After finishing the regular season 6-4, Snow felt like it had a little bit of a chip on its shoulder. After all, a fumble and blocked field-goal attempt were the difference in two of those defeats.
Snow had an opportunity to erase some of the sting of its regular season Saturday in the first-ever Zion's Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl against Minnesota's Rochester College.
The Badgers took full advantage of that chance, pounding No. 11 Rochester College 45-7 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
"We didn't get a lot of respect coming in," said Snow coach Jeff Kilts. "I'd rather be overlooked any day."
Snow raced out to a 28-0 lead and left little doubt about the game's outcome. Special teams and stifling defense played an important role in Snow's early push. Leading 7-0, the Badgers blocked a Rochester punt that was returned by Jason Streiff, a Viewmont High graduate, for a touchdown.
"Our special teams were awesome today," Kilts said. "We spent a lot of time on special teams. We feel like it's a third of the game."
Snow also had another special teams touchdown in the third quarter, this time a field goal that was returned 66 yards for a touchdown by Cole Hall.
Throughout the game, Snow's defense shut down the Yellowjackets. Rochester's only touchdown of the game came when they intercepted a halfback pass for a touchdown.
"Everyone came to play," said defensive end C.J. Ah You. "We all played like a team."
Before the game, Kilts had said that Snow would key on Rochester's rushing attack early. The Badgers executed that game plan so well that the Yellowjackets' leading rusher, Pat Klug, finished with only 22 yards on nine rushes.
"We've got a great bunch of defensive linemen," Kilts said. "They're what we try to get at Snow."
Kilts said that all four of his starting defensive linemen will probably play D-1 football. Ah You, perhaps the most talented of the bunch, already has scholarship offers from Oklahoma, Boise State, Kansas and BYU.
Snow linebacker Mark Bricker, who prepped at Davis, recorded two sacks.
After stopping Rochester's first offensive possession, Landon Beus opened the scoring with a 59-yard touchdown run on third down.
Beus spearheaded Snow's three-headed rushing attack. Beus finished with 95 yards on 11 attempts and rotated time with Curren Christensen and Todd Daniels.
The Fremont High graduate had said he expected passing to be a key component of Snow's game plan at the start. Instead, it went the other way.
"I guess it was the other way around," joked Beus. "We established the run first, and then passed."
Snow quarterback James Pritchard finished 8-for-17 for 144 yards. He threw two touchdowns and had one interception. Additionally, Pritchard also rushed for 46 yards.
Snow's win Saturday was their second-straight blowout victory. They qualified for the Top of the Mountains Bowl, their own bowl, after beating Pima, who was ranked No. 11 at the time, 26-7.
With the three-year financial backing of Zion's Bank, Snow will be looking to build on the Top of the Mountains Bowl next season. While there wasn't an official number for attendance, bowl officials estimated game attendance to be around 3,000.
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com