End of the 1st Quarter
Kenape Eliapo just had a huge sack. It could put kicker Leigh Tiffin out of range. He was missing from this range in warm-ups. Utah already has three sacks in the first quarter alone. They are bringing pressure on every play and hoping that Wilson just makes mistakes. It’s Utah’s willingness to be aggressive and leave their secondary in one-on-one situations that gave Utah the edge in the first quarter. That and Utah’s near-flawless offensive execution.
:52 1st Quarter
Big 3rd and 1. Utah can’t let Bama score. No. 88 Nick Walker had a huge false start. He wasn’t even close and he’s coming out the game. No big surprise. If Utah can hold Alabama here to a field goal it would huge.
2:10 1st Quarter
Bama is right in Utah’s corner, where the fans probably helped create that false start. Glen Coffee is starting to run the ball hard now. That Alabama offensive line is huge and fast.
3:45 1st Quarter
Alabama crossed midfield for the first time this game. Utah is giving up a lot of man coverage to put pressure in the box and get pressure on Wilson. Alabama fans are dead silent right now.
4:01 1st Quarter
Johnson threw an absolute strike to Bradon Godfrey. Currently Johnson has 10-14 with 139 yards and two passing touchdowns. Utah scored on 7 plays on 65 yards in the time of 1:57. Utah 21, Bama 0
4:07 1st Quarter
That penalty on pass interference was purely for face guarding. Casteel would have had a touchdown. No. 78 Johnson is probably to return on the Alabama offensive line. He has an ankle.
5:17 1st Quarter
Every Utah player is playing as hard as he can. Every single yard, they are getting. Utah is playing its best game on the biggest stage. From what I’ve been told, even the TV announcers are in shock.
5:58 1st Quarter
Utah fielded a punt. There is a God. No Pass interference there? Maybe not.
6:18 1st Quarter
Kepa Gaison just sacked Wilson. Utah is putting all sorts of pressure Alabama. Gaison is taking the place of Nai Fotu and Utah is giving Alabama all sorts of trouble. Alabama has to be shocked at this point.
7:48 1st Quarter
Greg Newman’s offside call plus Wilson’s scrambling ability gives Utah a first down. That was a great no-call on the roughing play. R.J. Stanford was not trying to hit him. Greg Newman just swallowed Wilson. Utah is getting excellent pressure on the quarterback.
8:09 1st Quarter
No. 78 was hurt on the play. Mike Johnson was the guy that slid over and covered for Andre Smith who has been suspended in this game. He hobbled off the field. It will be interesting to see how Alabama tries to regroup. Still a lot of football to be played and Alabama has just missed on two wideopen receivers already. For Alabama, the crowd is still very much behind them. Well, at least the band is.
8:30 1st Quarter
Utah just flew at Bama on the kickoff. They are barely at the 20-yard line. Utah has already used six different receivers and Alabama hasn’t even been on their side of the football field. YET. John Parker Wilson just overthrew a wide open Nikita Stover that would have resulted in an easy touchdown.
8:37 1st Quarter
Utah is up 14-0 already. There is no way that anyone expected this. Utah came out absolutely on fire. Now Alabama fans are really stunned. This is the most amazing start to a football game that Utah has ever had. Utah just had another five-play touchdown drive against a team that was ranked No. 1 in the country for four weeks. I feel like a kid that almost got beat up by the bully. My body is shaking and wobbly. I don’t even know what just hit me with that wave of emotions.
10:00 1st Quarter
David Reed just hauled down an unbelievable catch on third down and now have the ball on the two-yard line. Everything is going right for Utah so far.
Kyle Whittingham talked about how huge the turnover margin would be. Utah is already up 1-0 in that category.
10:14 1st Quarter
Robert Johnson picks off a John Parker Wilson pass when Utah got pressure up the middle. Utah is on Alabama’s own 32-yard line. Utah couldn’t have asked for a better start.
11:02 1st Quarter
What a huge first drive. Now Alabama is back on their heals. It will be interesting to see if they will continue to run or not. The Tide knows Utah is for real, but now the Utes have a ton of momentum this early in the game. Talk about a smack to the mouth. Alabama fans are shocked. They are still cheering, but definitely in a bit of a stupor.
12:13 1st Quarter
Utah already gets a big play on their first offensive snap. Big play from Eddie Wide. Two straight first downs, both on pass plays. Bradon Godfrey gets a big catch for another first down. Utah starting the game in hurry up, no huddle offense. They are eating up yards quickly. What a great game plan by the Utes. Utah literally put the game at 7-0 within the first minute. I didn’t even have time to write with how fast Utah put that drive together. It was a perfectly executed opening drive. Utah 7, Alabama 0 5 plays 68 yards. Time 1:19
12:21 1st Quarter
RJ Rice cleaned up what would have been a disasterous muffed punt by Brent Casteel. These lights look like they might have made a difference. That would have been exactly how the game started against Michigan. It literally bounced right off his shoulder pads. Utah fans won’t be able to handle watching that happen all game. Utah has to be able to capitalize on big defensive stops.
13:48 1st Quarter
Utah stops Glen Coffee to a loss after a Bama first down. Biggest play so far. Julio Jones dropped a pass that would have given them a first down. The Tide have already used two play-action passes so far in their first drive. Stevenson Sylvester hit John Parker Wilson so hard on a third down blitz. Absolultely surprised him from the spot that Andre Smith would have had.
Kickoff 15:00
I can’t remember the last time there was so much excitement for a football game. It’s electric in the Superdome.