From Deseret News archives:
Utah Utes football: Utes' quarterback picks up plenty of accolades
After completing 24-of-39 passes for 230 yards and a touchdown against the Horned Frogs, Johnson was named the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
He's also been named a finalist for the prestigious Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, presented each year to the nation's top senior quarterback. Other candidates include Chase Daniel (Missouri), Graham Harrell (Texas Tech), Parker Wilson (Alabama) and Pat White (West Virginia).
The winner will be announced Dec. 5 in Baltimore.
"It's a huge honor. This season just keeps getting better and better," Johnson said. "We're excited about the opportunities."
If the Utes keep winning, he added, good things will keep happening.
Utah (10-0) is seventh in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings and can clinch at least a share of the MWC title with a win Saturday at San Diego State (1-9).
Johnson is drawing plenty of praise for leading the charge for the team's first league crown since 2004.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham credits Johnson's "poise and confidence" for much of the success.
"Everyone believes in him getting it done," Whittingham said.
In the victory over TCU, Johnson directed a game-winning 80-yard drive in the closing minutes. He completed 7-of-9 passes, including a fourth-down connection to Freddie Brown along the way, to keep Utah's BCS and conference title hopes alive.
Johnson capped things off with a 9-yard scoring strike to Brown with just 48 seconds remaining.
"We spend a lot of time in practice working on the two-minute drill," Whittingham said. "Most of our success comes from the guys we have running it and the time we invest in it."
Johnson's late-game heroics, which include spearheading a rally against Oregon State on Oct. 2, has given the Utes added confidence — on offense and defense.
"Brian Johnson is a great quarterback and he's done it so many times," said cornerback Sean Smith. "He's proved that he can go down there and score with two minutes or not. We have all the faith in him."
Johnson, who holds the school record for most wins (23) as a starting quarterback, has led the Utes to an 18-1 mark since returning from a shoulder injury last season.
"His record speaks for itself," said Whittingham, who considers a quarterback's win-loss mark as the greatest measure of value to a football team.
The bottom line, however, is tied to point production. And after back-to-back 13-10 wins over New Mexico and TCU, the Utes will likely need to put more points on the board to succeed in season-ending games against San Diego State and BYU.
