Sources:
- I was at the game
- Various "day-after" newspaper articles about the game (Times Picayune, NOLA & Press-Register, Mobile)
The Utes had all three elements down about as perfectly as you could ask for the 2009 75th Anniversary Sugar Bowl. The Tide had not-a-one.
Preparation:
Besides keeping in physical shape, there are three things a team can do to prepare for a recently former No.1 team you have never faced before; Film, film, and more film. And the Utes had studied hard.
What’s the evidence? Ute QB Brian Johnson was able to read every defensive scheme the Tide showed him and circumvent the vast majority of them. And the Ute defense sacked the Tide QB eight times (Wilson had suffered only six sacks the entire season until then).
Nick Saban, Tide Coach: “He was the best quarterback we’ve faced all season.”
That’s quite a compliment coming from a coach that had just faced and lost to a Heisman Trophy winner in Gator Tim Tebow the game before.
Brian Johnson, Utes: “I had a great bead on what they were doing defensively, and you can only do so much when you spread them out. It was all film work.” (emphasis mine)
Strategy:
How was a team from a conference wrongly considered as “lowly” as the Mountain West going to beat the storied, mighty, SEC powerhouse of Alabama Tide? That’s where the preparation really comes to fruition. Film baby!
Sean Smith, Utes: “We came expecting to lose to the former No. 1 team in the nation. But when I saw them on film, all I saw was a running game, and you can’t come back with a running game. So our plan was to get on top early and keep them down.”
Make the SEC team play Mountain West Conference football.
Brian Johnson, Utes: “The more and more tape we watched, the more and more confident we got with our scheme.”
Execution:
The Utes executed their game plan about as perfectly as possible from the very beginning. That great, huge, monstrous, massive Tide O-line that pushed around and “rolled” so many SEC defenses throughout the season; pushing their opponents backwards, opening huge holes for the running game, etc., etc., was relegated by the Ute game plan and defensive unit to a back-on-their-heals, pass-blocking line with their hands full of white jerseys blitzing from everywhere.
The stellar Ute defense showed its prowess, and yes, power, right up front. SEC style football and the smash-mouth, grind-em-down, multiple-minutes-long scoring drive offense that the Tide was so good at was met by a three-and-out first drive, courtesy of the Ute defense.
Nick Saban, Tide Coach: “Give a lot of credit to Utah. We couldn’t run on their defense, they pressured our quarterback all night…”
3 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
Mark Lawyer 6 months ago
Yes, preparation matters. It also shows that, contrary to all the hype prior to the game that Alabama's size was going to dominate Utah, smart and fast beats big and dumb. The BCS is going through some real cognitive dissonance right now. This shouldn't be happening. The BCS had it rigged (or so they thought) that they got all the best recruits and bought all the best coaches. Never was this more obvious than in Barry Schwitzer's comment that there was not a single Utah player that would have been recruited by Alabama. Really? Utah showed what college football should be all about, i.e., honest and fair competition on the field. Any other method of determining a national champion is flawed.
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Damon Wildman 6 months ago
Parity! The 85 scholarship rule is why teams like Utah have a chance to beat teams with the much more storied history and success. The NCAA forgot one thing though when passing that rule. With making college football more fair for all colleges, as in how many players can receive scholarships from each team, it forgot to be really fair to all teams in not making it to where all teams have a realistic chance to win the national championship.
Can you say playoff? Until that happens its just really a Mythical National Championship, (MNC) that the BCS produces. No different from what we had for decades before.
The NCAA and members conferences wanting to keep the bowl games for all their money and yet still reap the rewards of a championship game, has shown us all its all about greed. But when they calculate the less than expected returns from the post season this year and probably the next few because of the economy maybe they will see the real benefit of a playoff. Monetarily as well as putting to bed the debate as to who is the champion. We can only dream.
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Greg 6 months ago
D Davis
I agree 100% ,,Preparation, Strategy, and Execution Wins the Sugar Bowl
The problem with this is convincing the Bama fans,, you see down here the Bama hommers have been told they have the best coach money can buy , they have the best facilities, they have 90k at a spring football game , the best and biggest players and recruits and of course the bear.....
There is no way ever never ever never Saban can be out couched and out schemed, he is Saban and this is not a probability anyone could out stratagize this man. Utah must of cheated!
The fact that Saban/bama just lost to a spread style o-fence and came out with the same repeat dumb loosing game plan that got them loss # 1 is astonishing.
All Utah had to do was watch a lil tape on what Fla did and execute.
It was not really a case of smoke and mirrors but simply copy cat what worked in the Fla game.
It also didnt help by Saban giving Utah bullitin board material and motivation either, but remember he is too Classy to do that he is Saban,,, wait he did!!! LOL
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