THE STEEL-GRAY cloud that hung over the University of Utah football program for most of this week began to dissipate on the second play of the game. Juan Johnson, heretofore known as the guy who comes in when the Big Guy goes looking for a double-Whopper, slashed off the left side for six yards. Three plays later he went left again for 12 yards, breaking two tackles as he went. Which was good news for the Utes. They had already run several plays and, to the surprise of almost everyone watching at Rice Stadium Saturday, the team was moving.
Soon it was obvious that life actually does go on without Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, and that while F-M may be as imposing as the Hoover Dam and twice as solid, the Utes aren't a one-man attack after all."I never doubted Juan," said safety Harold Lusk. "I don't know why anyone doubted Juan."
By the time the Utes had roughed up Tulsa 45-19, and Johnson had rushed for a career-high 197 yards, it seemed as though Lusk was right: just because the Utes have only one bulldozer doesn't mean they don't carry explosives.
In terms of promising weeks in Utah football history, the latest had to rank far down the list. The Utes were coming off two straight lackluster performances, escaping with wins but suffering emotional damage nonetheless. Their offense was flighty and inconsistent.
The sense was that while Utah was winning, it wasn't enough. The Utes defeated UTEP and Texas Christian on consecutive weeks, giving them a 6-1 overall record, but the problem was, they weren't looking good. Their offense consisted mostly of giving the ball to the 275-pound Fuamatu-Ma'afala and pulling up a chair.
But on Tuesday the bad news arrived that there would be no F-M this weekend. A knee injury would require surgery, keeping him out for several weeks. The Utes were without their 1-man Armageddon.
"Everyone counted us out," said Johnson.
When Saturday dawned, though, Johnson was in his best form. He ignored the insinuation that he wasn't good enough to carry the team himself; in fact, he ignored the entire Tulsa defensive line. He rushed for three touchdowns and caught a scoring pass just for good measure. Just that fast, Fuamatu-Ma'afala was becoming hard to remember. Not only was Johnson scoring like the Big Guy, but it was a lot easier to say his name. The play-by-play announcers were ecstatic. Instead of driving over people like a freight truck, Johnson was twisting and slashing his way into the end zone. The style may have been different but the results were equally effective.
"I don't know if people even knew Chris wasn't playing," said receiver Kevin Dyson.
Johnson isn't an unknown commodity. The 216-pound running back from West Valley City has been around all year, lurking in the background. He showed flashes of promise, followed by spells of ineffectiveness. He carried for 114 yards against Stanford and 91 against Fresno State, but had several non-outings, like his 11-yard night against UTEP and his 15 yards against SMU. The Utes gave the ball of Johnson often enough, but when they absolutely needed the yards, they went with Fuamatu-Ma'afala.
In part, Johnson wasn't going for big yardage because F-M was taking most of the carries. Also, Johnson has been hampered this year with a series of nagging injuries. In one 2-game span he carried only 5 times for 29 yards. While the Utes were winning unconvincingly against UTEP and TCU, it was F-M who packed them on his back.
But that was before Saturday arrived. The field crew scraped 9 inches of snow off the field before the game began, and Johnson had more trouble with the wet ground than he did the entire Tulsa defense. He scored from the 8 in the first period and burst up the middle in the second quarter on an 18-yard run to put the Utes ahead 31-9. He passed his career-high for rushing early in the third quarter - not even stopping to pose for the cameras - and plowed in from the 3 for his third score of the afternoon. With the Utes leading 38-11 and trying to not to lose focus, he drifted toward the sideline and took a pass from Mike Fouts, racing 31 yards for his fourth touchdown.
It was now official: fans could mention F-M's surgery without bursting into tears. The king was injured, long live the king.
Afterward, Johnson and teammates crowded happily into the locker room while Fuamatu-Ma'afala stood outside in street clothes, looking as content as if he had done it himself. Carrying the team on his shoulders had suddenly become much lighter. Not only had Johnson set a personal record, but he'd also made sure both backs will sleep better knowing Utah can win games with or without the heavy equipment.