For Utes, Ratliff, it's deja vu

The Utes are significant underdogs in the annual football game against BYU. In fact, almost nobody thinks they can win. They fell from title contention early, thanks to a midseason swoon. How good Utah quarterback Brett Ratliff will be in the big game is debatable.

Wait a minute. Isn't this where we came in?

Things aren't all that different for Ratliff and the Utes than in 2005. He still has something to prove. The Cougars are again enjoying a better regular season. Which is why it's impossible to ignore Saturday's game.

Was it Yogi Berra or Kyle Whittingham who said, "It ain't over till it's over?"

"If you can't get up for this game, what game can you get up for?" said Ratliff. "I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it."

So here we are, 368 days later, and what does it all mean?

It means what it always does.

Return your seat backs and tray tables to their full upright and locked position, ladies and gentlemen. We may be experiencing turbulence.

For Ratliff, in particular, it has been an eventful ride. At this time last year he had never started a Division I game. But he ended up leading the Utes to an overtime win over BYU that earned a berth in the Emerald Bowl. For good measure he turned in a command performance in the bowl game against Georgia Tech. His dreams were coming true.

Since then, he has been both hero and goat. But more than anything, he has been a mystery. At times his passing accuracy is uncanny.

Other times his tosses flutter like confetti. He admits to failing on several occasions — witness the three-interception loss to Boise State — yet remains unfazed.

"Mixed results," he said, when asked if he was pleased with his performance this season. "I know I went through some struggles, but really it was my first year of being a Division I quarterback. (BYU's) John Beck went through some struggles to get to where he is, so I don't think about past pressures and trying to live up to how I played last year. I feel confident about the way we played the last few games, and I've been confident this week."

Ratliff was effective against TCU, passing for 223 yards and rushing for 64. But the next week he endured a two-interception, 111-yard performance in a loss to Wyoming. He returned to respectability by leading the Utes to three wins in the last three games.