BCS Busters, Again
Looking back at the 2008 Utah Football season
9/22/2023
When the 2004 Utah Football team knocked off Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, the Utes completed an undefeated 12-0 season and forever etched itself in college football lore as the “BCS Busters.”
Four years later, and after two wins over top-25-ranked opponents, Utah was invited to the Allstate Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama—becoming the first team from a non-AQ conference to play in two BCS bowls.
Kyle Whittingham and the Utes carried a 12-0 record and No. 7 national ranking into the Louisiana Superdome vs. the Crimson Tide, ultimately going home to Salt Lake City with a 31-17 win. The Utes were the BCS Busters—again.
Tonight, the 2008 Utes will be inducted into the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame. This is a look back at the road that brought Utah through Ann Arbor, was witness to some late-game heroics, and put the team through two late-season, ranked tests inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The final destination? New Orleans.
Game 1
Utah 25, Michigan 23
August 30 - Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Utes had only faced Michigan once before—a 10-7 heartbreaker during the 2002 season. This time, quarterback Brian Johnson threw for 305 yards, Louie Sakoda hit four field goals and Utah held on for a 25-23 victory in the season opener. Though the Utes led by 15 points after three quarters, the Wolverines were able to claw back after a Utah punt was blocked and a fumble lost.
“It's a sign of a pretty good football team when you can not play your best and come away with a win, particularly in a venue like this," Whittingham said postgame.
Johnson had 253 passing yards by halftime, all while the Utah defense held Michigan to 102 total yards and just four on the ground.
The win in Ann Arbor vaulted the Utes into the AP Top 25—they would remain there all season long.
We had the confidence. We had the swagger. There was just a look in everyone's eye. It's not something I've seen in the last couple years of Utah football.Louie Sakoda, following the 2008 win over Michigan
Game 2
No. 22 Utah 42, UNLV 21
Sept. 6 - Rice-Eccles Stadium
Trailing twice during the first half, Matt Asiata’s touchdown just before halftime leveled the score at 14-all, and sparked a run of 35 straight Utah points.
Then with Utah receiving the second half kickoff, David Reed racked up a 49-yard return—sparking Brian Johnson and the Utes’ offense to take control.
Stevenson Sylvester made nine tackles, anchoring a defense that held UNLV lead running back Frank Summers to just five yards in the second half.
Said Whittingham, “I don't know why it took us until the second half to wake up offensively, but we finally did. We were fortunate to be tied at halftime. In the second half we sharpened up offensively. We cleaned up our penalties, but we can still do better.”
"David Reed's kickoff return was huge,” said Johnson. “He did an awesome job and gave us a huge spark offensively. It put us in a position that we needed to capitalize on.”
Game 3
No. 22 Utah 58, Utah State 10
Sept. 13 - Logan, Utah
Making the trek up to Cache Valley, the Utes were in search of their first 3-0 start since the Fiesta Bowl season of 2004.
Utah State scored on its opening drive, but that would be the only time the visitors would trail—scoring 38 unanswered points in a commanding victory. The Utes scored on 10 of 14 possessions, tallying 461 total yards of offense to just 116 for the Aggies.
Paul Kruger had 5.0 tackles for loss in the game. At the time it was the second-most by a Ute all-time; to this day it still ranks in the top-four for a single game.
Game 4
No. 20 Utah 30, Air Force 23
Sept. 20 - Colorado Springs, Colo.
Two Air Force touchdowns—one a scoop and score—put the Falcons ahead by a 16-9 clip heading into halftime. Then Darrell Mack took over on the ground.
Mack rushed for three touchdowns—all in the second half—finishing with 101 yards and his game-winning score with just 58 seconds left. On the very next play from scrimmage, Joe Dale came up with an interception—allowing the Utes to kneel out the clock and improve to 4-0 on the season.
Game 5
No. 17 Utah 37, Weber State 21
Sept. 27 - Rice-Eccles Stadium
It was a milestone night for Louie Sakoda, who became the Utes’ all-time leading scorer after a three-field goal, four-PAT night.
Brian Johnson passed for two touchdowns and helped Matt Asiata rush for two more as Utah went to 5-0.
Game 6
No. 15 Utah 31, Oregon State 28
Oct. 2 - Rice-Eccles Stadium
With the Beavers knocking off No. 1 USC the previous week, a true test awaited Utah inside its home confines in Week 6.
Over the last 90 seconds of regulation, a true test turned into an instant classic: Brian Johnson threw for a 25-yard touchdown with 1:29 left, tying the score at 28 when he rushed in for a two-point conversion. The Utes forced a three-and-out on Oregon State’s ensuing possession, then marched into field goal range for Louie Sakoda to hit a 37-yarder as time expired.
Toward the end of the game I saw people leaving. I just said, ‘They're going to miss a good show!’ But those final two drives just showed the toughness of our football team. We really battled the whole game and it paid off in that two-minute drill. This was the biggest win that we've had since I've been here.Brian Johnson after Utah's 2008 win vs. Oregon State
Game 7
No. 14 Utah 40, Wyoming 7
Oct. 11 - Laramie, Wyo.
Pick-six, field goal, field goal, blocked punt touchdown.
On a windy Saturday out at War Memorial Stadium, Utah already had a 20-0 lead in the second quarter before Matt Asiata could get into the end zone with the team’s first offensive touchdown.
During the win, Louie Sakoda became Utah’s all-time leader in punt attempts, breaking a record that had stood for almost 40 years. His 81-yard punt during the game remains the longest by a Ute since 1978.
We think we're heading in the right direction. But you know we have not played our best football as a team to this point.Head coach Kyle Whittingham following Utah's 2008 win at Wyoming
Game 8
No. 14 Utah 49, Colorado State 16
Oct. 18 - Rice-Eccles Stadium
For the fourth time in program history, Utah was off to an 8-0 start—and this particular triumph was Brian Johnson’s 21st as starting quarterback, tying Alex Smith’s record.
Five different Utes scored a touchdown, led by two apiece on the ground for Matt Asiata and Corbin Louks. Stevenson Sylvester led the Utes with nine tackles, forced a fumble and broke up a pass as CSU went just 3-of-15 on third-down conversions.
Game 9
No. 10 Utah 13, New Mexico 10
Nov. 1 - Albuquerque, N.M.
Though its only touchdown came in the third quarter, Utah was aided by two field goals off the boot of Louie Sakoda plus a balanced defensive effort, on the way to just the Utes’ second 9-0 start.
Robert Johnson and Koa Misi each had nine tackles during the trip to Albuquerque, while Brian Johnson was 23-of-32 for 195 yards and a touchdown.
Game 10
No. 10 Utah 13, No. 11 TCU 10
Nov. 6 - Rice-Eccles Stadium
On a 33-degree night in Salt Lake, a then-capacity crowd of 45,666 jammed into Rice-Eccles Stadium. Utah trailed for much of this one—not until Freddie Brown’s nine-yard score with 48 seconds left did the Utes take their first lead.
TCU scored via a field goal and touchdown on its first two possessions, but from there the Utah defense largely locked it down. Six punts, two missed field goals and two interceptions closed the game for the Horned Frogs. Two third-down sacks by the Utes were clutch in keeping TCU out of field goal range as well.
Louie Sakoda hit a 37-yard field goal as the first half expired, bringing the Utes within one score at 10-6.
With 2:48 left in regulation, Utah took over at its own 20-yard line after TCU missed a field goal. Brian Johnson then led a nine-play, 80-yard drive capped with Brown’s game-winning touchdown.
An instant classic had ended with the Utes still undefeated at 10-0.
I've coached Division I football for a lot of years and can't remember a team that has shown this (much) toughness and grit and determination. I'm so proud of this team and how they played. We never panicked tonight. This is a proud group that played hard and never quit. I love coaching this team.Head coach Kyle Whittingham after Utah's 2008 win vs. TCU
Game 11
No. 8 Utah 63, San Diego State 14
Nov. 15 - San Diego, Calif.
Brian Johnson passed for five touchdowns—all in the first half—finishing one short of the Utah program record. Freddie Brown and David Reed caught two apiece with Colt Sampson reeling in a two-yard grab in the end zone.
Now 11-0, the Utes had secured at least a share of the Mountain West Championship. One item remained on the regular season agenda: No. 16 BYU, in Salt Lake City.
Game 12
No. 8 Utah 48, No. 16 BYU 24
Nov. 22 - Rice-Eccles Stadium
Six defensive takeaways, a 300-yard game for Brian Johnson and two field goals for Louie Sakoda. The perfect regular season had been locked up—Utah had won the Mountain West and was BCS-bound again.
Utah carried a 27-17 lead at halftime, and though the Cougars pulled within three points midway through the third quarter, it was all Utah from there. The defense picked off four passes and recovered a fumble after that point, all while the Utes found the end zone three more times.
Joe Dale had two of Utah’s five interceptions, including an exclamation point with 2:05 remaining in the game.
Sugar Bowl
No. 7 Utah 31, No. 4 Alabama 17
Jan. 2 - New Orleans, La.
They did it…again.
Four years and a day after Utah took down Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl, here were the Utes, going up 21-0 on Alabama in the first quarter. On the other side, Utah was on its way to eight sacks—just one short of a program bowl record.
Brian Johnson aired out three touchdowns to three different receivers, plus Matt Asiata rushed for another and Louie Sakoda put the icing on the cake with a 28-yard field goal in the waning minutes of the game.
Stevenson Sylvester had 3.0 sacks and Robert Johnson reeled in two interceptions—both are tied for the most by a Ute in a bowl game. The duo led a defense that allowed just 31 rushing yards, after Alabama entered the Sugar Bowl averaging 196 yards.
Johnson was named Sugar Bowl MVP after leading the Utes to finish as the only FBS team in the nation during the 2008 season. It was capped off by a No. 2 ranking from the Associated Press, selection as National Champion by Anderson/Hester and National Coach of the Year laurels for Kyle Whittingham from both the AFCA and Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards committee.
