Game erases memory of 2 losses decisively
After two years of having gut-wrenching losses to BYU forced down its throat with improbable miracle plays, Utah spit out the bitter taste in high fashion Saturday with a first-class thumping of the rival Cougars 48-24 in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The win vaults the Utes to a BCS bowl yet to be determined, branding the Ute program as the first non-automatic qualifier to make it to the big-money dance for a second time.
For Ute coach Kyle Whittingham, on the spot since Urban Meyer defected to Florida, revenge struck two chords. He got one back at the Cougars and is now 2-2 against Bronco Mendenhall, and he equaled the Meyer watermark of going 12-0 and getting to the BCS.
Whittingham, who took his time with his troops before meeting the press, couldn't help it.
"This has been a long, long quest ... ahem ... or maybe that's the wrong word ... long journey," he said. "This started after the loss at UNLV last year. This team has been tough as nails."
Not 16-penny nails.
Call it railroad spikes.
But that's the money.
You couldn't buy the kind of satisfaction Utah got out of seeing to it that BYU, now 1-20 against ranked teams of late, imploded with six turnovers.
Utah senior quarterback Brian Johnson, who has already graduated, took it as a personal challenge with the league's two top quarterbacks on the field to prove who was the best.
On this day, Johnson succeeded with flying colors.
He told reporters he got a little ticked at hearing how explosive BYU's offense was all season.
Using a simple playground act of pitch and see 'em run offense, Johnson completed 30-of-36 passes for 303 yards and four touchdowns. He wasn't close to throwing an interception or fumbling the ball.
"Just put the ball in the hands of our playmakers," said Johnson, who said BYU's defense didn't do anything he hadn't studied for. "I knew what they were doing before they did it at times."
And in this corner ...
Recent comments
Two thoughts for you:
1) If you're a Ute troll just trying
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Re: BleedCougarBlue | Nov. 26, 2008 at 6:31 p.m.
"RE:Embarrased Utah Faculty | 12:27 p.m. Nov. 23, 2008
...
BleedCougarBlue | Nov. 26, 2008 at 3:57 p.m.
Nah--the 2008 Utes will be just fine in the BCS, and this coming from...
RE: Hawaii | Nov. 26, 2008 at 3:51 p.m.
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