Kyle Whittingham acknowledges there were plenty of twists and turns in his first season as Utah's head coach. When the ride was complete, however, the highs outweighed the lows.
The Utes finished 7-5 after season-ending victories over BYU and 24th-ranked Georgia Tech.
"Relative to the way the season unfolded I was very pleased at the end with the way things turned out," Whittingham said. "I think the players on this football team learned something about themselves. We went through virtually every emotion there is to go through. We had adversity and elation."
The latter served as bookends for a midseason drought. Utah lost three consecutive games and four of five after a 2-0 start.
"A tough time," Whittingham said. "It was a time of soul searching and finding out who we were and what we're all about. We came out of it very well."
The Utes recovered from the dry spell to win four of their final games. Whittingham, who credited his staff for staying positive and continuing to believe, said his team's senior leadership was the biggest factor in getting things turned around.
"I think it was a unified effort on all fronts but primarily the seniors. Everyone else just followed their lead," Whittingham said. "Was there a defining moment? Not really. I think we just plowed through it, kept our nose to the grindstone and just continued to work hard."
The approach paid off as Utah earned its third consecutive bowl bid. The Utes capitalized on the opportunity by winning the Emerald Bowl — the program's fifth straight postseason triumph.
"Obviously I think it ended on a big positive," Whittingham said. "Winning four of our last five was a great way to finish out."
It salvaged an encore to the BCS-busting 12-0 season, which led to Urban Meyer's departure to Florida and launched quarterback Alex Smith to No. 1 status in the National Football League draft.
Other personnel changes left the Utes with a revamped coaching staff and a lack of experience on the field. The biggest carry over was a winning streak. It reached a school-record 18 games after Utah opened 2005 with victories over Arizona (27-24) and Utah State (31-7).
It came to an end, though, with a 23-20 overtime loss at TCU on Sept. 15. A 38-35 win over Air Force followed before consecutive setbacks to North Carolina (31-17), Colorado State (21-17) and San Diego State (28-19) left the Utes with a disappointing 3-4 record.
"The practice habits and the game-week preparation of this football team was never an issue," Whittingham said. "These guys worked hard and prepared each and every week. Things didn't always come out our way on game day, but as far as preparation and attitude it was very good."
In contrast to 2003, when the Utes won five of six games that came down to the last play or series, they weren't as fortunate this time around.
"It's frustrating, but if you're in this game long enough you're going to be on both sides of those issues and situations," Whittingham said. "All you can do is work hard and keep believing."
The Utes got back on track with wins over UNLV (42-32) and Wyoming (43-13). Their winning record fell by the wayside, though, a week later with a bitter 31-27 loss to New Mexico at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Starting quarterback Brian Johnson was lost for the year with a knee injury late in the game. He finished the regular season as the Mountain West Conference's leader in total offense, ranking fourth nationally.
"I thought he did a great job," said offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig. "Smart, intelligent, athletic. He's a heckuva young man and a heckuva football player."
With Johnson out, backup Brett Ratliff was called into duty for the biggest game of the year. The junior college transfer had seen extremely limited action before quarterbacking the Utes to a 41-34 overtime win over BYU in Provo. His four passing touchdowns helped Utah become bowl eligible.
More than a month later, Ratliff also excelled in the Emerald Bowl.
Utah's quarterback play, Whittingham noted, was a pleasant surprise. Following the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft is about as tough of a task as there is in college football. Both Johnson and Ratliff, he continued, performed well.
"I knew we'd have good quarterback play," Whittingham said. "But they played outstanding."
Johnson, who is considered a longshot to be healthy when spring ball opens on March 25, and Ratliff are joined by Oklahoma transfer Tommy Grady in pursuing next season's starting job. Redshirt freshman Kevin Dunn is also in the mix.
"We've done a 180 at that position as far as upgrading the numbers as well as the talent. I wouldn't trade our group of quarterbacks for any group in the country. That's how good I feel about these guys," Whittingham said. "I think we have the most talented, as a group, corps of quarterbacks in the nation."
Just who'll be the starter next season is unknown.
"I think it's all going to work itself out. But we'll have an intelligent approach to the thing," Whittingham said. "It's too early. I don't even want to get into it until after spring ball. It doesn't make any sense to even speculate.
"There's so much ground to cover between now and Sept. 2 (at UCLA)," he continued. "So many things are on the horizon."
The competition at several positions should be keen as the Utes build depth. A vast majority of starters on both offense and defense return next season.
"It's almost a complete reversal to what we faced last year, said Whittingham, who compared the situation to 2003.
Topping the list of experienced returnees is senior-to-be Eric Weddle, the MWC's defensive player of the year.
"He's a known commodity. We know that Eric is essentially the best defensive player in the league. That's what he was," Whittingham said. "We feel like he is just a great weapon to have on defense and offense. His role on offense is going to continue to expand. So he's going to be a do-it-all guy for us next year."
Weddle, he continued, is a rare player that doesn't come around very often. Someone who can process and absorb everything that's thrown at him.
"The amount of things that were on his plate, especially the last few weeks of the season, very few people that I've ever been around could handle that load," Whittingham said of Weddle, who saw action at safety, cornerback, quarterback, punter, holder and special teams last season.
His return, along with that of Casey Evans, Steve Tate, Joe Jiannoni, Kyle Brady, Martail Burnett, Kelly Talavou and Soli Lefiti, gives Utah's defense a solid foundation.
It'll help offset a couple of significant losses in defensive tackle Steve Fifita and linebacker Spencer Toone. The senior captains were first team all-conference selections.
Fifita was defensive MVP of Utah's Fiesta Bowl win over Pittsburgh.
"We lose the anchor. He's been a
mainstay of the front for four years now," Whittingham said. "The things he did for this football team unless you really know what you're watching during the course of the game, doesn't show up in the stat line — the way he demands the blocks and keeps the linebackers free.
"It's invaluable to have a defensive tackle like Steve in there just clogging up the middle," the coach explained. "He does a great job and we're going to miss him."
Toone leaves another sizable void. He topped the Utes in tackles the past two seasons and was first in the league in 2005.
"His range was what made him so effective," Whittingham said. "He had great speed — 4.5 in the 40 — so that's going to be another guy who is going to be hard to replace."
So, too, is center Jesse Boone.
"That's a big loss. Tough to replace," Whittingham said. "He's been the apex of the offense for three years now and that's going to be a tall order filling his shoes."
The challenges, though, aren't enough to sour Whittingham on his duties. He's eager to continue his career at the helm.
"There's hard times and it's a demanding job, but I knew that coming in. That was no secret. I'm excited. I can't wait for the winter conditioning program to start; to get to spring ball; and line up Sept. 2 at UCLA," he said. "I can't wait. I'm far more excited this year just because of the unknowns last year."
After a year on the job, Whittingham is ready to make the rounds with some head coaching experience to draw upon. Every single day, he said, has been a learning experience. And beneficial ones.
"The essence of coaching is playing to your personnel. Your scheme has got to fit your personnel," Whittingham said. "If you're sitting there with a scheme your players can't execute then you're failing at your most important responsibility as a coach. And that's putting your players in position to succeed."
Whittingham's philosophy has paid dividends. Utah is taking plenty of momentum into the next campaign.
"I'm excited to watch these guys play next year. I can't wait," Whittingham said. "Our goal is going to be to win the Mountain West Conference championship and that's never going to change."
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com