Utah Utes football notebook: Utes could end up going bowling in San Diego again

PROVO — This season's bowl picture could end up looking awfully familiar for Utah.

After losing 26-23 to BYU in overtime, the Utes could be making plans for a late-December trip to the Poinsettia Bowl once again. Although there is no guarantee of that. There's no guarantee that Utah will end up with San Diego for the second time in three seasons, but the Utes could be going there if the Las Vegas Bowl opts to choose the Cougars for the fifth straight season.

If the Poinsettia Bowl does extend a bid to Utah, the bowl committee will welcome a return by the Utes after a good turnout by their fans in 2007 when they edged Navy 35-32.

"Either (BYU or Utah) is a win for us," Poinsettia Bowl committee member Scott Flaming said. "What it comes down to generally is who travels — who puts bodies in the seats."

A return trip to San Diego could hold more appeal for Utah this time around. Because the bowl holds the No. 6 selection from the Pac-10, the Utes could end up in a much more appealing matchup. Several potential selections for the Poinsettia Bowl have at least seven or eight wins already this season.

The increased parity in that conference could create the kind of matchup that will help the bowl to enhance its national profile.

"It's our dream," Flaming said. "It puts people in the seats. It gets people turning on their TVs. It enhances the legitimacy of a non-BCS bowl. ... It gives ours credibility."

FINAL PLAY JINX CONTINUES: Max Hall's 25-yard touchdown pass to Andrew George in overtime marked the third time in four seasons that Utah lost to BYU either on the game's final play or a play in the final minute.

The Utes were burned when John Beck found Jonny Harline on a 11-yard TD pass with no time remaining to lift the Cougars to a 33-31 victory in 2006. BYU found a way to rip Utah's heart out again a year later when Hall converted a 49 yard pass to Austin Collie on 4th-and-18 from the Cougars' own 12 yard line. That set up a winning 11-yard TD run by Harvey Unga with 38 seconds left in a 17-10 victory.

It is becoming a disconcerting trend for Kyle Whittingham to see his team repeatedly lose in the final moments in this rivalry series.

"We've lost three games now on essentially one play," Whittingham said.

CASTING A WIDE NET: Eddie Wide became the 11th rusher in school history to top the 1,000 yard mark after amassing 114 yards and a TD on 21 carries.

Wide improved his season tally to 1,032 yards on 183 carries — which ranks ninth overall in a season by a Utah running back. He also recorded his seventh 100 yard game, making him the first Ute rusher to record seven 100-yard games in a single season since Dameon Hunter did it back in 2001.