ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.8212;An airplane crash isn’t something you simply experience8212;You survive it. Apparently, the same applies to the Utah football team when facing the New Mexico Lobos.
Brian Johnson threw for 195 yards and a touchdown, surpassing Alex Smith for No. 1 on the Utah’s all-time win list with 22. The Ute defense held the Lobos 284 yards of offense as Utah (9-0) escaped University Stadium with a grind-it-out 13-10 win over one of its toughest opponents in recent history.
“All that matters is we got the “W,'” said Utah running back Darrell Mack, who had 54 yards on 10 carries.
Despite totaling 388 yards of total offense, the Utah offense was once again shaken by the unorthodox 3-3-5 New Mexico defense. Utah managed to orchestrate just two drives inside the Lobo red zone and could only punch one in for six points. Utah’s longest drive8212;an 87-yard drive midway through the fourth quarter that was kept mostly to the
ground8212;ended in Johnson throwing his first interception in three games.
Utah’s defense, however, came to the rescue once again.
“It was a tough football game,” said defensive coordinator Gary Andersen. “The kids found a way at the end to stop them on that last drive, and that was huge.”
Utah’s defense, combined with a masterful punting performance by national punter-of-the-year candidate Louie Sakoda, kept New Mexico on its side of the field for nearly the entire fourth quarter.
Utah forced New Mexico into a three-and-out on its first fourth-quarter possession. On the Lobos’ second potentially game-altering drive, Utah forced New Mexico to turn the ball over on downs near the 50-yard line. Utah failed to put more points on the board with its next possession, but did significantly alter the field position and forced the Lobos to spend all three of their time-outs in the process. The Utes then put the ball in the hands, or more correctly the foot, of Sakoda to work his magic.
Sakoda toed a perfect 34-yard punt that was downed easily by Utah’s coverage team at the New Mexico 1-yard line. That left New Mexico with the difficult task of getting into field-goal range with a minute and 58 seconds left and no time-outs.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Gruner worked with his back against the wall and led the Lobos to the Utah 46-yard line before time expired, resulting in a Utah win.
“Any time you can get out of Albuquerque with a win, that’s a good thing to have going,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham.
The No. 1 task for the Ute defense was No. 21 of the New Mexico offense. Mission accomplished.
Lobo running back Rodney Ferguson, who came in averaging more than 100 yards per game and was the top rusher in the conference, was held to a season-low 34 yards rushing on 13 attempts.
“Bottom line is, we hung in there,” Whittingham said. “The defense hung in there. We found a way to win.”
The Utes took a step closer to a conference title and a Bowl Championship Series berth, but the team’s mood after the game wasn’t exactly peachy.
Wide receiver David Reed, who muffed a punt after an important defensive shutdown, let his emotions show after his team’s win.
“This is a great win, but it should’ve been done in a different fashion,” Reed said. “It should have never went down like this. I had a bad game today. Now, we just gotta step our game up after this.”
Wide receiver Aiona Key, however, proved once again how important the special teams are as he managed to get a hand on a 41-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter. It was his third blocked on special teams in as many games.
Sakoda, however, hit both of his field goals to maintain a perfect 14 for 14 inside 47 yards. Johnson channeled a gimmick play from the Urban Meyer days to give Utah just enough points to walk out with a hard-fought win.
The 10-yard catch-and-pitch from Brian Johnson to Jereme Brooks to Brent Casteel was the only touchdown Utah would get all night. It was the first time all season Utah didn’t get the ball into the end zone in the first half.
New Mexico’s defense wasn’t the only thing that nearly cost Utah the game. Penalties and turnovers took its toll on the Utes once again.
Utah lost the turnover battle and had seven penalties for 79 yards, including five personal foul penalties.
“We had a few penalties in the game,” Whittingham said. “A lot to clean up.”
The notorious battle that the Utes expected going into New Mexico is now out of the way, and Whittingham and his team can only smile knowing they don’t have to take on this scrappy Lobo squad again until 2009.
When asked why it’s so hard to play the Lobos, Whittingham said, “That’s a good question. If I knew that answer, I’d be doing something else.”
Tyler Cobb