The Ogden Tigers had all the motivation they could've asked for.
They wanted to prove that they could go on the road and beat a team, Judge Memorial, that had pretty much owned them in prior preseasons.
They wanted to play well for their coach, Eric Eyre, who was finishing up a two-week suspension that had kept him away from Ogden's practices all week, in addition to Friday evening's second preseason game.
And, perhaps most significantly, they were trying to show that these aren't your brother's Ogden Tigers.
Done, done and done.
Looking every bit like one of the state's best teams and nothing like the perennial doormats that they've been, the Tigers laid the lumber on one of Class 3A's perennial contenders. Allred and his terrific supporting cast were unstoppable on offense, the Tigers' defense forced Judge into three turnovers and the end product was a hugely impressive 47-21 win over Judge Friday at Granite High.
With the victory, Ogden improved to 2-0 for the first time since 1992. Yes, 1992.
"It's been a while for Ogden to be successful, and people still don't think that we're gonna be successful," said Allred. "We're out here with something to prove, and each game has just been a blast thus far as we've been doing pretty well on offense. It's clicking."
It most certainly was clicking against Judge, and let the record state that if Friday night's performance was "pretty good," the Tigers will be a handful for anyone in the state if they can play better than that.
Against Judge, Allred and Co. proved to be simply too explosive for the Bulldogs to handle.
Ogden jumped out to a 14-0 lead just four minutes into the game, and after trading scores with Judge to eventually lead 26-14 at halftime, the Tigers put the hammer down in the third quarter.
The Tigers methodically drove down the field, converting a pair of fourth downs in the process, to score a touchdown with their first possession of the second half, and they converted back-to-back turnovers on Judge's ensuing possessions to remove all doubt about what the game's final outcome would be.
Ogden led 47-14 after that final touchdown, and assistant coach Ian Eyre, who was filling in for brother Eric, gave Allred and his first-string teammates the rest of the night off.
Overall, Allred was simply awesome. Surrounded by playmakers, the 6-foot-0 senior picked apart Judge's defense through the air and on the ground. In just three quarters of work, he passed for 193 yards and three TDs and rushed for 147 yards and two TDs.
"These kids are abolishing the stigma of Ogden High football every time they step on the field, and it all starts with our quarterback, Nik Allred," said Ian Eyre. "He leads 'em, they reflect his attitude and just having him as a leader makes everyone else on the team better.
"He's one of those kids that you find once in a decade at a school," added Eyre. "I wish we had more kids like him, but I wouldn't trade that kid for anybody in the state."
According to Ian Eyre, Eric Eyre's two-week suspension ended with Friday's game. Eric Eyre was suspended after an incident that resulted from a "scheduling conflict."
O-line coach Steve Hansen did a nice job, however, calling most of the plays in his absence Friday, and Eyre's players seemed to feed off his suspension, if anything.
"I think him not being there gave them a little more motivation. They wanted to represent for him," said Ian Eyre.
e-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com