Utah Utes football: U. sticking with tried-and-true bowl prep

Three head coaches, dozens of assistant coaches and hundreds of football players have contributed in Utah's current bowl-game winning streak.

The Utes have won seven straight bowl games dating back to 1999, which is the second-longest in the nation behind Boston College's eight-game winning streak. Utah obviously takes playing in bowl games seriously, but it will be in unchartered territory when it faces Alabama in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 2. The Utes haven't been as big of an underdog during their streak as they will be when they face Alabama.

Playing the mighty Crimson Tide, however, won't change Utah's approach. The current Utes almost unanimously say that the way they've approached bowl games is the biggest reason for their success in the past, and it won't change for the Sugar Bowl.

"The way we prepare (is the biggest factor in the Utes' bowl success)," said receiver Brent Casteel, one of nine current Utes who were on the roster when Utah last busted the BCS and played in the Fiesta Bowl. "We treat it just like it's a normal football game even though it's more of a relaxed atmosphere now that we got the (Mountain West Conference) championship under our belts. We treat this like any other game. We practice hard, put a lot of mental reps into it and play harder on game day."

It's easy for teams to get swept away in the hype of playing in bowl games. Coach Kyle Whittingham stresses the need to treat the contests as business trips to his players. Former coaches Ron McBride and Urban Meyer, who contributed four of the bowl wins during the Utes' current streak, took a similar approach.

More than any other factor in Utah's bowl success, Whittingham credits the past and present players for their focus in getting the Utes bowl wins over Fresno State (1999), USC (2001), Southern Miss (2003), Pittsburgh (2004), Georgia Tech (2005), Tulsa (2006) and Navy (2007).

"We treat a bowl game like it's any other game in the season," Whittingham said. "We prepare to win. It's not a vacation. It is a reward, but at the same time, the main purpose of going to a bowl game is to try to win the game. Our players don't lose sight of that."

The Utes have more time to prepare for the Sugar Bowl than they've had for any other bowl during their winning streak. Utah has only played one other game as late as Jan. 2 in its 115-year history, and that was clear back when it beat New Mexico in the Sun Bowl on Jan. 2, 1939.

The extra time to get ready will give the Utes plenty of opportunities to analyze and dissect the Crimson Tide. Whittingham said he and his staff can't go overboard in setting their game plan.