Bowl Season '08: Utah Woodsheds Alabama in Sugar Bowl, Finish 2008 Season Undefeated

Well there's your bowl shocker! Utah took SEC runner-up Alabama to the woodshed from the word go, running up a 21-0 first quarter lead on the way to a 31-17 Sugar Bowl victory in the belly of the SEC beast, New Orleans. In so doing, Utah finishes its season undefeated, 13-0, unblemished and mighty proud.

Oh, and they've shocked the entire college football world. A heartfelt congratulation. Not many programs can claim to have a pair of BCS bowl victories. Utah can, and has done so against two excellent programs -- Pitt and Alabama.

Wow.

Utah's victory came on the strength not just of its brilliant pass offense, but toughness and defense. The Utes bullied Alabama all night, inducing several injuries and sacking Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson eight times. Alabama's never been confused with a great offensive team, but Utah doesn't exactly have SEC talent all over the field either.

Alabama rushed for just 31 yards on 33 attempts and finished with a mere 208 total yards. They were beat, straight up, and would have lost by an even greater margin without a much-needed punt return touchdown by feisty Javier Arenas who was one of the few Alabama players to consistently show heart in this game.

Alabama's Nick Saban is an excellent coach, but he's going to take a beating tonight from many people who have grown to hate him over the years and likely many Alabama faithful. Worse off will be senior quarterback John Parker Wilson who was awful, even by his moderate standards.

On the opposite side of the field, Utah's Brian Johnson picked apart Alabama's secondary -- aided by some sloppy missed tackles -- to the tune of 336 yards and three touchdowns. Utah didn't even pretend to care to run the ball until the fourth quarter and still worked over a talented and well schemed Alabama secondary.

The SEC took one on the jaw tonight, and Utah is likely to begin the annual crowing all recent undefeated mid-major programs have made about being included in the BCS Championship Game. Congratulate Utah on their season, but call me a doubter when it comes to their BCS title game relevance. Let the arguments begin!

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-03-2009 @ 12:20AM

Terry said...

WOW what a game. Utah defeats Alamaba like nobody in the country expected.13-0 What a season and the way they played tonite they could have beat Florida or oklahoma or anyone elese the bcs would like to send. GO UTES #1

1-03-2009 @ 12:24AM

tim frenchko said...

The most consistant performance I have ever seen. Sec has a lot to learn about consistancy(but not while they're fat)The media had me thinking with two minutes left the monster was coming back, when actually I'm not sure Utah had a game on their hands.

1-03-2009 @ 12:38AM

BSU81 said...

Let the crowing begin??? Seriously, what honest person can defend the BCS anymore. Only those personally invested in the system, as in those who feed at the trough are making noises to claim the BCS is worthwhile.

Nothing lasts forever, nothing. Powers rise and fall. Football is not exempt. Excluding teams just because they are not traditional powers is about as un American as you can get. This country is not about entitlement.

The great thing about sports is that the victor wins glory on the field by his own strength. Time to end the BCS. Utah IS the best college football team in the land. If anyone says no, then let them play Utah and prove it.

1-03-2009 @ 12:48AM

james said...

College football this year needs to get rid of the BCS (Bias Conference Superiority) and instead install a national playoff. This is the second Utah has been undefeated in a season without an opportunity to play for number one.

Congrats Utes (and any other team) that proves away with the BCS!

1-03-2009 @ 4:20AM

John said...

Utah beat Bama right out of the gate. This isn't up for contestation, Utah was the more dominate team without argument. Awesome performance; I was totally impress with Utah's poise, confidence and team play. The BCS is absolute crap! and all those sports casters are tools caught up in nostalgia of former times! Nobody even gave Utah a chance... well, enough said.

My respect for the Utah Utes!

1-03-2009 @ 1:06AM

rick said...

Utah "holds off" Alabama? Please... Alabama was destroyed by better coaching , smarter players and dicipline. The SEC and the Big -12 are supported by a biased Southern media bent on providing some relief to those poor Southern dwellers... period. The west makes the products, jobs, opportunities and innovation other states rely on and they should stsrt respecting that. We have real Colleges (not some extension of H.S.Football)... How many SEc or Big-12 players can get into Stanford, CAL or UCLA?... please.. don't prove my point by answering.

1-03-2009 @ 6:05AM

CDS said...

Rick, I know this is the internet and everything, but you can make you point without resorting to simple-minded bigotry.

1-03-2009 @ 2:16AM

Chad said...

That was pure domination. Time for the SEC to realize that there are other teams and conferences outside of their bubble. Utah handed them an ass whoopin.

1-03-2009 @ 2:52AM

Nick said...

People seem to forget that Alabama's O-Line was completely decimated for this game. There's no doubt that Utah played incredible and Bama played poorly but a LOT of that can be attributed to Bama's O-Line.

1-03-2009 @ 7:31PM

Clayton said...

How dumb was I to think that Utah might acutally get some respect after this game. All i keep hearing is excuses.

1-03-2009 @ 2:42AM

Esther said...

The west makes the products, jobs, opportunities and innovation??? WTF are you smoking? The only thing out West are silicone valley and hollywood...is that your idea of innovation, products and opportunities? And what does academic standings have to do with football? Alabama lost by 14 points...i hardly call that being destroyed...as a matter of fact...i'm amazed that the score was only 14...especially how sh*tty 'bama was playing...

and just bcuz they beat 'bama does not mean they could beat anyone else in the country tonight...USC, Florida and Oklahoma in particular

1-03-2009 @ 5:42AM

Bill said...

If there is any justice in this world, those who vote in the AP poll will vote Utah national champion. It's only right.

1-03-2009 @ 5:50AM

topper said...

Hey Nick-

The OL had nothing to do with the Alabama defense

1-03-2009 @ 8:43AM

Shelbz said...

As an SEC fan, even I will admit Bama just got their ass handed to them. But, like Esther said, I'm really surprised the differential was only 14 points considering how shitty Bama played.

Utah definitely deserves to be voted #2 in the AP and deserves to be playing for the National Title but unless they played, I couldn't say this same team would have beat Florida, Oklahoma, or USC.

When you have weeks to prepare for one single game, any team could beat any other team. It just depends on how bad you want it.

All season long, Alabama never faced any real competition. They beat an over ranked Clemson, a falling Georgia, a talent depleted LSU, a 5-7 Auburn team, and a narrow win by an up and coming Ole Miss.

Their first tough team was also their first loss.

Alabama prospered thanks to an unusually weak SEC this season and should have known they didn't belong there.

1-03-2009 @ 9:34AM

elizabethfriedla said...

When Arizona State went undefeated in 1975, the East coast elite media scoffed, when BYU did the same thing in 1984, the media guffawed--when Boise State beat Oklahoma, the media doubted.

Now that Utah picked apart 'Bama, what is left to say?

1-03-2009 @ 9:57AM

Rittle said...

BCS CHAMPS/ QUALIFIERS. OU/FL WINNER, USC, UTAH, AND TEXAS WITH WIN. BOISE OUT WITH SCHED. AND LOSS. FOUR TEAM PLAYOFF UNLESS TEXAS LOSES, THEN THREE TEAM PLAYOFF WITH BYE FOR NO. 1.,OTHERWISE 2 VS 3 AND 1 VS 4, THEN WINNER VS WINNER UNLESS GAME IS BOWL REPEAT GAME AND CHAMP IS AUTOMATIC . ELIMINATE ONE STUPID PRE-CONFERENCE GAME AND EITHER HAVE CONFERENCE CHAMP GAME FOR ALL OR NONE. SOME YEARS 3 QUALIFIERS, SOME YEARS 4. TWO LOSS TEAM QAULIFIERS OR ONE LOSS/MINOR CONFERENCE TEAMS FOR CHAMPIONSHIP IS A JOKE UNLESS ALL TEAMS(TOP 4) IN SAME BOAT. IF CLEAR CUT CHAMP AFTER BOWLS, NO. 1 AND UNDEFEATED OR ONLY ONE LOSS/ MAJOR CONFERENCE CHAMP AND OTHERS FAR BACK IN VOTING...NO PLAYOFF/ CHAMPION DECLARED, e.g. OU THIS YEAR IF UNDEFEATED. ONLY PROBLEM LEFT IS INDEPENDENTS LIKE ND WITH NO CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP UNLESS HAVE INDEPENDENTS CHAMP. GAME.

1-03-2009 @ 12:24PM

I thought Alabama was pretty good however, when you have a team built by the media with a head being a monster, a lot of things fall throught the cracks; Like a team nobody knew and thought for the most part was either going to be a blowout(thanks to the media) or didn't deserve to be there(kinda like Miami thought in regards to Alabama at the '92 debacle).
Case in point,the god almighty o0f the Sec was given all the media attention, while the best was forgotten. (How cheap does it make the Nick Saban awards?) The Sec is full of crap and the media moguls need to be fired. College football was robbed this year by a bunch of crooks.

1-03-2009 @ 12:51PM

thabear said...

Being a di-hard Alabama fan for life 1970-now, I would have to say that last nights game was horrible. There is no excuse for the lazy players we saw on the field in that game. Hats off to the Utes, a very good game and you should have a better ranking than what you have now. #3? The utes won't see #1or#2 because of the big name schools involved, but it would be good for a ranking of #3 in the end. (Alabama visited bourban street to often while in the big easy) Goold Luck to the Utes.