With an undefeated season on the books, three Mountain West Conference season awards in hand and the second Bowl Championship Series berth in four years, what else does Utah need to accomplish?
Perhaps an impressive performance in uncharted territory against one of college football’s most storied programs in this year’s Sugar Bowl.
The No. 6 Utes are ready to march into the Big Easy against the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide, a 12-1 team that owned the top spot in college football for five impressive weeks during the season.
As a heavy underdog (currently 10.5 points), Utah has no fear of Nick Saban and his powerful, smashmouth style of play, but the matchup with the Tide is arguably the biggest and most important to date.
“The team hasn’t been classifying any of these games as the biggest games,” said wide receiver Freddie Brown. “Whether it was Michigan, Oregon State, TCU or BYU, we haven’t been categorizing those games, but we realize that this is a huge game and that we’re just going to take the same approach that we have the first 12 weeks that we’ve played.”
Whether the team admits it or not, the showdown with Alabama will prove the strength and legitimacy the smaller, non-BCS conference schools brought to the table8212;as Utah did in 2004 and Boise State so famously did against Oklahoma in 2006.
“Going up against a team like Alabama is great for the program,” said defensive back Sean Smith. “If we beat this team, basically we beat the former number one team, so that could look really good for us. We want to show why we belong in the elite ranks.”
This time around in the BCS, Utah will have no 8-4 Pittsburgh squad to dismantle among a huge contingency of Ute fans. Utah’s date with fate is much, much bigger and this time, its opponent feels snubbed.
The Crimson Tide are coming off a disappointing 31-20 loss to Urban Meyer and Florida two weeks ago in the SEC Championship game, where Saban and Co. saw their BCS National Championship hopes vanish on the arm and legs of Tim Tebow.
“It’s going to be a tough opponent, so we’re going to have to study hard and come out with our A game,” Stevenson Sylvester said.
In terms of bringing the A game, Utah will need to play a full 60 minutes against an Alabama squad that is No. 3 in the nation in total defense, allowing a measly 256 yards per contest. The Tide is also No. 4 in the nation in terms of rushing defense, allowing only four rushing touchdowns all season.
One of the biggest causes for concern for Utah is winning the
battle of the trenches. Alabama features massive offensive and defensive lines. Nose tackle Terrence Cody is a big reason why Saban’s squad has given up only four touchdowns. ‘Bama’s No. 62 has grown accustomed to shutting down opposing offenses with his immense size, strength and surprising athleticism. The 6-foot-5, 365 lb. junior out of Fort Myers, Fla., crowds the line of scrimmage unlike anyone Utah has seen all season.
“Cody is a block eater,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham.
The defensive line will have its hands full with an Alabama offensive line that will have both weight and height advantages against the smaller, faster Utah defensive front four. The Crimson Tide left tackle Andre Smith was named the Outland Trophy winner, given to the nation’s top offensive lineman. Behind Smith and the rest of the huge line are running backs Glen Coffee and Mark Ingram, two players who have a combined 2,049 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground.
“We’re very excited to exploit our talent and defense against these guys,” said defensive end Paul Kruger. “It’ll be an exciting game.”
The Utes are going up against a team that has been to more bowl games8212;568212;than any team in college football history. They are going up against a team with as much winning history as they’ve ever faced. They are also going up against one of the best football coaches in the college game today in Saban, who won Home Depot National Coach of the Year for turning around an Alabama program that was in shambles before his arrival in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
As Utah has taken a successful week-to-week approach all year, the six-week break seems a bit out of sorts for a team that thrived on preparing and performing for 13 straight weeks. Despite the long recess, Brown reiterated that the team is still using that approach.
“We’ve used that philosophy since week one and it’s been working very well for us,” Brown said. “But four weeks is plenty of time to prepare and understand our opponent and their schemes. We just gotta utilize that to our advantage.”
In addition to the monumental task that lies ahead of Brown and the Utes, they know New Orleans is foreign territory and they expect an electric crowd.
“The majority of the people there will be Alabama fans,” Brown said. “It’s going to be like a home game for them. We’re just going to have to prepare the way we’ve been preparing and not change anything up that we’ve been doing. We should be all right.”
Tyler CobbThe No. 4 Utes are ready to face college football powerhouse No. 6 Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Utah is preparing for its second BCS bowl in five years just like it has prepared all season long.