Kickoff Countdown: 2008, Utah Blacks Out TCU

Last week’s Countdown induction of the 2007 season cited it as the wildest of the Bowl Championship Series era. And it still is. However, the following campaign could be seen as the most controversial from a non-automatic qualifier perspective. That season’s BCS Championship featured two teams with one loss: Florida and Oklahoma. Texas fans squawked their Longhorns’ defeat of OU should have catapulted them into the title picture. In the same token, Texas Tech had a complaint as the only squad to defeat UT in a classic that was very nearly the 2008 Kickoff Countdown induction.

BCS rules froze Tech out of the picture altogether though, as any one conference may only send two teams to one of the five bowls. Perhaps karma works preemptively. Tech wasn’t the only BCS snub with a gripe. Boise State was just two years removed from an epic BCS busting performance against Oklahoma, but despite running off another perfect slate that included road wins over Oregon, Southern Miss and Nevada was left out.

But the most glaring complaint from that season belongs to Utah. The Utes stood tall as the sole unbeaten at season’s end, among its wins a two-touchdown defeat of Alabama, in SEC country. The ’08 Utes remain, for my money, the best non-AQ since the system’s inception and the one most deserving of a title game opportunity. To speculate UU would not have been at the top of the Pac’s expansion wishlist without that campaign is fair.

The Utes’ Sugar Bowl run would not have come to fruition though, were it not for a few barnburning wins. Kyle Whittingham spoiled Rich Rodriguez’s Michigan debut in the Big House, 25-23. A few weeks later, UU survived at the always-treacherous Falcon Stadium, 30-23 over Air Force. A late field goal gave the Utes the ultimate advantage over Oregon State, one week after the Beavers toppled No. 1 USC.

None of Utah’s daring escapes was quite as heart-stopping as its Thursday, Nov. 6 defeat of TCU. The Horned Frogs came into Rice-Eccles Stadium ranked No. 11, the highest ranked foe UU would meet until the Sugar Bowl. TCU’s BCS hopes were dashed in a loss to Oklahoma, but the Frogs could still boast a banner season with a Mountain West championship.

For a likely championship-determining tilt, UU marketing urged fans to “black out” Rice-Eccles and the team sported all-black uniforms.

TCU came out unfazed, particularly early.

Both squads were just five days removed from conference tilts, though TCU had trampled UNLV. UU needed all it could muster to defeat the final Rocky Long-coached New Mexico team, which in typical Rocky Long-coached fashion, got up defensively for a stronger opponent. Utah would have its hand full once again with another stout defense, and this one was much quicker and more talented.

TCU held UU without a touchdown through three quarters. The Utes’ lone scores were long Louie Sakoda field goals. UU was stifled to just 275 total yards — 45 rushing — and a miserable 4-15 third down conversion rating.

The Ute defense similarly rose to the challenge, though. TCU did manage over 400 yards, but the Frogs were blanked after scoring the game’s first 10 points. Andy Dalton completed just 16 of his 37 attempts, and threw two interceptions; the only turnovers of the night.

Special teams defense was particularly important for UU. In the fourth quarter, those big yards TCU accrued helped it into the red zone twice. The Frogs had an opportunity to pull ahead by a touchdown-and-extra point, but Ross Evans was no good on a 26-yard attempt that careened off the goal post.

A quick, fruitless Ute series gave TCU the ball, and Evans a shot at redemption. His 36-yarder sailed wide right though. His was just his third miss of the year. And it set the stage for Brian Johnson.

Johnson went to work on the TCU middle and forced the tempo. The Frogs were stifling the run, so Johnson used short, quick passes between the linebackers and secondary. He completed seven passes on the drive and got a pass interference call. The Utes didn’t gain a single rushing yard on the 80-yard drive, but didn’t need to. Johnson handled things on his own, including scoring the first touchdown on a slant to Freddie Brown.

The defense held firm on the ensuing Frog possession. It was the vault Utah needed to jumpstart its final push. In the next three games, Utah won by a combined 87 points. Two of those games were against teams ranked in the top 15: No. 14 BYU (48-24) and No. 4 Alabama (31-17).

That finish is the push that could have, and maybe should have given Utah either a title game spot or a split vote championship. The knock against UU, aside from playing weak, non-AQ conference opponents like San Diego State, UNLV and Wyoming was the number of close wins it needed. None was closer in terms of which way the outcome could have gone than the TCU affair. But TCU proved itself in handing Boise State its sole loss of the season in the Poinsettia Bowl.

The Boise State win would propel TCU into the top 10 of the final poll. The Frogs were one of four teams sporting a top 25 mark the week it played UU. The others were Michigan, BYU and Alabama. TCU was one of four Ute opponents to finish the 2008 season ranked along with BYU, ‘Bama and Oregon State. Now, Florida played six teams ranked at the time of their meeting, but beat just three teams to end the year ranked.