When the Tide didn't Roll: A Utah Ute Domination

FLASHBACK

After watching Alabama dominate USC Saturday, it's scary to think they could have played better. Nick Saban has molded a terrifying image of his team by dominating college football in the last eight years. Amassing an astonishing record of 98-12 from 2008-2015, Saban has the college football world at his fingertips.  To be this successful is amazing, but to do it in the SEC West puts the Tide on a level above anyone else. Utah has not had that kind of success, going 70-32 in that same time span (still respectable, but not Alabama). While many fans can name a notable football player from the Tide quickly, they are slow to name a player from the Utes (Alex Smith is probably the most notable). But would you believe me if I told you there was a time, during a successful season, that the Tide got dominated?

Nick Saban joined the Tide in 2007 after Mike Shula was fired, and he produced a rather mediocre (terrible in Bama standards) first year at 7-6. That year included losses to Mississippi State and UL-Monroe, but would be inspiration for the 2008. Led by multiple early round NFL draft picks (think Julio Jones, Mark Ingram, Rolando McClain and many more), Alabama cruised its way to #2 in the rankings, struggled through a few games, and eventually became #1 heading into the SEC championship game. #4 Florida would beat the Tide for the SEC crown and win the national championship game, leaving Bama disappointed. Utah, back when it was a part of the Mountain West Conference, was trying to show it could move on without Urban Meyer who left for Florida in 2005. After three consecutive years of improved records from 2005-2007, Utah started 2008 by beating #24 Michigan at the Big House. Wins against #11 TCU and its rival #14 BYU were finishing touches to a 12-0 regular season and Mountain West championship. Unfortunately, none of that prepared the Utes for what was next.


Coming into this game, Alabama was favored by 9.5 points and was expected to dominate to finish a successful second season for Nick Saban. In the 2007 Sugar Bowl, Hawaii (of the Western Athletic Conference) was destroyed by Georgia 41-10 which raised doubt for Utah fans. Still, Utah came in respecting Alabama and were not intimidated. 11 minutes into the game, it was a rout. Utah was up 21-0 and had the Tide on its heels. Bama would counter with 10 points of its own, but the offense never gained momentum. Though they would pull to within 21-17, Saban's offense couldn't solve the Utes defense as they committed 4 turnovers. Even with all of the talent on both sides of the ball, Alabama couldn't keep up with the Utes. In the end, Utah outgained the Tide 349-208 in total yards. What is most impressive is Utah held the Tide to 31 yards rushing, numbers that could cause Bama fans to pass out in 2016. In a game that was expected to roll one way, the Utes took matters into their own hands. Never has a Nick Saban team been so soundly beat in a game since this loss, and you will be hard pressed to find a game like this in the future.

PRESENT DAY

Utah: Coach Kyle Wittingham used this win against the Tide to help the Utes enter the Pac 12 two years later. He also survived two consecutive 5-7 seasons without getting fired and in 2015 led his team to a share of the Pac 12 South title. Utah still remains an underdog every year, but has shown it can compete with any team. LB Stevenson Sylvester is currently in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. Sylvester was a key to the dominant defensive performance. Offensively, Matt Asiata is the most notable name and is currently a running back on the Minnesota Vikings (so many Minnesota references in these flashbacks). Oh and by the way Vikings fans, Asiata could be the answer at QB; he was 2-4 for 36 yards passing in his college career with 2 touchdowns. You can't argue against that production and I don't know if Sam Bradford is the answer (again, probably too soon to talk about). 


Alabama: Though they shook off this loss to win the 2009-10 national championship, this loss still stung. One can't help but wonder if Alabama would have played with the same fire in 2009 if they beat Utah in this game (probably). Saban has taken his team to a level of their own with 4 national championships, 48 NFL draft picks (18 on the 2008 roster alone), and 2 Heisman Trophy winners since that game. An upset like this will be hard to match in college football today since Group of 5 teams aren't  given many opportunities to compete against top level Power 5 teams (though the equivalent would have been Houston beating Florida State in 2015). Until Saban leaves Tuscaloosa, expect more of the same production.

Result: Utah 31 Alabama 17
Ranking: Top 5 upset of Alabama ever
Impact: Utah gets enough recognition to be added to Pac 12, Mountain West gets some respect, Tide's offseason definitely sucked, Utah may have awoken the monster that is Alabama

GROUP OF 5 TOP 4

#1 Houston Cougars (1-0)----Last week: W, 33-23 vs Oklahoma. Stunned Oklahoma in thrilling fashion. Cougars are ready to prove they belong.

#2 San Diego State Aztecs (1-0)----Last week: W, 31-0 vs UNH. Big game coming up against Cal this weekend, and the Aztecs took care of business against New Hampshire.

#3 South Florida Bulls (1-0)----Last week: W, 56-20 vs Towson. Defense could tighten up a bit, but offense came ready to play.

#4 Boise State Broncos (1-0)----Last week: W, 45-10 vs UL-Lafayette. Defense needs to prepare for an air attack this week against Washington State. Win could make big statement.

Other 4: Southern Mississippi (1-0), Appalachian State (0-1), Marshall (0-0), Air Force (1-0)

TPO TOP 4

#1 Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)----Last week: W, 52-6 vs USC. Most dominant performance of the weekend. It will be hard to get them out of this spot.

#2 Florida State (1-0)----Last week: W, 45-34 vs Ole Miss. Was down 22 at one point and came back with a redshirt freshman at QB.

#3 Clemson Tigers (1-0)----Last week: W, 19-13 at Auburn. Struggled to get its footing offensively, but survived a tough test on the road to open the season.

#4 Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)----Last week: W, 33-24 vs North Carolina. Knee jerk pick of the weekend. One game doesn't tell us much, but it gets Bulldog fans excited.

Other 4:
Houston (1-0), Michigan (1-0), Stanford (1-0), Ohio State (1-0)

GOPHERS UPDATE
RECORD: 1-0 LAST WEEK RESULT: W, 30-23

This week's opponent: Indiana State Sycamores
Opponent Record: 1-0 (FCS)
Site: TCF Bank Stadium
Win probability: Very high
Player to shut down: QB Isaac Harker
Outlook: Win is expected. If the Gophers want to take another step towards a great season, they need to dominate this game. There should be little doubt who the better team is on the field. The Sycamores are coming off of a 5-6 season and should be better, but the Gophers are way more talented. Leidner should continue to improve as a passer and the run game should take care of business. The defense will have to survive the first have without three players (targeting ejections), but shouldn't have too many issues. A good tune up game to prepare the Gophers for Colorado State. 2-0 should be the result.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

Overall: 39-27 Season: 3-3 Last Week: 3-3

Week 2 combines NASCAR and football. Odd combination? Yep. Record breaking? Of course. Tennessee and Virginia Tech are playing at Bristol Speedway and are expecting around 150,000 in attendance, which would be a record for a college football game. The Vols are looking to keep their playoff hopes alive after surviving a scare from Appalachian State at home, while Virginia Tech is looking to make a statement. Week 2 will provide plenty of excitement for the college football world, so don't miss out!

Other games: Northern Illinois at South Florida, BYU at Utah, Virginia at #24 Oregon, Texas Tech at Arizona State, Washington State at Boise State 

Iowa State at #16 Iowa

Iowa took care of business against Miami (OH), but has some things to clean up this week. Iowa State lost to Northern Iowa, which doesn't foreshadow good things for the season. The Hawkeyes are coming off an incredible season last year and are looking to repeat that success. CJ Beatheard leads the offense, and didn't need to do much in week 1 other then turn around and hand the ball to Akrum Wadley and LeShun Daniels Jr (who combined for 204 yards rushing and 4 TD's). Beathard will need to contribute more in this rivalry game, as the Cyclones always play the Hawkeyes tough. Cyclones' sophomore RB Mike Warren was held in check against UNI, but the passing game showed promise. WR Allen Lazard is off to a great start after catching six passes for 129 yards and a touchdown, but he will have to repeat that performance against Jim Thorpe Winner Desmond King. King should be up for the challenge and leave the rest to a defense that can stop the run and force turnovers. 2015 was a great year for Iowa, and a 12-0 start and Big Ten championship appearance resulted in a contract extension for Kirk Ferentz. Since 2000, the Hawkeyes have only had two losing seasons under Ferentz, so the extension is well deserved. Ferentz knows a challenge against FCS 5-time defending champ North Dakota State awaits in week 3, but his team won't overlook the Cyclones.


My pick: Iowa 30 Iowa State 20

Arkansas at #15 TCU


Both teams come into this game looking to improve after they both struggled in week 1. TCU was tied or losing to FCS South Dakota State for most of the game before pulling away in the fourth quarter, and Arkansas squeaked by Louisiana Tech. Arkansas' defense seems to be the only unit on either team that had everything figured out, which should help them against TCU. LB Brooks Ellis is the leader after a 102 tackle season in 2015, but he will need help stopping a high powered offensive attack. Last year, the Razorbacks struggled to stop Texas Tech's offense, but Ellis & Co. are more prepared for this test. TCU is trying to replace two stars on offense, but it won't happen overnight. QB Kenny Hill struggled in the first half against SDSU, but came on strong late in the game. He has plenty of weapons to get the ball to and his dual threat abilities should keep the defense on their toes. Gary Patterson was not happy with his defense as they were consistently lined up incorrectly and missed a lot of tackles. Patterson is known for having generally stout defenses, so Horned Frog fans shouldn't worry too much. Having this game at home is a huge bonus for TCU, and with the corrections, should lead them to a win.

My pick: TCU 38 Arkansas 35

#17 Tennessee vs Virginia Tech (Bristol Motor Speedway)

Certainly, Tennessee would like to move on from their sloppy opening week performance. Volunteer fans had such high expectations for the season, and those were shattered in three quarters. Granted, Appalachian State is and will be a good team this year, but Tennessee shouldn't have let that game be even close. Jalen Hurd won the game with a fumble recovery in the end zone (yikes) on a play where QB Joshua Dobbs got absolutely smashed at the goal line. Another early test presents itself this week in the form of rebounding Virginia Tech. The Hokies beat Liberty to begin 2016 under first year coach Justin Fuente. Fuente's offense showed some promise by putting up 36 points, while Bud Foster's defense forced four turnovers. As stated earlier, the attendance is expected to be around 150,000 in the first college game played at a race track. Both teams play in loud stadiums, so this shouldn't be too much of a factor. I'm interested to see the dynamic of playing in such a venue and the effect it has on the game. Tennessee is by far the more talented team, but there is immense pressure to win again. Now that the Volunteers got the first game jitters out of the way, I think they will settle down and control this game.

My pick: Tennessee 30 Virginia Tech 21

Cal at San Diego State

Most underrated game of college football so far this season in my opinion. San Diego State lives in the shadow of Houston and Boise State while Cal lives in the shadows of the Pac 12 powerhouses. We didn't get to see much of either team, as both teams routed their opponents. Cal has high hopes with newly acquired QB Davis Webb, who threw for 441 yards and 4 TDs against Hawaii in Australia. Webb comes from Texas Tech and he fits perfectly into Cal's system The defense will always be the question mark for the Golden Bears. Cal gave up 31 points to Hawaii, making them as existent as Ryan Lochte's honesty. I have no doubt Cal's offense will be able to compete against SDSU's defense, but their own defense will need to stop a punishing running attack. Aztecs star Donnel Pumphrey returns after a season that include 2,000+ yards and 20 scores. Pumphrey is joined in the backfield by sophomore QB Christian Chapman, who received plenty of experience as a freshman. Those two hold the offense together, while coach Rocky Long's defense continues to excel. Long hasn't faced an air attack like Cal's, but that shouldn't scare him at all. Cal is only one week in, so the defense has time to improve; however, Sonny Dykes' defenses have a poor track record of stopping teams.

My pick: San Diego State 28 Cal 24