Sophomore defensive end Paul Kruger and junior cornerback Sean Smith have forgone their remaining years of college eligibility at the U to enter the NFL Draft in April

Perfection did not yield a national championship for Utah. It did, however, produce unprecedented national respect.

Three days after a perfect finish at the Sugar Bowl, changes on the Utah coaching staff continue.

The goodbye was inevitable, but for outgoing coordinators Gary Anderson and Andy Ludwig, the choice to coach the Ute football team through the Sugar Bowl couldn't have ended any sweeter.

The Utes played with a chip on their shoulders the entire game and dominated play on both sides of the ball. Not that what the media says about them matters anymore, but several players feel like Utah has earned its due respect.

Defensive coordinator Gary Andersen dialed up a myriad of run and pass blitzing schemes and a Utah defense that was tired of hearing the one-sided praise of Alabama's skills, used speed and pressure to force the former No. 1 Crimson Tide into a series of turnovers and just 208 net yards on the night.

On September 2, 2004, a 17-year-old kid named Brian Johnson completed one of his two passes for a modest 11 yards in Utah's season-opening win over Texas A&M.

Brian Johnson threw for 336 yards on 27-for-41 pass attempts, Freddie Brown caught 12 catches for 125 yards and the Utes scored on their first three offensive possessions to jump out to a crucial 21-point lead against Alabama.

Amidst the glitz and glamour of the historic Sugar Bowl and playing a storied Alabama program, the largely written-off Utes stormed out of the gates and never looked back en route to a 31-17 win.

Despite being heavy underdogs, the Utah football team beat up on Alabama in nearly every way possible and scored a 31-17 win over the former No. 1 football team in the country in the 75th annual Sugar Bowl.