SALT LAKE CITY — Utah didn’t get the roses — or beyond — that it hoped for on Selection Sunday. A 37-15 loss to Oregon Friday night in the Pac-12 Championship Game nixed all that.
Instead of heading to the Rose Bowl or the College Football Playoff, the Utes (11-2) will play in the Alamo Bowl on New Year’s Eve against Texas. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. (MST) at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
“Having the opportunity for this team to play together one more time in the Alamo Bowl is something we are all looking forward to,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “We appreciate the invitation, and know our team and our fans will have a great experience in San Antonio. We are proud of all this team has accomplished this year, including winning a second consecutive Pac-12 South title and winning 11 games, the third-highest, single-season total in school history.”
Utah director of athletics Mark Harlan also released a statement.
“It is an honor to be chosen to play in the Alamo Bowl against a great opponent such as Texas. It is an incredible opportunity to chase our 12th victory and complete what has been a phenomenal season,” he said. “I know Ute Nation, as always, will be there in full force to support this team as they look to close out the season the right way, and celebrate their accomplishments with all Ute fans.”
The players expressed excitement about the invitation as well. Safety Terrell Burgess and left tackle Darrin Paulo met with the media Sunday afternoon.
Burgess noted that last weekend didn’t sit well, but the Utes are now on to a new game.
“It’s a great honor. We’re glad to have another chance to play for the seniors and for this team. It’s still a great year,” Burgess said. “Not many teams get a chance to win 11 games. So I think we’ve just got to make the best of it and just make sure that we go out on top.”
Burgess expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back. He doesn’t expect any of the seniors to sit it out in order to prepare for NFL opportunities. Paulo agreed.
“I’m excited,” Paulo said. “Obviously it’s a really good bowl game.”
Utah wound up 11th in the final CFP rankings, down from a school-record high No. 5 prior to the setback to the Ducks.
Oklahoma, which entered the week at No. 6, moved into the semifinals after both previous No. 4 Georgia and the Utes lost conference championship games. The fourth-ranked Sooners (12-1) will meet No. 1 Louisiana State (13-0) in the Peach Bowl, while No. 2 Ohio State (13-0) and No. 3 Clemson (13-0) will play in the Fiesta Bowl.
The winners will meet for the national championship Jan. 13 in New Orleans.
Utah, meanwhile, is headed to a bowl game for the sixth straight season and 23rd time overall. This year’s opponent — Texas — is unranked. The Longhorns are in some turmoil. Last Sunday, head coach Tom Herman fired defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and reassigned offensive coordinator Tim Beck.
Earlier in the season, Texas lost close games to a pair of teams that went on to make the national semifinals — dropping a 45-38 decision to LSU and a 34-27 game to Oklahoma.
The Longhorns opened the season with a 4-1 record. They defeated Louisiana Tech (45-14) before losing to LSU. Then came wins over Rice (48-13), Oklahoma State (36-30) and West Virginia (42-31). The streak was snapped by the setback to Oklahoma.
Texas entered the second half of the season at 4-2 and experienced mixed results. There were victories over Kansas (50-48), Kansas State (27-24) and Texas Tech (49-24) and losses to TCU (37-27), Iowa State (23-21) and Baylor (24-10).
Junior quarterback Sam Ehlinger has 3,462 yards passing with 29 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Senior Devin Duvernay leads the nation with 103 receptions. He averages 12.6 yards per catch and has scored eight touchdowns. Defending Duvernay could be huge challenge with safeties Julian Blackmon and R.J. Hubert suffering injuries in the Pac-12 title game.
“We always preach that there’s a ‘next-man-up’ kind of program here. So we’ve just got to make sure we’ve got guys ready to play,” said Burgess, who is looking forward to the battle. “We’re excited to play against him. I mean we’ve great receivers in the Pac-12, so it’ll just be another challenge that we have.”
The Utes may have a source for inside information. Quarterback Cameron Rising, who was not eligible to play this season because of NCAA transfer rules, began his collegiate career with the Longhorns.
“I forgot he went to Texas. He’s a Ute now so that’s all that matters,” Paulo said. “But we’re going to go based off their film. But I know they’re a good team.”
Utah and Texas have met only once before. The Longhorns defeated the Utes 21-12 in 1982.
The opportunity to play them again — albeit more than 38 years later — helped soften the sting of losing to Oregon, missing out on the national playoff and falling just short of a New Year’s Six bowl.
“Any frustration was washed pretty quick when you get a call from the Alamo Bowl director and hear his excitement, his group’s excitement, and then to find out our opponent is Texas,” Harlan said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to go out and win our 12th game.”
Harlan praised the senior class and what he called an incredible team.
“Our plan is to just go out and get after it,” he said.
Herman, who like Whittingham is a former assistant coach for Urban Meyer, has an idea of what to expect.
“Coach Whittingham has had some unbelievable defenses in the past and this year is not much different. The stats that you read in terms of rushing yards, yards per play all that stuff. We know that that our offense is going to be in for a big-time challenge,“ Herman said. “Our defense as well. I know their quarterback (Tyler Huntley) is second in the country in completion percentage. He’s a very efficient guy that has led them to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Without yet studying either side on video, I do know that coach Whittingham is going to hang his hat on defense and this year is no exception.”
EXTRA POINTS: Utah is ranked 10th by the coaches and 12th by the Associated Press in this week’s polls. ... The Utes are 17-5 in bowl games, including a 4-0 mark in games played in Texas. ... Alamo Bowl tickets are available through www.UtahTickets.com or by calling 801-581-UTIX.
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Utah’s bowl history
How the Utes have fared:
1939 — Utah 26, New Mexico 0 (Sun Bowl)
1947 — Hawaii 19, Utah 16 (Pineapple Bowl)
1964 — Utah 32, West Virginia 6 (Liberty Bowl)
1992 — Washington State 31, Utah 28 (Copper Bowl)
1993 — USC 28, Utah 21 (Freedom Bowl)
1994 — Utah 16, Arizona 13 (Freedom Bowl)
1996 — Wisconsin 38, Utah 10 (Copper Bowl)
1999 — Utah 17, Fresno State 16 (Las Vegas Bowl)
2001 — Utah 10, USC 6 (Las Vegas Bowl)
2003 — Utah 17, Southern Mississippi 0 (Liberty Bowl)
2004 — Utah 35, Pittsburgh 7 (Fiesta Bowl)
2005 — Utah 38, Georgia Tech 10 (Emerald Bowl)
2006 — Utah 25, Tulsa 13 (Armed Forces Bowl)
2007 — Utah 35, Navy 32 (Poinsettia Bowl)
2008 — Utah 31, Alabama 17 (Sugar Bowl)
2009 — Utah 37, California 27 (Poinsettia Bowl)
2010 — Boise State 26, Utah 3 (Las Vegas Bowl)
2011 — Utah 30, Georgia Tech 27 — OT (Sun Bowl)
2014 — Utah 45, Colorado State 10 (Las Vegas Bowl)
2015 — Utah 35, BYU 28 (Las Vegas Bowl)
2016 — Utah 26, Indiana 24 (Foster Farms Bowl)
2017 — Utah 30, West Virginia 14 (Heart of Dallas Bowl)
2018 — Northwestern 31, Utah 20 (Holiday Bowl)
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Alamo Bowl history
How teams currently in the Pac-12 have fared:
1993 — California 37, Iowa 3
1994 — Washington State 10, Baylor 3
2002 — Wisconsin 31, Colorado 28 (OT)
2010 — Oklahoma State 36, Arizona 10
2011 — Baylor 67, Washington 56
2012 — Texas 31, Oregon State 27
2013 — Oregon 30, Texas 7
2014 — UCLA 40, Kansas State 35
2015 — TCU 47, Oregon 41 (3OT)
2016 — Oklahoma State 38, Colorado 8
2017 — TCU 39, Stanford 37
2018 — Washington State 28, Iowa State 26