From Deseret News archives:

Utah Utes football: Utah's man — Injury-free Johnson rarin' to go for Utes

Published: Tuesday, July 1, 2008 12:16 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Utah quarterback Brian Johnson has evolved into a hybrid. The fifth-year senior is determined to blend his performance in 2005 with the maturity level he showed last season.

Injuries have forced Johnson to change his game over the years. He's had to find different ways to help the Utes win.

The challenges, which have included knee and shoulder injuries, have kept Johnson from totally fulfilling the promise he showed as Alex Smith's understudy on Utah's Fiesta Bowl championship team.

Things started off well.

In his first season as the starter, Johnson produced some big numbers. He led the Mountain West Conference in total offense (ranking fourth in the nation with 337 yards per game) and pass efficiency.

The success, however, was interrupted by a season-ending knee injury in the 10th game of the 2005 campaign.

Johnson spent the next season as a redshirt while recovering from the surgery that followed.

In 2007, he reclaimed his role as the starter. And as luck would have it, Johnson quickly suffered another injury — a shoulder separation in the opening game at Oregon State.

It never really healed.

Story continues below
Though the injury usually requires 4-6 weeks of recovery time, Johnson came back in three and the shoulder got hit each game. Despite the pain, the junior wound up leading the Utes to victories in eight of the nine games he started and finished. Johnson capped things off by winning offensive MVP honors in the Poinsettia Bowl win over Navy.

"We've had challenges and we've dealt with them. It's just a matter of coming out, going to work everyday and trying to get better — realizing that you're not the only one who has challenges to deal with," Johnson said. "Things could have been a lot worse. You've got to play with the hand that was dealt and make the most of it."

Though Johnson's individual statistics took a drastic drop — his passing yardage fell from 2,892 yards in 2005 to 1,847 in 2007 and his rushing yardage went from 478 to 150 — Utah's team success rose.

With Johnson as the starting quarterback, the Utes were 8-2 last season and 5-5 in 2005.

Watching the 2006 season from the sidelines proved beneficial. Johnson insists he learned a lot that year. It altered his approach to the game. Johnson realized he didn't have to try and take over every game. He considered it a sign of maturity and leadership.

"Things don't always happen perfectly," Johnson said. "But you find a way to make do with what you have and make the most of each moment."

And that's exactly what Johnson is doing.

Recent comments

Some of you are nuts! I'm pulling for an undefeated Utah team to...

What? | July 12, 2008 at 9:29 a.m.

Word on the street is; Washington is ready for the Cougars and...

Las Vegas | July 5, 2008 at 7:14 a.m.

The Ute fans wouldn't have the hate that fuels their regards for the...

re:Hard Sell | July 3, 2008 at 12:22 p.m.

Image

Ute quarterback Brian Johnson is looking forward to his senior season.

previousnext

Latest comments

Letters: Oil violence

Oil dependence is bad news. As for freedom of information, the U.S. has a...

Y., U. football: A look ahead, behind

oklahoma has a winning record.

12 high schools ready for 'The Turf'

5A is @ 2:30 & 4A is @ 6:30 on the 20th.

Matheson gets no thanks from GOP

So-called health-care reform is, of course, simply a Democrat scam. ...

Yes, during the dinosaur age, there were significantly more volcanos and the...

Its all one big hoax brought to you by the marxists that want to take over...

Stupid idea. Taxing food. Eating is not an option. Tax things which are...

Input sought on nondiscrimination

Flabbergasted with the comment "I'm personally tired of having gay rights...

CJ is a better fit replacing Brewer at the 2 in the long term. I think...

"Americans have long distinguished between behaviors that build and those...

Advertisements
Advertisement