Utah Football Awaits Bowl Destination
12/3/2014 12:00 AM | Football
Dec. 3, 2014
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Complete Release in PDF Format 
Five Utes Named Football First-Team All-Pac-12 Conference
Booker Leads Utah on Pac-12 Football All-Academic Team
BOWL BOUND
> Utah (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12) has qualified for its 11th bowl game in the last 14 years. > The Utes will learn their bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 7. > Utah finished the regular season with its best overall (8-4) and conference (5-4) records since joining the Pac-12 in 2011. > Kyle Whittingham is 7-1 in bowl games (includes a win as co-head coach of the 2005 Fiesta Bowl team).BOWL HISTORY
> Utah is 13-4 all-time in bowl games. > From 1999-2009, Utah won nine-consecutive bowl games, which is tied for the second-longest bowl win streak in NCAA history. > Utah went 2-0 in BCS bowl games, beating Pittsburgh in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl and Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. > Utah defeated Georgia Tech in the 2011 Sun Bowl in its most recent bowl appearance. > For Utah's complete bowl history, see sidebar on this page.INSIDE THE RANKINGS
> Utah is currently ranked No. 24 and has spent eight weeks in the A.P. Top 25. > Utah has appeared in all six College Football Playoff rankings (No.17, 17, 23, 17, 25, 23). > Utah is 2-3 against ranked teams.SACK LAKE CITY
> Utah leads the nation in total sacks (52) and sacks per game (4.33). > Utah has been ranked No. 1 nationally in sacks for nine straight weeks. > Senior defensive end Nate Orchard leads the nation sacks per game (1.46) and is second in total sacks (17.5).UTAH'S RECORD BY BOWL
Liberty Bowl 2-0 W 1964, W 2003Poinsettia Bowl 2-0 W 2007, W 2009Sun Bowl 2-0 W 1939/1938 season, W 2011Las Vegas Bowl 2-1 W 1999, W 2001, L 2010Fiesta Bowl 1-0 W 2005/2004 seasonSugar Bowl 1-0 W 2009/2008 seasonEmerald Bowl 1-0 W 2005Armed Forces 1-0 W 2006Freedom Bowl 1-1 L 1993, W 1994Copper Bowl 0-2 L 1992, L 1996Total 13-4
Congratulations to the @Utah_Football All-Pac-12 selections. Five first-team selections is a new record! #goutes pic.twitter.com/BfoDoPqkBz
- Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) December 3, 2014
UTE AWARD WINNERS
Junior punter Tom Hackett is one of three Ray Guy Award finalists and will attend the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show in Orlando, Fla., on Dec. 11 ... Running back Devontae Booker, defensive end Nate Orchard, kicker Andy Phillips, punter Tom Hackett and return specialist Kaelin Clay represented Utah on the All-Pac-12 Conference first team. Utah tied for the most first-team players (5) with Oregon and USC. Utah captured three of the four first-team specialist honors. See All-Pac-12 Utes for more ... Booker was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Academic first team. He was one of 23 Utah players recognized. Complete Utah All-Pac-12 Conference and All-Pac-12 Academic selections are found on the sidebar on page 3.STATCHAT
Utah leads the Pac-12 in sacks (52/4.33 per game, also leads the nation), tackles for loss (100 total/8.3 per game), net punting (42.8) and kick return average (24.5) ... 100 TFL is a single-season record at Utah ... Utah is tied for 10th in the nation in defensive touchdowns (4) ... Ray Guy Award finalist Tom Hackett leads the nation in punts inside the 20-yard line (35) and inside the 10-yard line (19). He ranks third nationally in punt average (47.0) ... Devontae Booker, who has rushed for 1,350 net yards in his first season at Utah and averaged 130.1 yards in the nine conference games, leads the Pac-12 in carries (266), ranks third in rushing yards per game (112.5) ... Nate Orchard's 17.5 sacks is a Utah single-season record. Orchard leads the nation in sacks per game (1.46) and is second in total sacks (17.5) ... Utah's 10 sacks against UCLA ties the most by any team in a game this season and is the most against an FBS team. Ending the regular season at 23 in the @CFBPlayoff feels pretty good. #goutes pic.twitter.com/wBMYV5WIyH
- Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 3, 2014
TWO MINUTE DRILL
Utah's five first-team All-Pac-12 selections surpassed its previous best of three set in its first year of Pac-12 competition in 2011 ... Utah is 5-1 on the road--its best road record since its last season in the Mountain West Conference (5-1 in 2010). Utah's four Pac-12 road wins exceeded its total conference road wins (3) in its first three seasons in the conference. Utah's only road loss was in overtime (19-16) at Arizona State ... Utah finished 3-2 against the Pac-12 South (beat UCLA, USC and Colorado, lost to Arizona State and Arizona) ... The Utes are 2-3 against ranked teams, beating No. 8 UCLA and No. 20 USC, and losing to No. 15 Arizona State (in overtime), No. 5 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona.IN THE HUDDLE
Six players on Utah's current team saw playing time in Utah's last bowl game back in 2011: Brian Blechen, Eric Rowe, Nate Orchard, Kenneth Scott, Dres Anderson and Chandler Johnson. Blechen, then a sophomore, and Rowe, a true freshman, were the starting safeties in that game ... Starters lost for the season to injury are receivers Dres Anderson and Tim Patrick, (co-starting) quarterback Kendal Thompson, safety Tevin Carter and linebacker Gionni Paul ... 11 true freshmen have played: Christian Drews, Jameson Field, Andre Godfrey, Wallace Gonzalez, Boobie Hobbs, Lowell Lotulelei, Nick Mika, Monte Seabrook, Marcus Williams, Tavaris Williams and Kenric Young.ALL-PAC-12 UTES
A record five Utah football players were named to the 2014 All-Pac-12 Conference first team, led by two-time first-team punter Tom Hackett. Joining Hackett on the first team were junior running back Devontae Booker, senior defensive lineman Nate Orchard, sophomore kicker Andy Phillips and senior returner Kaelin Clay. Junior offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi was named second-team all-conference. Honorable mention all-conference Utes included senior defensive back Brian Blechen, sophomore defensive lineman Hunter Dimick, freshman defensive lineman Lowell Lotulelei, junior linebacker Jared Norris and senior defensive back Eric Rowe. .@Chargers head coach Mike McCoy, @Ravens WR @89SteveSmith & Chargers safety @weddlesbeard. #UtesInTheNFL pic.twitter.com/gDVQERco15
- Utah Football (@Utah_Football) December 3, 2014
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