The Utes, according to Weddle, weren't worried. Both of Georgia Tech's scores were made possible by what he considered "fluke plays" against Utah's defense.

"We knew if we kept playing the way we were," Weddle explained, "we'd shut them out."

Georgia Tech never scored again. Utah's offense, meanwhile, was far from finished. They added three scores down the stretch—a 23-yard field goal by Dan Beardall, a 16-yard touchdown pass from Ratliff to LaTendresse and a 41-yard run to the goal line by Ganther — to win handily.

Georgia Tech, LaTendresse noted, didn't offer much resistance. He said the Yellow Jackets came out talking and jumping up and down early on. Such behavior eventually diminished, however, and a scenario similar to the New Year's Day win over Pitt prevailed. The opposition pretty much surrendered. Weddle said it was obvious.

Utah, on the other hand, continued to give a determined effort.

"I think it speaks to the preparation of our players and the mindset," Whittingham said. "It's awesome, everything that is attached to this victory."

The defense did its part by shutting Georgia Tech out for three quarters. The Utes have given up only 39 points in their five-game bowl winning streak.

Starting safety Steve Tate finished with a game-high 10 tackles and returned an interception 45 yards to set up a score. Shaun Harper also picked off a pass for Utah. Martail Burnett and Fifita each had sacks as the Utes made five stops behind the line of scrimmage.

"We had great defense, and they weren't ready for our offense," Ratliff summarized. "We came to play."

There was plenty of motivation to do so after a challenging season. A three-game skid in the middle of the season doomed Utah's hopes of a third consecutive Mountain West Conference title.

"At the beginning of the season we were supposed to be conference champs and at the end of the season we were not supposed to be anything," Fifita said. "So it's great to show that we should have been conference champs. A lot of things didn't go our way. We're better than our record shows."

#10: October 22, 1994 - Utah at Colorado State

2007-08-18T14:00:00.022-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Utah entered the game 6-0 and ranked #15 in the nation. Meanwhile, the Rams were 7-0, ranked #11, and had just beat #6 Arizona on the road two weeks earlier. ABC was there to televise the game and 3,500 additional seats were added to Hughes Stadium. The 39,107 total attendance remains a Hughes Stadium record to this day.

Somehow the game lived up to the hype and then some. The outcome wasn't decided until only 22 seconds remained.

Doug Robinson of the Deseret News said it best in an article appearing the next day:

"It was stars and no-names starring and a dizzying string of big plays. It was a safety, it was five blocked kicks, it was the long bomb, it was the long run, it was trick plays, it was six interceptions, it was two interceptions returned for touchdowns. It was a record 39,000 people crammed into a 30,000-seat stadium, it was people sitting on grass and temporary seats, it was helicopters flying overhead and national media and network television. It was 3 hours and 46 minutes of suspense and non-stop action right to the final play. It was coaches matching each other wit for wit, play for play, like chess masters. It was two different games. It was 16 points and a defensive battle in the first half; it was 60 points and an old WAC shootout in the second. It was Utah ahead 16-7. It was CSU ahead 17-16. It was Utah ahead 31-17. It was a 31-31 tie. It was CSU fourth-and-8 at the 10 and seconds left. It was Utah winning 45-31."

2007 RANKING: #12. Based on the feedback I've received, it seems many fans feel I have underrated this game. While this one could have easily been included in the Top-10, it loses a few spots due to the fact that the Utes failed to capitalize fully on this win. Utah would eventually lose two conference games down the stretch, and wouldn't even capture the WAC title. Nevertheless, this game remains the most highly anticipated conference matchup in WAC history. And both teams ended the season raked in the Top-20 nationally: Utah finished #10AP/#8Coaches; CSU won the rest of their regular season games and the WAC title, finishing the year #16AP/#14Coaches.

FURTHER READING:
• Price, S.L. "Wild, Wild WAC." Sports Illustrated 31 Oct. 1994 (Accessed 16 April 2009).

• Twice during this game, Utah utilized the fabled "Duck" or "Anaheim" play. Once was to score a two-point conversion to go up 24-17, and the second was to score a TD on 3rd-down from the Ram 4. AncientUte wrote an amazing piece on "The Duck" play, which included this diagram:
Read his entire article here.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTES PAINT FT. COLLINS RED
----
By Mike Sorensen
Deseret News
October 23. 1994

The game billed as the biggest in Western Athletic Conference history turned into one of the league's wild and craziest Saturday afternoon. Instead of a battle between two of the country's top defenses, it turned into one of those high-scoring wacky WAC games that wasn't decided until the final seconds.

Before a record Hughes Stadium crowd of 39,107 and a regional television audience, Utah captured a 45-31 victory over Colorado State in the battle of the unbeatens, giving the Utes the inside track on the Holiday Bowl berth that goes to the WAC champion. It wasn't until Utah's Harold Lusk intercepted an Anthoney Hill pass in the end zone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown with 22 seconds left that the Utes sealed their unlikely victory.

Unlikely because the Rams dominated the offensive statisitcs, moving up and down the field all day against the nation's No. 4 defense. However, the Utes came up with several big plays when it counted.

Before the day was over, the Utes had a safety, a blocked punt, a blocked field goal, a blocked extra point, a fumble recovery and four pass interceptions, including two for touchdowns.

"That was unbelievable, a great win,'' said Ute coach Ron McBride. "This was a great thing for Utah football and Utah fans. That's as good as it gets in college football.''

The contest went back and forth like a ping-pong match, causing many fans and media folks to say it was one of the greatest college games they had ever witnessed.

Utah seemed to have the edge before the Rams stormed back to take their first lead of the game late in the third quarter. Then just when it looked like the Ute offense couldn't do anything, it came up with two plays covering 85 yards to retake the lead.

When Utah recovered a fumble and pushed it in with a trick play to go ahead 31-17, the Rams came right back to tie it in the fourth quarter at 31-31.

Utah then made its only sustained drive of the afternoon, moving 70 yards in 14 plays, scoring on an 8-yard pass from Mike McCoy to Curtis Marsh with 3:46 left.

But everyone knew the Rams wouldn't quit and they moved right down the field to the 10-yard line. Twice the Utes knocked down passes before Lusk stepped in front of the Ram tight end and weaved his way the length of the field for the clinching score.

"We just refused to lose,'' said Lusk, who had two pass picks on the day. "We truly believed we could win this game and we did.''

The Rams, ranked 11th in the nation coming into the game, had to feel frustrated after outgaining the Utes 470 yards to 295 and making 25 first downs to Utah's 14.

"I think we moved the ball as well on them as any team this season,'' said Ram coach Sonny Lubick. "But our kicking game was terrible. It seemed like everything that could go wrong did go wrong for us.''

Utah took a 9-7 first-half lead thanks to a pair of defensive plays. On the Rams' first possession, the Utes pushed the Rams back to the 5-yard line and on third-down, the snap went over Hill's head and out of the end zone for a safety.

On the first play of the second quarter, Utah's Kareem Leary stepped in front of CSU tight end Justin Shull and ran an interception back 39 yards for a touchdown.

"When the quarterback came up to the line, he looked at me and had kind of a gratified look because of where I was. I thought he might be going to the tight end and as soon as he turned his head, I broke,'' said Leary. It was Leary's second interception for a touchdown this year.

The Rams came back with an 80-yard drive capped by Hill's 1-yard run. They had a chance to go ahead before halftime after blocking a Utah punt, but Utah's Jeff Kaufusi returned the favor by blocking David Napier's 24-yard field goal try.

"I figured it would end up 21-17 or something,'' said McBride, and most folks agreed with him. No one was ready for 60 second-half points.

On CSU's first possession of the second half, the Ute defense held for one of the few times all day and on the Rams' punt, Utah's Vea Ofa broke through to block it and set up the Ute offense on the 5-yard line.

McCoy made the first rushing touchdown of his career with a 1-yard QB sneak and it was 16-7.

The Rams came back with Hill scrambling 62 yards on a 3rd-and-8 play, setting up a 16-yard pass to Eric Olsen.

Utah's next possession went backwards three yards and CSU marched down again to take its only lead at 17-16 on a 28-yard field goal by Napier.

The Utes were heading backwards again with a 17-yard holding penalty (one of 14 penalties for 117 yards) and an incompletion. But on second and 27 from their own 15, the Utes came up with one of the key plays of the game.

McCoy found Marsh down the left sideline with a 41-yard pass. On the ensuing play, Charlie Brown got loose on a 44-yard touchdown run.

"It seemed just like the one at San Diego. I just read the line and the hole was wide open,'' said Brown, who put on a burst of speed to outrun all the defenders.

When Ken Buss recovered a fumble on the kickoff for Utah and the Utes moved in for a score to make it 31-17, it looked like the Utes were safe.

The touchdown, a 4-yard pass to Rick Tucker, came off a strange formation that the Utes had used to make a two-point conversion on the previous touchdown. It resembled the old "Duck'' formation used under former coach Jim Fassel with four linemen in front of the quarterback, three out near the sideline, one behind them, with two players in the slot in between. McCoy fired and hit Tucker, who had three blockers against one defender in the confused Ram defense.

But CSU marched right down to score with Van Ward scoring on a 5-yard run and then they blocked another punt, setting up a short drive and a 1-yard run by Ward. The Rams had to go for two to tie the game, but were called with a delay of game penalty. Still they managed to score with Hill hitting Shull.

Utah then used up nearly seven minutes of the clock. Even though they had struggled much of the day, McCoy said, "Our offense was definintely confident. Everyone on the offense made a big play on that drive.''

The go-ahead score was one the Utes had used several times this year - a fade pattern by Marsh and a lofted pass by McCoy over the defender, who never turned around.

The Rams moved down the field, getting a 16-yard pass on fourth-and-3, and made it all the way to the Utah 10. That's when Lusk came up with his huge interception and return, which tied a Ute record set by Gary Barker 27 years ago.

"I saw what (Hill) was doing, so I sat where I was. That gave me time to get to the ball and then all you saw was number 9 running down the sidelines.''

Fittingly, Lusk's interception concluded in the northeast corner of the end zone, directly in front of several thousand Ute fans wearing red and white. A few seconds later after the final gun, the whole Ute team went over to thank their fans for their support amid the celebration.

Next up for the 7-0 Utes is UTEP at Rice Stadium on Saturday, followed by games at New Mexico and Air Force. The Utes conclude their regular season Nov. 19 against BYU in a game that could determine the WAC champion.

#18: November 20, 1993 - Utah at BYU

2007-08-17T08:00:00.013-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Believe it or not there was actually a time when Utah couldn't win a game in Cougar Stadium. Before this game, Utah had lost the last ten times they played in Provo. Unfortunately, their record vs. the Coogs in SLC wasn't that great either -- they hadn't won since 1988, and 1978 before that. And having lost the last four meetings, Utah fans were beginning to wonder if they would have to wait till 1998 to see another Holy War victory.

This game was billed as a battle of two of the nation's best offenses. Utah (6-5, 4-3) ranked 8th in the nation in total offense coming into the game; BYU (5-4, 5-1) was ranked 9th in that same category. The Utes were led by QB Mike McCoy, whom Sports Illustrated had named the nation's offensive Player of the Week for the previous week. Utah's offense also featured RB Jamal Anderson and WR Bryan Rowley.

But fans and press expected this game to come down to defense. And while victory wasn't possible without great defensive efforts by Harold Lusk and Luther Elliss, the game actually came down to special teams -- Chris Yergensen in particular.

We all know the story . . . and the final score. And who could forget Lenny Gomes' post-game comments?

2007 RANKING: #13. Utah went on to win the next two meetings, and nine of the next thirteen against BYU. Indeed, the Utah-BYU rivalry hasn't been the same since this game, and neither has the Ute program. Because of the long-lasting effects of this win, I consider this win to be more significant than Arizona '72 and USU '60.

FURTHER READING:
• "When you participate in sports, especially on a college level, you expect people to have a little bit of class.''

--BYU receiver Bryce Doman
in response to Utah players and fans attempting to
tear down BYU's goal posts after the win.

• "Typical Utah bullshit. All those (Utes) think that's all there is to life. But when I'm making $50,000-$60,000 a year, they'll be pumping my gas."

--BYU DL Lenny Gomes
demonstrating to the press what the Zoob definition of "class" is.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTES GIVE PROVO WHAMMY THE BOOT
----
By Doug Robinson
Deseret News
November 21, 1993

When time expired and Utah had accomplished the impossible by beating BYU 34-31 right there on its own home turf Saturday afternoon in Provo, it ended one of the wildest games in the history of this long rivalry and began a celebration that was every bit its equal.

The Utes sprinted to the end zone, where they tried to topple the goalposts. The Cougars, headed toward their locker room at the other end of the stadium, reversed field and sprinted toward the Utes to save the goal posts and their honor. Joy threatened to turn into a post-game rumble with 65,894 witnesses, as players from both sides put their helmets back on and exchanged pushes and woofs. Then coaches and security restored order, and the celebration resumed. The Utes planted a large red and white flag in the stadium turf and mugged for cameras, the conquering Marines at Iwo Jima. If the Utes weren't exactly gracious winners, who could blame them? They had waited a long time for this moment. Most of them weren't even born when the Utes last beat the Cougars in Provo 21 years ago. It covered the entire length of LaVell Edwards' head coaching career.

When the long-awaited victory finally happened, it came in the unlikeliest ways - with a defense patched up with Band-Aids and built around a Little League game plan that was astonishingly simple; with two gimpy cornerbacks who played in pain, not quite recovered from injuries that had sidelined them for a month; with a wide receiver who had led the team in nothing except drops; and finally, with a kicker who was consulting a sideline psychologist when he wasn't missing kicks.

All the Utes' hopes came down to senior placekicker Chris Yergensen, and that wasn't much to bet on. Yergensen had already missed two of three field goal attempts and a PAT by kicking, in order, wide right, wide left and straight down the middle smack into the crossbar. Welcome to one man's nightmare. Wouldn't you know that with 25 seconds left and the score tied at 31, Yergensen would get the call.

Talk about pressure. Only twice in his life had he kicked with the game on the line, and both times he had blown it - once in a high school city championship game and again last year in the Copper Bowl.

Since the latter miss, Yergensen had been meeting regularly with the team psychologist, Dr. Evelyn Hall, trying to improve his mental toughness, but for a time on Saturday it seemed to have made little difference. After slipping on the turf during warmup kicks, Yergensen tried slowing his approach to the ball to ensure a better plant, but it cost him power and timing. He missed from 35 yards, made a 41-yarder, then missed a 37-yarder and the PAT. Calling Dr. Hall.

And then the Utes found themselves faced with a fourth-and-10 on the 37-yard line and time running out. There was no other choice. Not only would Yergensen have to try another field goal attempt, he'd have to do it from 55 yards out, which would be the longest of his career.

"Hey, coach, Yergensen can do it,'' wideout Greg Hoffman assured coach Ron McBride on the sideline. "He's kicked 56- and 61-yarders in practice. He'll kick this through.''

And so he did. This time Yergensen sent his kick toward the right goal post, hoping it would curve left. It did, splitting the uprights perfectly. Later, in the locker room, Yergensen put his arm around McBride. "I finally got one for you,'' he said. "Finally I can hug you on good terms after a game.''

And finally Utah's victory over BYU - only their third in two decades - was for more than in-state pride. It gave the Utes a 7-5 regular-season record and a solid shot at a berth in either the Freedom or Copper bowls. As for their part, the Cougars are 5-5 overall, but, with a 5-2 league record, they could still claim a share of the conference title and a bowl berth.

"This has been a burden on our backs for a lot of years,'' said McBride. "This is the biggest win of my life.''

All this for a win over a .500 team? Such is the nature of a rivalry.

Utah wasn't given much of a chance to win Saturday's game, going up against BYU's prolific offense and quarterback John Walsh. Not with a secondary that had lost eight starters to injuries. For weeks the Utes have survived with a quarterback and a tailback in the secondary, but that wouldn't do against BYU. They went to the training room to find Mark Swanson and Ernest Boyd, who had been sidelined for weeks with shoulder and ankle injuries, respectively. They practiced on a limited basis during the week, but not enough to allow the Utes to assemble a complete game plan.

The Utes entered Saturday's game with a defensive game plan that consisted of two blitzes, one zone coverage and no man coverage. That was it. "There was no time to put in a lot of the things we wanted to,'' said defensive coordinator Fred Whittingham.

Boyd and Swanson started at the cornerback spots, allowing Harold Lusk to move to safety and Cedric Crawford to nickel. "That took a lot of courage for Swanson and Boyd to play,'' said Whittingham. "They were hurting.''

The gamble paid off. The Utes intercepted Walsh five times - one by Swanson, two by Boyd and two by Lusk. Give an assist to the defensive line, which sacked Walsh four times and pressured him all day. Walsh completed 35 of 57 passes for 423 yards and 1 touchdown.

"The defense played its best game of the year,'' said McBride.

The offense wasn't bad, either. The Utes collected 629 yards behind the running of Jamal "Big Rig'' Anderson (32 carries, 146 yards) and quarterback Mike McCoy (29 of 47, 434 yards, 3 TDs, 2 interceptions). They surprised the Cougs by passing from running sets, with two tight ends, and took advantage of BYU's deep drops by dumping off short passes under the coverage to mismatch Anderson or Pierre Jones on a linebacker.

On the fourth play of the game, Jones turned a short swing pass into a 47-yard gain to set up the first score - a 4-yard pass to Rowley (which gave him a career school record of 25). After BYU's Joe Herrick answered with a 36-yard field goal, the Utes drove 80 yards for another score - on a 9-yard pass to Anderson - and a 14-3 lead.

The Cougars, playing without the injured Eric Drage and Jamal Willis, scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass to Bryce Doman, but just before the half Yergensen kicked a 41-yard field goal to give Utah a 17-10 halftime lead.

The Cougars turned to the ground game in the second half, which is to say Kalin Hall, and tied the score at 17 on a 1-yard run by Walsh. That was where matters stood early in the fourth quarter, when the Utes had the ball at their own 16-yard line. From the shotgun formation McCoy read blitz. He audibled for blitz protection from his blockers, then took the snap.

Curtis Marsh, a junior who had dropped more passes than he had caught this season (6 total), was wide open on a streak rout, but McCoy had no time to look for him. "I just caught it and threw it up there,'' said McCoy. "There was no time to find the laces.''

Marsh caught the ball without breaking stride and raced 84 yards for the touchdown. Yergensen's missed PAT left Utah with a 23-17 lead. The miss loomed bigger when Hall scored on a 4-yard run and Harrick's PAT gave BYU a 24-32 lead with 10 minutes left.

The fireworks were just beginning. With 4:39 left, Anderson scored on a 4-yard run and then caught the two-point conversion pass. With 3:16 left, Walsh scored on a 1-yard run, and the game was tied again, at 31.

That set the stage for Yergensen's game-winning kick. Ironically, after Yergensen missed the PAT early in the fourth quarter, McCoy had told him, "Don't worry about it. You're going to have a chance to win this game.''

For years to come the Cougars will remember their squandered opportunities, namely a second down at the half-yard line that reaped only a field goal and Hema Heimuli's fumble at the 2-yard line.

"We just didn't play like I hoped,'' said BYU coach LaVell Edwards. "All we can do is regroup and hope to get a piece of the championship . . . There are all kinds of ifs. We had a golden opportunity and let it get away.''

#19: November 4, 1972 - Utah vs. Arizona

2007-08-16T07:00:00.009-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? This is the greatest comeback in the history of Utah football, and one of the biggest College Football has ever witnessed.

After three quarters, the Utes were losing to the Wildcats, 27-0. Fans made for the exits. Even after two quick TD passes from Don "Brownie" Van Galder to Steve Odom that made the score 27-14 with 12 minutes left, reporters were leaving the press box to get to the locker rooms for the post-game reactions.

But the story didn't end there. As you can read from the SLTrib's write-up, fans who stayed till the end would yet witness missed field goals, a Utah turnover-on-downs, a dramatic Steve Marshall interception, and an epic finish that gave Utah the win with only seconds left on the clock.

With this victory, Utah was on track to win at least a share of the WAC and in the driver's seat to clinch a bid to the second-annual Fiesta Bowl game. All they had to do was beat BYU (5-4, 3-2) (after an OOC game vs. USU in Logan -- which the Utes lost), whom the Utes had beaten four years in a row. Then they closed the season against CSU (1-9). Unfortunately, the Cougs beat the Utes, 16-7. Utah finished the season 6-5, 5-2 and tied for second in the WAC. They had to wait six years to get their revenge on BYU and 31 years for another chance to play in the Fiesta Bowl. The disappointing end to the 1972 season spelled doom for Coach Bill Meek, who stuck around for one final season as a lame-duck coach while the University attempted to secure the services of Larry Wilson as his successor.

2007 RANKING: #14. This game could have easily ranked higher on the countdown. It remains one of the most unlikely finishes in NCAA football history. But because 1972 and 1973 are now remembered as a prelude to "The Dark Ages," the sensational finish gets forgotten, and the game goes down in the stat books as just a 1-point win over an Arizona team that finished the season 4-7.

FURTHER READING:
• From "Marcroft's Memories," Continuum (Fall 2003):

The 1972 game with then-WAC foe Arizona stands out. "It was the greatest comeback in NCAA history," [Bill] Marcroft notes. "Utah was down 27-0 after three quarters. [Don] Van Galder passes to [Steve] Odom for two touchdowns to cut the lead, but Arizona starts a time-consuming drive. Then [Steve] Marshall ("possibly the best athlete to ever play at Utah") intercepts a pass and makes an incredible runback for a touchdown. It's now 27-21. Utah holds on defense, gets the ball, and starts a drive. With no time outs left, Van Galder dives in the end zone with 10 seconds left to win 28-27. Just an unbelievable comeback."

• Where Are They Now?: Mr. Don Van Galder

• From the (October 12) 1974 Utah-Arizona Game Program, page 4 (Click image to enlarge):

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTAH RIPS ARIZONA, 28-27
----
By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
November 5, 1972

A publisher is re-issuing the stories of Frank Merriwell, the mythical hero who won every athletic event with his last second heroics.

In some areas, Merriwell's feats may be unbelievable. But not in Uteville after the well-whipped Redskins overcame a 27-point deficit in the fourth quarter to snatch a 28-27 cardiac caper from league-leading Arizona Saturday afternoon.

It was a football finale you had to see to believe, and, unfortunately, only 19,238 fans saw the heroics which made this the most fantastic wind up in any football game I have seen in more than 40 years in the wars.

Down 27-0
Utah was a soundly whipped football team when the fourth quarter opened with Arizona coasting with a deserved 27-0 lead.

Utah had done little right offensively, beginning in the opening minutes of the game when the Utes couldn't score in four shots from the two-yard line.

Don Van Galder seemed to be playing in a daze. His passes were erratic and those that might have been caught were dropped frequently.

Utah's runners weren't consistent and the Ute defense was being chewed to bits.

Arizona all but had its bags packed for Tempe and the Fiesta Bowl Dec. 23 and many of the Ute fans were looking toward the exits.

Van Galder finally drew the fans to their feet with a 52-yard touchdown bomb to Steve Odom, who juggled it, finally grabbed the ball and scampered home free.

That trimmed the margin to 27-7 with 14:42 to play in the game.

Defense Toughens
Utah's defense forced a punt. Van Galder came back to hit Odom with a 35-yard touchdown missile, to cut it to 27-14 with 12:29 to play.

But then Arizona's offense held the ball for more than five minutes before Charlie Gorham was short on a 46-yard field goal try with 7:17 to play.

Utah couldn't sustain an offensive and a fourth down pass was dropped, giving Arizona the ball on Utah's 46.

Arizona picked up a first down on the Utah 32 and appeared to have the victory cinched with a chance at a fourth down field goal if the first down couldn't be gained.

Arizona was called for offside and on second and 14, Bill Demory threw a pass. Steve Marshall, who has a Merriwell flair of his own, intercepted on the dead run and with a screen of blockers, galloped 68 yards for the score. Flemming Jensen, who kicked all four of Utah's extra points, narrowed the lead to 27-21.

But only 4:19 remained to play and Arizona had the ball on its 20.

Again, Defense
The defense forced the Wildcats to punt from their 25 but only 2:20 remained when the Utes started to move from their 29.

Odom took a screen pass for 10. Willie Armstead grabbed a pass for 27 yards. Odom gained four on the screen, but only 1:06 remained and the ball was still 21 yards from the goal.

Armstead grabbed another pass for a first down on the five-yard line. With 54 seconds left, Ike Spencer gained 1 1/2 yards in the middle. Van Galder slowly surveyed the lines as the clock ticked away. He easily was the calmest guy in the frenzied stadium crowd.

Van Galder called the quarterback option to the right. He had tried to run or pass off this same thing four downs when Utah couldn't score in the first quarter from the two.

This was the play because if he didn't get the score the clock would run out in the pile up of players and Utah had no time outs left.

What would Frank Merriwell have done in the same situation?

Van Galder did it, too.

The wiry quarterback spotted a bit of AstroTurf among the clutching Wildcats and he made the greatest dive of his life, into pay dirt, to score with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. Jensen, also something of a Merriwell guy himself, then sliced the uprights with his biggest clutch kick of his life and the 28-27 victory.

That was the ball game which kept alive Utah's championship hopes and a shot at the Fiesta Bowl Dec. 23.

Utah now has a 4-1 WAC record to Arizona's 3-1 mark. BYU and Colorado State stand between the Utes and no worse than a co-championship, with the Utes getting the bowl bid on the basis of beating Arizona.

Oh yes, the fireworks weren't ended in the final 10 seconds.

Demory launched the bomb which could have turned the tables again, but Mike Stevens intercepted and paraded joyfully goalward. On the five, he attempted to lateral to John Frech, who went in to "score" but the lateral was ruled illegal.

So who cared?

Wildcats Dominated
Arizona made monkeys out of Utah for most of three quarters.

Arizona drove 80 yards for a first quarter score with Bob McCall going the final 21 yards to score.

Gene Belczyk attempted to get Utah back in the game when he raced 77 yards to the Arizona three. Four plays later, Utah gave up the ball on the Wildcat one, and that set the tempo for three quarters.

Field Goal Good
Gorham boosted the lead 10-0 and 13-0 in the second period on field goals of 30 and 41 yards as Van Galder was intercepted three times in the second quarter.

The fourth interception, in the first series of the third quarter, set up a touchdown with Marty Shuford breaking tackles to carom the final 27 yards for a 20-0 lead.

Arizona drove 72 yards to score its final touchdown, with Shuford driving over from two yards. That made the score 27-0 with 15:45 left between Utah victory and just another heart-breaking loss.

But Saturday was not a day for heartbreaks, except for Arizona players, coaches and partisans.

Then Utah started getting the pieces to fall in the right slots, and the defense, which had been inconsistent, and the offense, which was ineffective, started to click.

It was the wildest finish in any game this year and probably one of the biggest turn-abouts in Rocky Mountain grid history.

Frank Merriwell was an ersatz hero, the figment of a writer's mind.

The Utah Utes are the real McCoy, but I'm not sure I believe the final heroics yet.

#20: November 19, 1960 - Utah vs. Utah State

2007-08-15T08:00:00.014-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? If there was an era where Utah State was considered superior than Utah, it was the 1960s. Especially early in that decade: the Aggies enjoyed some national prominence and rankings (they finished the 1961 season 9-1-1 and ranked #10).

The 1960 Aggie team was particularly good. They were coached by the legendary John Ralston, and featured all-everything Hall-of-Famer Merlin Olsen and future NFL veteran Lionel Aldridge (who led a very interesting and tragic life). Two weeks earlier, USU (ranked #18 in the AP poll) beat Wyoming (ranked #14 in the Coaches poll), 17-13, and the Aggies rose to #16 in the Coaches poll. But then they traveled to SLC to play the Redskins . . .

Utah pulled off this amazing upset against their main rivals with a combination of tough defense and a heroic play in the clutch by an unheralded halfback. Perhaps now better known to Ute faithful as the father of Morgan, Bud Scalley scored the only points of this defensive bout with just minutes remaining.

Utah finished the year at third place in the Skyline Conference. This win was the first ever for Utah over a nationally ranked opponent, but was the only real spark in an otherwise unremarkable season.

2007 RANKING: #15. Because this game was 1) an upset win, 2) over a rival, and 3) done in dramatic fashion, I place it ahead of the Bowl victories featured the past two days. This win didn't have the long-term impact that a bowl win has, but it does live on as an important chapter of the Utah-USU rivalry.

The ranking could have placed higher perhaps if Utah State recovered from this loss -- instead, they lost their next game against New Mexico State in the Sun Bowl to finish the year 9-2 and unranked. Utah also lost their next game: a 16-9 home defeat to UCLA. If Utah had beat the Bruins, that game would probably feature in this countdown too. It would also likely make this upset over the Aggies seem more significant.

FURTHER READING:
Awesome article! Read it! : Sorensen, Mike. "Like Father, Like Son: U's Scalley Learned To Love Game From Dad." Deseret Morning News 16 Sept. 2004 (Accessed 13 Aug. 2007).

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE! UTES BEAT AGS
----
Scalley Sparks Redskins, 6-0
----
By John Mooney
Salt Lake Tribune
November 20, 1960

Little Bud Scalley, who didn't get the "full-ride" athletic scholarship until last week, rode a savage, surging Utah football team to an amazing 6-0 victory over the previously unbeaten Utah State Aggies Saturday afternoon in the Ute Stadium before 29,261 fans.

THE DEFEAT knocked the Aggies from the ranks of the unbeaten football teams, may have dimmed the farmers' bowl hopes, and forced the losers to settle for a co-championship of the Skyline Conference with Wyoming.

And the man who burst the Aggie bubble of invincibility was Scalley, the 162-pound third-string halfback, who played his football at Bear River High and who wasn't offered a scholarship as a college football prospect.

LITTLE SCALLEY scampered around left end for 12 yards and the game's only touchdown with slightly more than five minutes remaining in a savagely contested defensive battle between two of the greatest lines in the country.

But the soph halfback had to share the hero laurels with the Utah line, that shackled the Aggies' vaunted offensive and then shredded the defensive line of the nation's toughest forward wall with a 72-yard surge to victory.

UTAH WON the game deservedly, slashing and crashing through the massive Aggie line for 12 straight running plays that covered the 72 yards and brought the victory.

In this one savage assault, the Utes picked up almost as many yards as the Aggies had given up in average (79 yards) in nine previous victories.

Gordon Frank, a 175-pound soph, sparked the touchdown drive with explosive blasts of 10 1/2, nine, one, five, five and one yards.

In this one drive, Frank picked up 31 1/2 yards, more than any Aggie save Doug Mayberry and Mel Montalbo netted in the whole afternoon.

He was aided and abetted in the drive by Gordy Lee and Terry Nofsinger, who rolled for six and four yards and five, nine and two yards, respectively.

Not once in those 12 plays in the touchdown drive did the Aggies hold the Utes for no gain and Utah drove to score against the Aggie first team.

While Utah was uncovering a half-dozen reserve backs for heroics, the Utah defense was covering up Tommy (Gun) Larscheid, the nation's second most effective ball carrier.

Larscheid felt the full burden of the fired-up Utes, headed by injured Bill Howard and his wrecking crew.

Utah had to stop Tommy (Gun) and stop him the Utes did, with net of 19 yards for his 14 carries.

ONLY DOUG MAYBERRY, the bruising fullback, and Ernie Reese, the unsung halfback, lived up to their previous records. Mayberry snorted and bulled his way for 56 yards, but 46 of that total came in the first quarter when the Aggies made their best showing.

The Aggies made only 53 yards on their powerful rushing offense -- best in the nation until Saturday -- in the entire second half.

THE AGGIES crossed the 50-yard line -- to the Utah 42 -- in possession of the ball only once in the entire second half as the Redskin line smothered the Farmer attack.

Like a puncher in a 15-round championship fight, the Ute line took the best the Aggies had to offer in the first and second quarters, sparred on even terms in the third and then smashed the Aggies into submission with a great finish in the fourth.

WHILE THE UNDERDOG Utes won the plaudits, the enthusiastic cheers of the Redskins boosters and the grudging admiration of the Aggie partisans, the Farmers went down as the champions that they are, with every gun firing in a desperate bid for victory.

With just seconds over five minutes to play, the Aggies girded their loins for their first attempt to come from behind this season.

THAT THEY COULDN'T pull the game out of the fire is no discredit to the Aggies. They roared back 25 yards on the kickoff after the touchdown, with Reese almost breaking clear.

Mayberry, a Noble Roman in defeat, banged for just one. Dolph Camilli was smeared for eight on a pass attempt. But the doughty little Aggie passer spotted Bill Dahme in a clearing for a 22-yard pass to keep the pressure on the Utes.

MAYBERRY PLUNGED for four. With the Utes massed, the Aggies called on their ace-- Larscheid-- and the Utes trumped the Aggie ace, holding The Gun to a net loss of 1 1/2 yards in his two attempts.

On fourth and seven, Mel Montalbo's pass was too short and the Utes took over with 1:40 remaining.

The Aggies had one fighting chance left.

They wouldn't let the Utes run out the clock and, after forcing the punt, they started to run again.

Reese scampered around the left end for 16 yards and a short pass to Ron Maughan was completed for three yards. But the clock ran out before the Aggies could throw one more.

THE UTES, WHO have made something of a habit of beating the Aggies in football-- this was the 41st victory against 13 losses and four ties --seemed to dare the Aggies to run their offense against the Utah line in the first quarter.

It was like a neighborhood bully taking candy away from his victim and then giving it back to him so he could have the privilege of taking it away again.

Twice in the first quarter, the Utes fumbled to the alert Aggies and then rose up to hurl back the assault of the football knights in the white armor.

AFTER THE FIRST fumble, the Aggies, with Mayberry doing the big damage, crunched to the Utah seven-yard line before the embattled Redskins stalled the surge.

It was a great goal line stand against a team that had powered its way through nine opponents, and the Utes did it the hard way with the Aggies having a first down on the Utah 12 and surrendering it on a missed field goal attempt on the seven.

AGAIN THE UTES fumbled, this time on their 28. Back bounced the Aggies, to the Utah 13 as the scoreless first quarter ended.

Mayberry was stopped for a two-yard loss and Larscheid was knocked down for a one-yard loss. Camilli threaded his way for 11 yards and with "fourth and two" on the Utah 5, the big Red line hurled Mayberry to the earth inches short of a first down near the three-yard line.

The Aggies had opportunities to show their defense after heart breaking fumbles, too, in the hard-fought first half.

Ken Peterson recovered a Larscheid fumble on the Utah 42 to stop the first Aggie drive, but the Aggies forced Nofsinger to fumble right back. Then, in the second period, Reese bobbled a punt over his head and Ed Pine recovered for the Utes on the Aggie 23. Utah moved only to the 17 against the brilliance of the Aggie defense.

A PUNT RETURN gave the Utes another chance, and again, it was the great defensive corps of the Aggies that stopped Utah, this time on the 13.

Utah had its first serious scoring opportunity in the closing seconds of the half when Nofsinger's pass was on the finger tips of Stan Uyeshiro, and dropped in the end zone.

The Utes bottled the Aggies in their own territory in the third period and a fumble by Charles Claybaugh, recovered by Cal Cragun, gave the Utes a chance in the late stages of the period.

When the Aggies stalled the Utes on the Farmer 18, Gary Chestang tried for a field goal, and sliced the ball short and wide.

Then, in the fourth period, after the fumbles and breaks had played their part, the Utes buckled down to knife and bludgeon their way through the Aggies, 72 yards in 12 plays, for the score.

When Scalley scored, it was nearing midnight in Athens, Istanbul and Cape Town; and even with the sun shining brightly on a perfect football afternoon, it was midnight for the Aggies -- Cinderella team of the 1960 football season.

2001 Las Vegas Bowl - Utah vs. USC

2007-08-14T07:00:00.007-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? This game is remembered as the time when Utah beat a USC team that featured coaches Pete Carroll and Norm Chow, and future NFL Pro-Bowlers Carson Palmer and Troy Polamalu. Although the Trojans weren't world-beaters during 2001, they did win five of their last six games to finish the season 6-5, 5-3. With these coaches and players, they went on to win the Pac-10 Championship in 2002, and Palmer won the Heisman Trophy that year as well.

Ten points was all Utah needed to win this game. But it wasn't as if USC completely shut down the Ute offense. RB Adam Tate rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries and RB Damean Hunter (game MVP) added another 94 yards on 17 carries. The team rushed for a grand total of 222 yards. Even QB Lance Rice had himself a solid game after enduring much public criticism for his role in a key loss to AFA weeks earlier. He threw only one interception and was sacked only once against USC. He was especially effective during Utah's last drive to run down the final 5:43 and preserve the win. That drive included a crucial completion on 3rd-and-14 from the Utah 9-yard line.

But it was Utah's defense that should be credited for the victory. They held Carson Palmer to a mere 150 yards passing and allowed the Trojans only one single rushing yard total. The Utes also sacked Palmer five time, twice by Sheldon Deckart.

As a fan of low-scoring defensive battles, this was one of the most enjoyable Utah games I have ever watched. It was also great to see Ron McBride get this win after Utah lost some disappointing games during the season.

2007 RANKING: #16. This game had a lot in common with yesterday's feature (Fresno St. '99). Both were played in the Las Vegas Bowl. Both were closely-fought games and both capped off good - but not quite great - seasons. I give this victory the edge, however, because of what USC would go on to do in the following seasons. USC has gone to a bowl game every season since 2001, but by the time they would lose another one (vs. Texas, 2006 Rose Bowl), they would win 2.5 National Championships, and 3.5 Pac-10 Titles.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

HAPPY ULETIDE
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Utes Start Strong -- End Even Stronger
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By Linda Hamilton
Deseret News
December 26, 2001

LAS VEGAS — When things were at their darkest, when no one wanted to believe, when even ardent fans stayed home for Christmas rather than following Utah's football team to its bowl game in Las Vegas, that's when the Utes were at their best.

They started strong and finished stronger at their home-away-from-home, Sam Boyd Stadium, in a 10-6 victory over a Southern Cal team that had just won four straight including a shutout over rival UCLA.

The football off-season will be so much brighter now with maybe Ron McBride's best bowl victory. "This is probably the sweetest one because we finished on a negative, and everybody was talking about how bad we were," said the Ute coach, who just finished his 12th season.

"This could rank with any of them because we needed it. We were able to finish in the fourth quarter against a fine USC team. This was probably as good as it gets."

Especially with national ABC-TV and ESPN Radio audiences. Anybody who was tuned into football Tuesday afternoon was tuned into this game and saw Utah's devastating defense blitzing like never before, drilling USC junior quarterback Carson Palmer with two early sacks that left the school's No. 3 career passer wondering so much he threw for just 150 yards. "The ability for us to get to the quarterback gave us huge momentum," said Utah defensive coordinator Kyle Whittingham.

After those two hard sacks, by Sheldon Deckart and Arnold Parker, "The quarterback started looking around a little bit," said McBride.

"It was a big part of our game plan to come out and set the pace, set the tone early," said Deckart, who later added a half-sack. "Our defensive coordinator put together another scheme that we were able to outplay the offense that we were playing against. He put a few extra blitzes in. We played some blitzes that they hadn't seen out of us."

"It felt great to knock them off and just rejoice in our win," said Deckart, who added that some of Utah's four sacks were "coverage sacks" because the defensive backs kept SC's speedy receivers checkmated. It was also "just the intensity that our D front was playing with, getting their offensive linemen disoriented."

The Trojans had 151 total-offense yards in the game. That's right: one net yard rushing by the school once known as Tailback U.

Ute tailbacks Adam Tate (103 yards and a touchdown) and Dameon Hunter (94 yards and the game's MVP trophy), both Californians who played their junior-college ball under USC's nose, pounded away with the ball-possession game that Trojan coach Pete Carroll had feared. The Utes held the ball for 38:01 minutes, 16 seconds less than their season-best, which also came on this field against UNLV. Utah has won four straight games here over the past three seasons.

"They're horses," said quarterback Lance Rice. "We just get on their backs and ride them to victory."

In some ways the best part of all, Rice was at his career zenith, especially when he threaded a 20-yard third-and-14 pass from Utah's 9-yard line with 3:30 left in the game to tight end Mike Richardson as Utah once again tried to run out the clock on a win.

"We needed first downs," said McBride. "We could not punt."

"Lance made an excellent pass," said Richardson, who caught two touchdown passes the last time he was on this field. "A fat old lineman could have caught that pass," said the former offensive guard and center. "They were leaving me open over the middle all day. I mentioned it to Lance, he saw it and was confident and made a great throw, right on the money. I was just like, 'Oh, well there it is.'"

Still, Richardson said the key to the win was, "Our defense making so many sacks. Come on, six points on the board? That's a heckuva defense. Our offensive line and our defensive lines are some of the strongest, stoutest guys I've ever played with or against. I was pretty confident that things were going to end up the way they did."

Rice agreed. "The defense, they didn't give an inch, except that one drive to start the second half. They're the best defense in the country, I think."

With that third-down pass — maybe the best Rice has thrown — and a 16-yard third-and-4 shotgun-draw run by Tate with about 2 1/2 minutes left followed by a third first-down conversion, the Utes were able to hold onto a win the way they couldn't at BYU and Air Force in their last two losses. This time, they managed the clock and made the plays.

Tate's thought during his third-and-5 play was, "that I didn't want to go home to California with a loss to USC. I wanted to be able to go home and hold my head up with pride and tell all the people that I play for Utah and we beat Southern California. This game was big. It just makes our whole team feel good."

Tate scored Utah's only touchdown with 5:26 left in the first quarter on a 3-yard run. Ryan Kaneshiro topped it off with a PAT kick. With less than two minutes left in the first half, Rice was hurried and threw an incomplete pass, but Utah was called for an illegal receiver downfield. Inexplicably, USC declined the penalty on second down-and-9, and Hunter ran 11 yards on the next play. Two plays later, Kaneshiro kicked a 26-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead.

Southern Cal's first drive after intermission went 80 yards in 12 plays for a 2-yard TD run by Sunny Byrd, but the kick was wide. USC did little with a Ute fumble and interception, playing the final 19 minutes with waning success.

"We haven't finished sometimes this year. Today we finished," said McBride. "We wouldn't be denied."

"This was basically our last chance to redeem ourselves," said Tate, "and we all stuck together and got it done."

Utah is 8-4 a season after going 4-7 when it was supposed to win the Mountain West Conference. The Trojans finished 6-6 after starting their season 1-5.

1999 Las Vegas Bowl - Utah vs. Fresno State

2007-08-13T07:00:00.008-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? This was the first in what has become a 6-game bowl win streak. Fresno State (8-4) was the WAC co-Champion, and Utah (8-3) was one of three teams to share the MWC Championship that year. The Bulldogs were led by Billy Volek, who is currently a backup QB for the San Diego Chargers. Volek was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the nation that year, throwing 30 TDs and only 3 picks. Meanwhile, Utah's QB, T.D. Crowshaw (who got married two days before the game) went down with a shoulder injury during the third quarter, and Steve Smith was sidelined with a cracked cervical vertebrae.

But Utah's RB Mike Anderson was perfectly healthy. He tore the Bulldog defense apart for 254 yards on 34 carries, and two touchdowns. Those 254 yards set a Las Vegas Bowl record, and remain the most rushing yards ever by a Ute in a single game. Another hero was Darnell Arceneaux, who had spent the last month and a half on the sidelines recovering from his second concussion. Most people though he had already taken the last snap of his career. Nevertheless, he came in for the injured T.D. Crowshaw and made some key plays for the Utes, including a third-down pass completion in which Arceneaux took a vicious hit. He suffered from blurred vision for the rest of the game.

1999 was one of those seasons where Utah had a great lineup and won some big games, but also had a couple bad losses (Wyoming, Boise State) that kept them from having a really sensational season. This bowl victory ended the season on a very nice note, and was also the beginning of an awesome bowl-winning streak that endures to this day.

2007 RANKING: #17. I place this game ahead of classics such as AFA '95, Minnesota '90, and TDS '78 mainly because bowl victories have such a lasting effect on a program. Whereas upsets and comebacks can change the course of a season and give a team national exposure, the effects of such wins typically don't have the long term significance as a bowl victory. This is especially true here since the Utes continue to build on the streak that started with this win.

By the way, the thrilling fashion in which this game ended made it a regular feature on ESPNClassic's rotation.

FURTHER VIEWING:

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

VIVA LAS VEGAS
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Anderson, Utes Bowl Over Fresno State
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By Linda Hamilton
Deseret News
December 19, 1999

LAS VEGAS -- Ron McBride and Cletus Truhe haven't been the best of friends over the last five years.

The Utah coach is tough on his placekickers when they miss. Truhe stuck around campus after losing his kicking job last year mainly because he likes special teams coach Sean McNabb. Both have taken their lumps from fans. But the two exited the last Ute football game of the century on top of their mutual world Saturday night.

Or at least on top of tailback Mike Anderson's shoulders.

The ex-Marine led a Ute offensive barrage (548 total-offense yards) that ended with Truhe's dream of a game-winning kick coming true in a 17-16 win over Fresno State in Las Vegas Bowl VIII at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Meanwhile, a Ute defense led by linebackers Kautai Olevao and Kimball Christianson and defensive backs Teneil Ethridge and Andre and Patrick Dyson held Fresno QB Billy Volek to 14-for-28 for 147 yards and no touchdowns. Volek averaged 60 percent completions and threw 30 TD passes to only three interceptions for the season, an NCAA record. And noseguard Maake Kemoeatu blocked a Fresno PAT attempt after its second TD to give Truhe's field goal a chance to win the game.

The Utes finish their season 9-3 with the Vegas Bowl trophy and Anderson's MVP trophy for a Utah- and Vegas Bowl-record 254-yard rushing performance that included Utah's only two touchdowns. He broke the bowl record by 69 yards and the school record by six yards in leading the charge.

Anderson typically thanked the offensive line for hitting Fresno's moving-target defenders. "All that energy they were giving me, I wanted to give it back," he said. "I'll never forget this team, the coaches or the school. This was a great way to end my career. This is unbelievable for me."

He said the linemen picked up Fresno's moving slants and blitzes, and the job of the running backs was just to make a read at the line and go. He went for 76 yards on Utah's first rush of the game on just such a read. "I was really shocked," he said. "I knew then that it would be a great game.

Runs like Anderson -- and fellow senior Omar Bacon (eight carries, 91 yards) -- made on Saturday night before a bowl-record actual crowd of 22,542 made it easier on Utah's quarterback situation that changed unexpectedly when T.D. Croshaw suffered a bruised/strained throwing shoulder on the only interception of the game with 14 minutes left in the second quarter.

"It keeps teams from blitzing you," said a grateful backup QB Darnell Arceneaux. He had prepared all week to play receiver but was 8-for-15 for 94 yards, including a spectacular grab by Clifford Russell for 20 yards to keep Utah's final scoring drive moving toward Truhe's 33-yard field goal with 5:03 left in the game.

It's the second-best season record and second bowl victory in five tries in McBride's 10 years at Utah.

And Truhe's dream was finally realized -- but only after his first two field-goal attempts were blocked by a fierce Bulldog rush. "It took five years, but it finally came true," said Truhe, who began kicking again in October after 1-1/2 years as a holder for Ryan Kaneshiro and, earlier this season, for Golden Whetman.

"He kicked it through when it counted," McBride acknowledged about Truhe.

"What are you doing blocking our kicks?" McBride said to his son-in-law, John Baxter, who is Fresno's special-teams coach.

"That's my job," said Baxter, who defended his father-in-law's honor. "People in the state of Utah don't know how lucky they are to have Ron McBride as coach. You have to lose something to realize what you have," he said in reference to the many people who were calling for McBride's job after the Utes lost to Boise State and then lost back-to-back games to Mountain West Conference foes Colorado State and Wyoming to seemingly take Utah out of the championship picture.

But the Utes beat New Mexico and won at Brigham Young to win a share of the first MWC championship and a place in this bowl.

McBride said the loss to Wyoming, in a game the Utes dominated in the first half, was a turning point for a team that learned how to stay focused through four quarters.

Saturday, there were so many reasons to give up -- two blocked kicks, the first returned 75 yards for a Fresno touchdown by Payton Williams for a 7-0 Bulldog lead with 9:32 left in the first quarter, and a lop-sided load of yellow flags. Utah got 15 penalties worth 151 yards, "all at crucial times," according to McBride. Fresno had six penalties for 59 yards, one for 15 yards coming on an unsportmanlike late hit on Arceneaux during an Anderson 2-yard run with less than two minutes left.

That sealed Utah's one-point win, allowing it a first down that enabled the Utes to keep possession through Fresno's final timeout and then just run out the clock.

Fresno held leads of 7-0 and 10-7, but Anderson's 5-yard run with 7:21 left in the third quarter and Truhe's PAT put Utah up 14-10. Aided by a Ute facemask penalty on a 16-yard run by Charles Smith, Fresno took a 16-14 lead just into the fourth quarter, but the Kemoeatu PAT block left room for a Ute field goal to win the game.

October 21, 1995 - Utah vs. Air Force

2007-08-12T07:00:00.009-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? Utah was down 21-7 with a little over a minute left, and the ball on their own 36. Somehow they pulled it off.

What makes this comeback all the more amazing is the fact that the Utes did pretty much the same thing four weeks earlier against Fresno State. In that game, Utah managed to score two touchdowns in the final three minutes, including the winning pass from Mike Fouts to Rocky Henry with 47 seconds let to go.

So it's no surprise that fans decided that the chances for another miracle comeback were too slim to stick around to see the end of this game. Those that stayed in the stadium, or stayed tuned to their TVs, saw the most amazing Utah comeback in 23 years. Everyone else had to settle for newspaper write-ups or TV highlights, which can not do justice to this feat.

2007 RANKING: #18. This portion of the countdown consists of a lot of games with amazing endings. Victories such as these typically don't have the long-term impact on a program as some of the upsets and milestones that appear in the Top-15 or so. Still, a win like this can turn a season around.

This was a quality win, amazing comeback or not. Air Force was 5-2 before the game, finished the season at 8-5 (with a CIC trophy), and was one of four teams, along with the Utes, to share the WAC championship that year. So to win such an important game against a tough opponent makes this game the biggest of the 1995 season.

I place this game a little higher than Minnesota '90 on the countdown because the ending was a little more spectacular, and the quality of competition was better. This game could have been ranked even higher if the Utes had won either of their previous two games and were playing for an outright conference title. Instead they had to win this one, then win out, just for a share of the WAC title.

FURTHER READING:
• From the Box Score:
4TH QTR:
UTAH - TD, ROCKY HENRY 17 YD PASS FROM MIKE FOUTS (ROY MA AFALA RUN FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION), 14:19
UTAH - TD, KEVIN DYSON 50 YD PASS FROM MIKE FOUTS (DANIEL PULSIPHER KICK), 14:29

•Article about the game from Sports Illustrated, available on AncientUte's great website.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

THANK U, LOVE BYU
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Down 21-7 Late In The 4th, Utes Stage Miracle Rally
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By Mike Sorensen
Deseret News
October 22, 1995

You couldn't really blame all those Utah football fans who streamed out of the exits during the waning minutes of Saturday's game with Air Force. After all, Ute fans had sat through too many heartbreaking losses already this year - four to be exact - and there was no way the Utes could pull off a miracle win like they did against Fresno State. Or could they?

All the Utes needed were a couple of 50-yard passes, a perfect onsides kick, a two-point conversion - all in less than a minute - and the victory would be theirs. And believe it or not, the unbelievable Utes did it.

Down 14 points, they scored two touchdowns in a 10-second span in the final minute to stun the Falcons 22-21 and seriously hurt the Falcons' Western Athletic Conference title hopes.

"That's incredible,'' said Ute coach Ron McBride. "We've won two like that this year and you might not win two of those in a lifetime. It goes to show when there's life and there's breath, you've got a chance.''

Mike Fouts, who had struggled much of the day, threw two touchdown passes, a 17-yarder to Rocky Henry with 41 seconds left and a 50-yarder to Kevin Dyson with 31 seconds left to lift the Utes to the most unlikely victory. Of course, Utah needed the all-important extra points - a two-point run by Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and the winning kick by Daniel Pulsipher.

Pulsipher ended up a hero with his extra point boot and an onsides kick that was botched but turned out perfect, after he was about wear goat horns for a pair of key penalties that led to a Falcons' touchdown (more on that later).

Overshadowed in all the last-minute heroics was the play of the Ute defense, which defended the Falcon option as well as possible. The defense, led by Chad Kauhaahaa and Kautai Olevao, gave up just 339 yards total and held the Falcons below their second-in-the-nation rushing average with 285 yards.

"Our defense played incredible and was awesome against the option,'' said McBride. "They just refused to give in.''

After Air Force scored with 13:28 left in the third quarter to make it 21-7, the Ute defense kept the Falcons out of the end zone the rest of the day.

But the Ute offense sputtered and things looked bleak when Fouts fumbled after a blindside sack with 6:11 left, deep in Air Force territory.

Air Force marched up to the Utah 30, but three plays went for zero, minus 1 and minus 6 yards. After a punt, the Utes took over on their own 20 with little hope and little time.

With just over a minute left and the ball on the Utah 36, Fouts threw it high and long down the right side. Terrance Keehan had to turn around to catch it over the wrong shoulder for a 54-yard gain to the AFA 17. After two incompletions, Fouts found Henry between two defenders at the goal line.

Then the Utes lined up in their "Duck'' formation and Fouts pitched to Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who bulled his way around the left side to make it 21-15.

Everybody in the stadium knew what was coming next - an onsides kick to the left side of the Air Force receiving team.

Pulsipher meant to bounce it, but caught it high and instead sent a line drive right at Nakia Addison on the second row. The ball ricocheted off his chest, bounced around and was finally recovered by Utah's Artis Jackson.

Utah had 38 seconds to score, but didn't waste any time. The Utes sent five receivers out, but prior to the play, Fouts told Dyson, "to get on your horse, because I'm going to let it loose.''

Dyson flew down the left sideline right past Kelvin King, who had had an outstanding game up to that point, and caught the ball in stride at the 5-yard line and pranced into the end zone.

"It was a really nice ball and I just ran underneath it,'' said Dyson. "He told me to get on my horse and I just ran as hard as I could.''

"I'd already made my mind up that I was going to let it fly,'' said Fouts. "I gave (Dyson) a chance to make a play, because he's the kind of player that can turn a game around.''

According to AFA coach Fisher DeBerry, "Utah didn't surprise us, we just didn't execute and they did.''

The Utes still needed the extra point kick and Pulsipher split the uprights ("You never think about it,'' said Pulsipher, who claimed he wasn't nervous over the game-winner).

In the final half minute, the Falcons tried to pass themselves into field goal territory, but to no avail. The game ended with Calbert Beck intercepting a Hail Mary pass and running 85 yards for an apparent touchdown that was nullified by offsetting penalties.

The Utes had struck first with a 24-yard Fouts-to-Henry pass on the first play of the second quarter. The Falcons came back with a pair of touchdown passes of their own - a 35-yarder from Beau Morgan to Craig Hancock and a 4-yarder from Morgan to Tobin Ruff. The latter was set up by a fumble by Henry Lusk on a punt return.

At the end of the first half, Pulsipher missed a 37-yard field goal as time ran out. He thought it was good and told an official, who flagged him for unsportsmanlike conduct.

That meant Utah had to kick off from the 20-yard line to start the second half. Then Pulsipher compounded his first-half error by tackling the returner out of bounds, for another 15-yard penalty. That put Air Force on the Utah 41. Three plays later they were in the end zone on a 32-yard run by Jake Campbell to make it 21-7.

"I really screwed up big time,'' said Pulsipher. "That's 30 yards just on me. I almost cost the team the game.''

DeBerry was blaming himself for some conservative play near the end of the game the Falcons should never have lost.

"We ran out of gas. We didn't make the plays when we had the opportunity. We lost as a team not individuals. I give Utah lots of credit - I salute them,'' he said.

The win kept the Utes' slim WAC title hopes alive at 4-2. Not only did Air Force receive its second loss, but so did Colorado State and Wyoming, leaving just San Diego State and BYU with one WAC loss.

The Utes play in-state rival Utah State next week at home, before concluding the season with road games at Wyoming and BYU.

September 8, 1990 - Utah at Minnesota

2007-08-11T07:00:00.010-06:00

HOW IS IT GREAT? With the eyes of football nation fixed on Provo, UT, this game against Minnesota went relatively unnoticed. That was the day BYU upset Miami. Meanwhile, 1300 miles away, Utah pulled off this nifty little upset of their own.

Some games are great because they involve an upset, some are great because they involve an exciting finish, and some are great simply because they cap off exciting season or signal the beginning of an improved era. This game had it all: an upset win on the road against a Big Ten foe, an optimistic introduction to the Ron McBride era; but most of all -- an epic finish.

This was the first game of the season for Minnesota, and the second for Utah. One week earlier, the Utes beat Utah State 19-0, but lost their starting QB, Jason Woods, to an injury. However, his backup, Mike Richmond, was the more experienced player, having filled in for Scott Mitchell the final two games of the previous season. In those games, Richmond threw for 724 yards, eight TDs, and no interceptions. Richmond played the majority of the Minnesota game, and ended up being the main guy for the Utes in 1990. Unfortunately, he would merely match his TD production from the previous season (eight), and throw 16 picks.

Nevertheless, Richmond and the Utes played just well enough against Minnesota to pull off the upset.

2007 RANKING: #19. Even though Utah won only 4 games during Ron McBride's first season, this win still had a profound effect on the program, and is still remembered as a great start to the McBride era and sign of things to come. The fact that Minnesota went 6-5 in 1990 and finished 6th in the Big Ten may tend to diminish the quality of this victory, but then again this was still a game the Utes had no business winning. So to do so on the road in such exciting fashion make this the greatest Ute game so far on our countdown.

FURTHER READING:
• See #99 on CollegeFootballNews.com's 100 Greatest Finishes.

• From "Marcroft's Memories," Continuum (Fall 2003):

"Utah's playing Minnesota, at Minnesota, and we are tied at 29," Marcroft recalls. "Minnesota's got a 25-yard chip-shot field goal attempt to win it on the last play. Had it been on national television, the camera would have been on Minnesota's coach, but since we were televising the game back to Utah, the camera was on McBride to see his reaction if the kick was made and Utah loses the game. But Utah blocks the kick and Lavon Edwards (BS'92) returns it 91 yards down the sideline. McBride, with the came (sic) on him, is trying to go stride for stride with Edwards on the other sideline. It's one of the all-time great pieces of footage. It's been immortalized on tape just like the play involving the Stanford band." Utah won 35-29.

• Utah's WR Coach in 1990 was Brad Childress who now regularly coaches in the Metrodome as the Minnesota Viking's Head Coach.

WHAT THE PRESS HAD TO SAY:

UTES TAKE STUNNER OVER MINNESOTA
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By Doug Robinson
Deseret News
September 9, 1990

Just when it looked like the University of Utah had found a half-dozen crazy ways to lose a football game Saturday night - bench a red-hot quarterback, fumble without being touched, commit a late-hit foul, miss a PAT kick, muff a punt, drop a TD pass - they up and found an equally zany way to win one. With eight seconds left, Greg Reynolds blocked a sure-thing, 29-yard field goal attempt and LaVon Edwards picked up the ball and ran 91 yards for the game-winning touchdown with no time remaining.

Score it Utah 35, Minnesota 29. Bedlam ruled. The flabbergasted Utes raced onto the field and piled on top of Edwards in the end zone. Some Utah players simply fell flat onto their backs in the middle of the field and stared up in disbelief into the Metrodome ceiling. Coach Ron McBride, after breaking away from the pileup, lay prone at the seven-yard line. When he was somewhat recovered he ran sobbing to the locker room, where he was picked up by tackle Vince Lobendahn and hoisted onto a bench in the middle of a wild locker room. The team sang, prayed, hugged, high-fived and finally gave the game ball to Reynolds.

"I told you we would find a way to win!'' he shouted, his voice breaking. Later, he told reporters, "Minnesota has more talent, more players, stronger players, but we just never gave up.''

Outside, the 32,229 fans were stunned. They filed out of the stadium as if they'd just witnessed a car accident, shaking their heads and mumbling. It was a wild end to a wild night of bloopers. In all, there were six fumbles, five interceptions, 10 penalties and one big blown lead.

The Utes were up 19-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 29-14 early in the third quarter. Then the Gophers rallied. They tied the score with 4:46 left in the third quarter. Neither offense could do anything the rest of the game, but when Wayne Lammle's punt was partially blocked by Mark Keller, sailing a mere six yards and dying at the Ute 35-yard line with 1:04 left in the game, the Utes' seemed doomed. With eight seconds left, Brent Berglund settled in to try a 29-yard field goal.

On the Utah sideline, McBride told special teams coach Sean McNabb, "Give us the play that has the best chance to block it.'' The play is called "middle block,'' in which the Utes stack the middle, push the line back and leap. "We're going to block it!'' the Utes shouted on the sideline. Reynolds, who is 6-foot-2, bowled over the center and stuck his arm up and blocked the ball squarely.

"I turned around and the ball was right there,'' said Edwards. "I knew I was in. I'm not the fastest guy, but I knew they weren't going to catch me.''

"I've been in a lot of wild games, but never anything like this,'' said McBride.

Speaking of comebacks, the Utes, who were 4-8 a year ago, are two-and-Ohhhh(-my-gosh) - their best start in five years.

And still speaking of comebacks, how about quarterback Mike Richmond. Starting in place of the injured Jason Woods, Richmond completed 24 of 31 passes for 317 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions - not a bad night for a guy who did no more than mop-up duty a week ago and didn't throw a single pass; a guy who underwent off-season surgery on his throwing shoulder.

A week earlier, the Utes withheld part of their offense, partly because they didn't think they'd need it to beat Utah State, and partly to save a few surprises for Minnesota. On Saturday morning, they held a walk-through practice in the parking lot of the Bloomington Marriott, between lamp posts and a brown Chevy, because, said offensive coordinator Dan Henson, "We didn't want anyone around to watch. We'll open it up tonight.''

And they did. Woods completed seven of eight passes on the opening drive, ending with a 22-yard touchdown run by fullback Dean Witkin. The Gophers had no sooner got the ball back, than safety Sharrieff Shah recovered a bungled lateral at the 23. This time Richmond threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mike Anglesey. Wayne Lammle missed the PAT kick - his first miss in two years - to make it 13-0.

The local fans were already beginning to boo - and this was their team's first game of the year. They were booing again moments later when quarterback Scott Schaffner threw a perfect strike - to Edwards. Out trotted Richmond again. On first down, he connected on a 51-yard pass to Bryan Rowley, who made a leaping grab above the defender at the 16. Steve Abrams ran two yards in for the score and a 19-0 lead (the PAT pass failed).

Now it was Minnesota's turn. Ben Williams sacked Richmond, causing a fumble, which was recovered by John Lewis. Two plays later, Marquel Fleetwood, a new quarterback, ran 24 yards for a touchdown to make it 19-7. That was the first of five turnovers during an eight-minute span. Turnover No. 2 was a mindless interception thrown by Richmomnd directly to linebacker Pat Wright, which set up a 29-yard touchdown pass from Fleetwood to Pat Tinglehoff. Score: 19-14.

The turnover parade continued. Pita Tonga nailed Fleetwood and Anthony Davis recovered. But wait, Dean Witkin fumbled and Brinon Mayes recovered. But wait, Davis (who else?) intercepted a Fleetwood pass, which set up a 30-yard field goal by Lammle. At the half, it was 22-14.

Richmond got hot again to start the second half. Just as the rush closed in on him, he threw a scrambling 16-yard completion to Abrams. On third-and-four, he threw a beautiful 20-yard timing pass to Darrel Hicks at the two, where Abrams scored, making it 29-14.

But the Gophers responded, and Fleeetwood threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Tinglehoff. Score: 29-21. Two plays later Richmond threw his second interception to Wright at the 44. That set up the tying score. - a 3-yard TD pass from Fleetwood to tight endKPat Evans, and a two-point PAT run by Marcus Evans.

But all this was not without an huge aid from the Utes. On third-and-16, tackle Dave Chaytors sacked Fleetwood for a three-yard loss, but Tonga was hit with a late-hit flag. Instead of fourth-and-20, the Gophers were given first-and-10 at the 29.

When the Utes regained possession, Richmond was replaced by Woods and his severely bruised right knee.

"I have no idea why I was benched,'' said Richmond. "My arm felt fine.''

"It was my call,'' said Henson. "I wanted a switch. Mike played a great game, but he made two poor decisions on the interceptions.''

The Utes never scored again, but they should have. On first down Woods, who completed four of nine passes for 59 yards, promptly threw a perfect 50-yard bomb to Khevin Pratt, but he dropped a sure touchdown. No problem. Two plays later Woods hooked up with Rowley on a 58-yard pass play. But on third-and-goal at the seven, Woods rolled to the right and, for no apparent reason, fumbled, and Linebacker Andre Davis recovered.

In the end of course, it didn't matter. As McBride said, the Utes, who outgained their rivals 424 yards to 297, found a way to win, crazy as it seemed.