Was it really only six weeks ago that the University of Utah was given up for dead? Remember Idaho? Remember the three-game losing streak? Those days seem like a distant memory in the wake of Utah's remarkable midseason turnaround, which was capped by Saturday's 34-31 road win over BYU.
Who would have believed last month that Utah would finish the season with a winning record and a lock on a bowl berth?The Utes barely had a pulse after suffering their third straight loss on Oct. 9. They reached midseason with a 2-4 record - and that was the easy half of their schedule. They still had to play San Diego State, BYU and Hawaii.
It didn't look good. The defense was coming unraveled by injuries and the offense was erratic, at best, and not only did they have a 12-game schedule, but they didn't have a single bye week. Yet somehow they won five of their last six games to finish the regular season with a 7-5 record - only the fourth time in 15 years they have won seven or more games.
"We dug ourselves out," said Utah coach Ron McBride after beating BYU in the regular-season finale. "This team never quit . . . This was a team of destiny. We had so many problems this season. This team had something in mind. This must have been what they had in mind."
The Utes spent the first half of the season trying to solve problems on offense and special teams and the second half of the season trying to patch a battered and vulnerable defense. They showed up at Cougar Stadium with a lineup that included two gimpy defensive backs, Ernest Boyd and Mark Swanson, and a hobbled defensive tackle, Blaine Berger. Boyd and Swanson were so sore that they had to keep moving on the sideline to prevent stiffness when the offense was on the field.
"Swanson was playing with one good shoulder and Boyd and Berger with one leg," marveled McBride.
Somehow, Utah held BYU - a team that had averaged 52 points in its previous five games - to 31 points. In the end it took Chris Yergensen's 55-yard field goal with 25 seconds left to win the game, but this win was no fluke.
"I watched the film (Sunday) and we were the better team," said McBride. "We had a lot of opportunities to score."
Utah produced 629 yards offense, compared to BYU's 501. But four drives stalled inside the 20-yard line (three in the first half), ending with one field goal, two missed field goals, and loss of the ball on downs.
Still, Utah never trailed until BYU took a one-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game. The Utes scored a touchdown, a two-point conversion and a field goal in the game's final 41/2 minutes to claim their first win in Provo in 21 years. That ended two decades of frustration that was clearly evident in the post-game celebration in which Utah players tried to topple the goalposts, leading to a confrontation with BYU players and fans that nearly turned into a melee.
"I thought they were going to tear down the stadium," said McBride. "There was no controlling them. That was a lot of years of frustration."
Perhaps the Utes just wanted a souvenir. The last time they beat the Cougars, in 1988, they tore down the goal posts, which eventually were cut into pieces and sold. But that was in Rice Stadium.
The Utes, who made their first bowl appearance in nearly three decades last December, seem certain to be awarded another berth in either the Copper or Freedom bowls, although that probably won't become official until next weekend.
The Utes, according to most observers, are an attractive bowl team, given their late-season surge, their prolific offense and the play of quarterback Mike McCoy, fullback Jamal Anderson, etc. What's more, despite their difficulties, they came close to winning all of their games except the season opener against Arizona State.
The month-long layoff might benefit the Utes, allowing several of their injured defensive players to regain their health. Who knows, maybe we haven't seen the best of the Utes yet.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Season in review
Mike McCoy: Produced the second most prolific passing and total offense performance for a season in school history. Completed 276 of 430 passes (64.2 percent) - a school record for a minimum of 150 attempts), 3,860 yards, 10 interceptions and 21 touchdowns. Finished second in the nation in total offense, with 3,969 yards (330.8 yards per game), just 63 yards behind Nevada's Chris Vargas. Ranked 16th nationally in pass efficiency (151.1).
Bryan Rowley: Set career school receiving records for catches (177), yardage (3,143) and touchdowns . Averaged 17.8 yards per catch during his career. His season totals: 55 catches, 838 yards, 5 TDs.
Jamal Anderson: Rushed for 958 yards on 168 carries - an average of 5.7 yards per attempt. More than half of his carries and more than half his yards (492) came in the season's final four games.
Team: Set school single-season total offense record, with 5,815 yards, breaking the old record of 5,795 set in 1988. However, the latter mark is still superior to this year's performance, because it was accomplished in 11 games. The 1988 team averaged 526.8 yards per game. This year it was 484.6.