2006 Utah Utes Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Dec. 23
2006 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl
Utah 25 ... Tulsa 13
Utah outgained Tulsa 405 yards to 254 and had no problems moving the
ball, but it finished off several drives with field goals. Fortunately
for the Utes, Louie Sakoda hit all four of his attempts connecting from
45, 39, 41, and 34 yards, to go along with a ten-yard touchdown pass to
Brent Casteel for a 19-7 lead going into the fourth quarter. Tulsa's
offense never got on track only managing a one-yard Paul Smith touchdown
run capitalizing on a Bobby Blackshire interception of Brett Ratliff.
Tulsa appeared to be back in it only down six, but Eric Weddle took over
moving over from the defensive side to run Utah's offense, literally,
with a key late drive running seven times with a four-yard touchdown
dash sealing the win.
Player of the game ... Utah's Eric Weddle ran ten times for 56 yards and a touchdown, made
six tackles, recovered a fumble was in on half a sack and picked off a
pass Stat Leaders: Utah- Passing: Brett Ratliff,
23-34, 240 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Brent Casteel, 7-66 Receiving: Brian
Hernandez, 8-55 Tulsa - Passing: Paul Smith, 0-27, 158 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Courtney Tennial, 6-53 Receiving: Tarrion Adams, 9-63 Notes & Thoughts ...
Utah moved the ball, Tulsa didn't. It was
that simple. The Utes were able to connect on the plays they needed to
to keep the chains moving converting seven of 14 third down chances,
while Tulsa only converted two of 11 tries. The Golden Hurricane
couldn't find anything to rely on with the Ute defense all over the
place and doing as good a job wrapping up as it had all season long. ...
The Utah offensive line didn't have a fantastic season, but it came up
with a good outing, and was especially helped with the quickness and
toughness of Eric Weddle, who capped his career with a fitting
performance putting it away with a rushing touchdown, and ending the
game with an interception. ... Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham might be
disappointed with the way the first two seasons have gone in his regime,
but he's been fantastic in bowl games dominating Georgia Tech in last
year's Emerald Bowl and coming up with a solid win over Tulsa. ... This
loss showed what happens when Tulsa's offense doesn't work. Paul Smith
is a talented, smart, efficient passer, but he didn't make any
game-changing throws and was stuck dinking and dunking. This off-season,
the coaching staff has to work on how to get more of a vertical passing
game going to add more to Smith's repertoire.
Nov. 25
BYU 33 ... Utah 31
Down 31-27 with three seconds to play on the Utah 11, BYU's John Beck
dropped back, roamed around, roamed around some more, waited, waited,
and waited, and finally found Jonny Harline in the end zone for his
third touchdown catch of the game in one of the most thrilling finishes
in the history of the rivalry. The two passing games went up and down
the field with Utah overcoming an early 14-0 deficit with 24 straight
points on two Brett Ratliff touchdown passes and a Eric Weddle 18-yard
scoring play to Brent Casteel. The Cougars bounced back as Beck
connected with Harline for a four-yard score early in the fourth and
with Daniel Coats for a two-yard touchdown with 3:23 to play to take a
27-24 lead, but Utah bounced back as Ratliff connected with Brent
Casteel for a 19-yard touchdown with 1:19 to play. Beck took the team 75
yards in ten plays for the win.
Player of the game ...BYU QB John Beck completed 38 of 43 passes for 375 yards and four
touchdowns Stat Leaders: Utah- Passing: Brett Ratliff,
24-38, 358 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Brent Casteel, 4-34 Receiving: Derreck
Richards, 8-79 BYU - Passing: John Beck, 28-43, 375 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Curtis Brown, 13-45 Receiving: Jonny Harline, 7-118,
3 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... As
heartbreaking as the last-second loss to Utah was, at least Brett
Ratliff got red hot going into the layoff before the bowl game. While
that might not seem like that big a deal, his emergence over the last
several weeks has turned the Ute season around. The defense got great
pressure on John Beck all game long and did a good job of getting into
the backfield, but it couldn't make the one final play it needed. Eric
Weddle was Eric Weddle with nine tackles and several good offensive
plays, including a touchdown pass, but he wasn't able to make any huge
defensive plays against the pass.
Nov. 18
Utah 17 ... Air Force 14
Louis Sakoda hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give
Utah the win. Air Force had tied it late in the fourth on a 14-play,
80-yard drive culminating with a one-yard Shaun Carney touchdown
run, but the Utes went 60 yards in 13 plays to set up the
game-winning kick. Ute cornerback Eric Weddle did double duty
leading the team in rushing scoring on a six-yard dash in the first
quarter and a four-yard run in the fourth. Carney connected with
Victor Thompson for a six-yard score to start the fourth. Player of the game ...
Utah CB Eric
Weddle ran 12 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns and made eight
tackles Stat Leaders: Air Force- Passing: Shaun Carney, 16-22, 218
yds, 1 TD Rushing: Chad Hall, 11-38, Receiving: Victor Thompson,
5-99, 1 TD Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 24-38, 236 yds
Rushing: Eric Weddle, 12-73, 2 TD Receiving: Brian Hernandez,
9-55 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
BYU QB John Beck is a lock for the Mountain West player of the year,
but Utah’s Eric Weddle is a close number two. Along with being the
league’s best defensive player, he was the main man for the running
game against Air Force with 73 yards and two touchdowns on 12
carries. While the last second win over the Falcons was certainly
nice, especially since it ensures a bowl game the week before
dealing with BYU, it has to be a little bit concerning that
everything worked on offense with a sharp passing game and decent
balance from the ground attack, and it was still a struggle to get
the victory.
Nov. 11
Utah 35 ... Colorado State 22
Utah rolled up 526 yards of total offense getting production
from everywhere as Brett Ratliff threw two first half touchdown
passes and CB Eric Weddle ran for a six-yard score. Colorado State
appeared to be on its way to tying it up with a 51-yard Luke Roberts
touchdown catch and a two-yard Gartrell Johnson scoring run, but a
two-point conversion attempt misfired and Utah rolled from there.
The Ute offense rolled for 65 yards in 11 plays closing with a
Ratliff scoring pass to Derrek Richards, and the Rams were never a
threat the rest of the way. Player of the game ...
Utah QB Brett
Ratliff completed 20 of 32 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns
with an interception Stat Leaders: Colorado State- Passing: Caleb Hanie, 13-30,
186 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Caleb Hanie, 13-75, Receiving: Johnny Walker,
4-30 Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 20-32, 296, 2 TD, 1
INT
Rushing: Darryl Poston, 16-66, 1 TD Receiving: Brent Casteel,
6-92, 1
TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Ratliff has played well over the last few weeks and it's
turned Utah's season around. Colorado State didn't have the
firepower to keep up with a Ute attack that got nice balance,
efficiency on third downs, and timely scoring to get ahead and stay
there all game long. The ten penalties were way too many and the run
defense struggled a little too much against the anemic Ram ground
game, but overall, this was a good performance. While Mountain West
title hopes are realistically gone, 8-4 is still possible by beating
Air Force and BYU.
Oct. 28
Utah 45 ... UNLV 23
Brett Ratliff hooked up with Brent Casteel for three
touchdowns and the Utah defense returned an interception for a touchdown
in the blowout win. The Utes got out to a 24-3 first half lead on two
Casteel touchdowns and a two-yard Ratliff run, but the dagger came
midway through third when J.J. Williams picked off a Rocky Hinds pass
for a score. Down 45-6, the Rebels made the score cosmetically better
with 17 points in the fourth. Player of the game ...
Utah QB Brett
Ratliff completed 19 of 23 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns with
a rushing score. Stat Leaders: UNLV- Passing: Rocky Hinds, 25-35, 232 yds,
2 TD, 2 INT Rushing: Ronnie Smith, 6-34, Receiving: Casey Flair,
5-51, 1 TD Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 19-23, 268 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Darryl Poston, 17-72 Receiving: Brent Casteel, 5-86, 3
TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Now that's the Brett Ratliff we've all been waiting for.
Yeah, ripping apart UNLV should be no big deal, but it is considering
the Utes came off a tough loss to New Mexico and needed to get back on
track in a hurry to be in the hunt for a bowl bid. The offense blew up
the Rebels over the first three quarters taking advantage of every
mistake, while the defense was fantastic at keeping Rocky Hinds and the
UNLV offense from ever getting on track thanks to the pressure and the
play from the secondary.
Oct. 19
New Mexico 34 ... Utah 31
Down 24-3 in the second quarter, New Mexico became unstoppable with
three touchdown passes from Donovan Porterie, including two to Marcus
Smith, and took the lead for good on a one-yard Martelius Epps run with
just over two minutes to play. Utah's final drive was stopped around
midfield when QB Brett Ratliff was stuffed on fourth and two. The Utes
got up early on two Darryl Poston touchdown runs and the first of two
Ratliff touchdown passes, and took a late lead on a three-yard Brian
Hernandez touchdown, but the defense couldn't adjust when the light went
on for Porterie. Player of the game ... Donovan Porterie completed 19 of 33 passes
for 350 yards and three touchdowns with an interception and ran four
times for nine yards. Stat Leaders: Utah- Passing: Brett Ratliff, 18-31,
234 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Darryl Poston, 19-60, 2 TD Receiving:
Derrek Richards, 6-96, 1 TD New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 19-33, 350
yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 16-81 Receiving: Travis
Brown, 9-154, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After the
way the Utes lost to Wyoming, the last thing they needed was a
disastrous collapse against New Mexico. Brett Ratliff played well and
there was even a little bit of a running game, but the defense couldn't
figure out how to stop Donovan Porterie once he got rolling. With UNLV
coming up next, things should turn back around before dealing with the
tough finishing kick, but the secondary has to tighten up in a real
hurry and there has to be more of a pass rush. Utah only had the ball
for 2:52 of the fourth quarter; that can't happen again.
Oct. 14
Wyoming 31 ... Utah 15
Wyoming got out to a 31-0 lead helped by a 24-yard touchdown
catch from Michael Ford and a four-yard run from Karsten Sween. The
defense got into the act in the second half with Julius Stinson
returning an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. Utah finally got on
the board with a 35-yard Eric Weddle fumble return for a score, but the
offense didn't get in the end zone until just over four minutes to play
on a three-yard Derrek Richards touchdown catch.
Player of the game ... Wyoming QB Karsten
Sween went 17-of-24 for 202 yards and a touchdown and added a score on
the ground. Stat Leaders: Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 16-31,
111 yds, 2 INTs Rushing: Brent Casteel, 6-34 Receiving: Derrek Richards,
7-57 Wyoming - Passing: Karsten Sween, 17-24, 202 yds, 1
TD
Rushing: Wynel Seldon, 14-64 Receiving: Michael Ford, 5-92 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Brett
Ratliff has to be better and more consistent, but he also needs some
help from a non-existent running game that was stuffed by Wyoming for 33
yards on 29 carries. Turnovers were a killer and inefficiency in the
offense didn't help. The defense wasn't all that bad considering it had
to deal with some short fields. Now, getting to a bowl game might be
tough with dates ahead against Colorado State, Air Force and BYU. The
Mountain West title hopes are long, long gone.
Oct. 5
Utah 20 ... TCU 7
Utah got two touchdown passes from Brett Ratliff to Brett
Casteel and the defense forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter
to go 2-0 in Mountain West play. TCU got a one-yard Lonta Hobbs
touchdown run in the second quarter, but failed to connect on a few
chances in the second half and got many of its 310 yards on a
garbage time final drive. Louie Sakoda hit field goals from 29 and
32 yards out for the Utes. Player of the game ... Utah QB Brett Ratliff completed
22 of 35 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns with an
interception and ran eight times for 64 yards. Stat Leaders: TCU- Passing: Marcus
Jackson, 11-19, 158 yds Rushing: Lonta Hobbs, 21-63, 1 TD Receiving:
Shae Reagan, 2-48 Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 22-35, 223
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brett Ratliff, 8-64. Receiving: Brett
Casteel, 5-68, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Breathe a
sigh of relief. After the disaster against Boise State, QB Brett
Ratliff came up with a solid performance in the win over TCU and
overcame a huge hurdle in the Mountain West title hunt. The defense
came up with a night-and-day better performance holding tight on
third downs and forcing mistakes late. Best of all, the D was a rock
against the run and generated pressure from all sides, something it
wasn't able to do against Boise State, and forced the Horned Frog
quarterbacks to hurry their throws. Now the key will be consistency
with road games at Wyoming and New Mexico; the Utes have the
momentum now.
Sept. 30
Boise State 36 ... Utah 3
Boise State busted open a 3-3 tie with 33 unanswered points
helped by a 20-point explosion highlighted by a 12-yard interception
return for a touchdown from Colt Brooks off a horribly thrown pass from
Brett Ratliff. The Broncos got three Anthony Montgomery field goals, an
eight-yard scoring run from Vinny Perretta, a touchdown run and throw
from Jared Zabransky as the offense took advantage of every opportunity.
The Utes replaced Ratliff with Tommy Grady, but the offense didn't go
anywhere finishing with a mere 178 yards. Utah's Steve Tate and Casey
Evans combined for 23 tackles. Player of the game ... Boise State LB Korey Hall led
the team with eight tackles with two interceptions and a broken up pass. Stat Leaders: Boise State- Passing:
Jared Zabrasnsky, 17-29, 273 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Ian Johnson, 29-178, 2 TD Receiving:
Drisan James, 5-66 Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 5-21, 30
yds, 3 INT
Rushing: Darryl Poston, 13-50. Receiving: Brian
Hernandez, 3-22 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
How much does Utah miss Brian Johnson? Brett
Ratliff hasn't looked comfortable all season long in the starting role,
and now he might have to hit the bench after the awful performance
against Boise State. The defense didn't do an awful job considering the
horrible spots it was put in time and again, but it wasn't able to come
up with a momentum-changing stop needed to bail out the struggling
offense. Things had better change in a big way over the next week. The
Utes will be embarrassed by TCU next week if they average 1.9 yards per
pass attempt again.
Sept. 23
Utah 38 ... San Diego State 7
Utah defensive back Eric Weddle scored three times returning
two interceptions for touchdowns and running for a two-yard score. The
Utah offense also got into the act with two touchdowns from Darryl
Poston on a one-yard run and an 18-yard catch. San Diego State only
managed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Brett Swain in the first quarter
before the Utes scores 31 unanswered points. The Aztecs threw five
interceptions and only gained 287 yards of total offense. Player of the game
...Utah S Eric Weddle made four tackles, three
interceptions, returned two for touchdowns,
and ran three times
for 11 yards and a score. Stat Leaders: San Diego State- Passing: Darren
Mougey, 9-19, 83 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT Rushing: Atiyyeh Henderson, 12-98 Receiving: Brett
Swain, 4-28, 1 TD Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 12-26, 157 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Darryl Poston, 13-53, 1 TD Receiving:
Derreck Richards, 4-46 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Yeah, Utah beat San Diego State without a
problem thanks to Eric Weddle and the defense, but there has to be a
little concern over the inconsistent play of Brett Ratliff. He's been
great against the bad teams, but he struggled against UCLA and misfired
way too often against the Aztecs. Against Boise State next week, all the
parts on offense need to be clicking and there has to be some explosion
to deal with the inevitable Bronco big plays. As long as the ground game
cranks out 192 yards, like it did this week, things will be fine.
Sept. 16
Utah 48 ... Utah State 0
Utah outgained Utah State 401 yards to 98 with Brett Ratliff
throwing three touchdowns passes including two to Derrek Richards. The
Utes got up 24-0 starting off with a 21-yard Eric Shyne interception
return for a score less than two minutes into the game. Steven Sylvester
later added a 45-yard pick six for the Utes late in the third quarter.
Louis Sakoda hit field goals from 39 and 27 yards out. Player of the game ... Utah QB Brett Ratliff completed
18 of 29 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns and ran eight times
for 45 yards. Stat Leaders: Utah- Passing: Brett
Ratliff, 18-29, 182 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Brett Ratliff, 8-45. Receiving:
Derrich Richards, 7-90, 2 TD Utah State - Passing: Leon Jackson, 4-15,
39 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Marcus Cross, 13-27 Receiving:
Nnamdi Gwacham, 2-25 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Now
that's what the offense is supposed to look like. the Ute spread
attack rolled at will on Utah State with Brett Ratliff running and
throwing equally well. It would be nice if more production came from the
running backs, and there's still a question whether or not Tommy Grady
can run the attack close to as well as Ratliff, but the offense is
humming going into the start of Mountain West play at San Diego State.
The defense wasn't bad, either, stuffing the Aggies all game long,
especially against the run.
Sept. 9
Utah 45 ... Northern Arizona 7
It took just over a quarter for the Utah offensive machine to
get revved up, and then it was over scoring 45 unanswered points
following a 25-yard touchdown catch from Kenny Mahone for an early 7-0
NAU lead. Brett Ratliff threw four second half touchdown passes and
Darryl Poston and Mike Liti added one-yard touchdown runs in the
blowout. The Ute defense held the Lumberjacks to 205 yards of total
offense. Player of the game ... Utah QB Brett Ratliff completed
17 of 27 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns Stat Leaders: Utah- Passing: Brett
Ratliff, 17-27, 299 yds, 3 TD Rushing: Darryl Poston, 11-72, 1 TD. Receiving:
Bradon Godfrey, 4-80, 1 TD Northern Arizona - Passing: Jason
Murrietta, 11-21, 118 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Lance Kriesien, 5-51 Receiving:
Kenny Mahone, 5-56, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Utah was
never threatened by Northern Arizona after the first quarter getting the
offense rolling for 512 yards. After the dud of a performance at UCLA,
the team needed this to get all the kinks worked out before road games
at Utah State and San Diego State. Brett Ratliff settled into the
position as the starter, and he spread it around relatively well. If
Darryl Poston and Mike Liti can combine for over 100 rushing yards per
game, the offense will hum.
Sept. 2
UCLA 31 ... Utah 10
Al Verner returned an interception 34 yards for a score and
Ben Olson threw three touchdown passes as UCLA came up with a
surprisingly easy win. Olson starting off with a 16-yard strike to Ryan
Moya and finishing with a nine-yard toss to Marcus Everett Utah's
offense had a decent first half as Brent Casteel caught a 26-yard
touchdown pass and Louie Sakoda kicked a 44-yard field goal, but
everything ground to a halt in the second half as UCLA's defense made
several key plays. The Utes went 0-for-11 on third down conversions. Player of the game ... UCLA QB Ben Olson completed 25
of 33 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Stat Leaders: Utah- Passing: Brett
Ratliff, 13-31, 162 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Mike Liti, 8-57. Receiving:
Brian Hernandez, 4-31 UCLA - Passing: Ben Olson, 25-33, 318 yds,
3 TD
Rushing: Kahlil Bell, 14-34 Receiving: Logan
Paulsen, 5-90 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... With all
the toughest games on the schedule now at home, Utah can't spend more
than five minutes thinking about the dud of a performance it came up
with at UCLA. The loss exposed some potentially big problems. First,
there's no real running game to rely on. UCLA's run D is certainly
better than last year's, but it's not a killer. Second, now there's a
huge concern that QB Brett Ratliff's great run at the end of last year
was a fluke. He had better destroy Northern Arizona and Utah State or
any and all BCS dreams (which are still there if the Utes win out) go
bye-bye.
Just when it seemed like Utah was well past the Urban Meyer days of
success, just when a 6-6 season appeared almost certain, just when
the Utes were about to take a step back, they blew away a strong
Georgia Tech team 38-10 in the Emerald Bowl to prove that this
program really can play.
The first year under head coach Kyle Whittingham had its rocky
moments, like a three-game midseason losing streak hitting the los
point with a home gaffe against San Diego State, but the team showed
how resilient it could be by beating archrival BYU and winning the
bowl game despite losing star quarterback Brian Johnson.
While getting back to the 12-0 level of 2004 is highly
unlikely anytime soon, being good enough to be the biggest bad boy
in the Mountain West is very attainable with good talent all over
the place along with the confidence that comes from the great
finish.
The defense returns seven starters, but where will they play? Safety
Casey Evans moves to linebacker after finishing second on the team in
tackles, top nose guard Kelly Talavou will move to tackle, and
All-America talent Eric Weddle will move anywhere in the secondary that
needs him. Those are just the high-profile moves; there are plenty of
more players still trying to figure out where their homes are.
Yeah, the defense will be fine, but it's the offense that'll get people
buzzing about Utah football. Even after losing several stars, including
Heisman-caliber quarterback Alex Smith, the Utes still managed to finish
12th in the nation in total offense while throwing up 30 points per
game. It all starts with the quarterback situation, which is
still strong even though Johnson is taking a year off to make sure his
knee is healthy for 2007. The system makes stars out of smart
quarterbacks, and Brett Ratliff and Tommy Grady certainly fit the mold.
Utah football really is that good. It can hang around with the big boys
thanks to the devastating offense, and there are enough good athletes on
defense to get the job done. The expectations have been jacked up in
Salt Lake City, and rightly so.
The
Schedule: There's one big chance to make a national splash, and it
comes right away in the opener at UCLA. If the Utes win that, then the
spotlight will be on. The Mountain West opener at San Diego State might
seem like a layup, but the Aztecs won last year 28-19. Playing Boise
State will certainly be a fun showdown of top offenses, but it'll be
hard to concentrate with the Mountain West game of the year against TCU
coming up the following Thursday. Playing three of the final four games
at home, including the showdown with BYU, will help title hopes.
Best
Offensive Player: Senior QB Brett
Ratliff. Brian Johnson was becoming a superstar when he went down with a torn
ACL. Ratliff turned into a shocking star over the final two games of the
season with wins over BYU and Georgia Tech leading the way to a battle
for the right to run the high-octane attack this fall. Johnson is the
better player, but he'll back next year with the knee not right yet.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior SS Eric Weddle. One of the nation's best
all-around defensive backs, Weddle can play any spot with tremendous
speed and all-around athleticism. He's best as a corner, but he's mostly
needed at safety.
Key player
to a successful season: Senior RB Darryl Poston. The former USC
Trojan turned into the surprise number one back after spring ball, but
Mike Liti and Darrell Mack will each get their chances at the job this
fall. The three have to combine to replace 1,120-yard back Quinton
Ganther.
The season
will be a success if ... the Utes win the Mountain West title. They get TCU, Colorado
State and BYU in Rice-Eccles, and they have the talent to win the four
conference road games against teams that didn't go to a bowl last year.
Anything less than a championship will be a major disappointment.
Key game:
Oct. 5 vs. TCU. The Horned Frogs are the better team, but the Utes
are certainly good enough to get revenge after last year's 23-20
overtime loss. The winner of this game will likely be the Mountain West
champion.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- Penalties: Utah 92 for 762 yards - Opponents 68 for 541 yards
- Utah third quarter scoring: 102 - Utah fourth quarter scoring: 44
- Kickoff return average: Opponents 23.8 - Utah 22.1
The Last Time Utah…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (Emerald Bowl vs. Georgia Tech)
…missed a bowl game…2002
…pitched a shutout…2003 (Southern Miss)
…was shutout…1993 (Arizona State)
…scored 50 points…2004 (BYU)
…went undefeated…2004
…won a conference title…2004 (MWC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1994 (Mike McCoy)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Quinton Ganther)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Paris Warren)
…had a first-round draft choice…2005 (QB Alex Smith)
