2007 Utah Utes football team
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah
in the college football
season of 2007-2008
. The team was coached by 3rd year head football coach Kyle Whittingham
. The Utes played their homes games in Rice–Eccles Stadium.
, who sat out the 2006 on a medical red-shirt, and the debut of highly touted Junior College All-American transfer, RB Matt Asiata. Unfortunately, both Asiata and Johnson would suffer serious injuries that altered the season for the Utes. After only 4 carries, Matt Asiata's season ended when his leg was broken near the end of the 1st quarter. Brian Johnson threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Brent Casteel to take the lead moments later, but was injured as well near the end of the first half suffering a separated shoulder that would take him out of the game and on to the sideline. Utah's offense was never able to put together a consistent drive and left their defense on the field for the majority of the game. Oregon State's offensive line and senior RB Yvenson Bernard took advantage of a fatigued Ute defense, racking up 165 yards rushing and 2 TDs on 29 carries.
Oregon State Leads Series: 9 – 4 – 1
Air Force Leads Series: 14 – 10 – 0
Trailing 14–6 midway through the 3rd quarter it looked as though UCLA was about to get closer to the lead the Utes held when UCLA QB Ben Olson
found a wide open Marcus Everett who looked to be on his way to the end-zone for a 52-yard touchdown reception. Ute safety, Robert Johnson
caught up to Everett and hit him before he crossed the goal-line causing him to fumble the ball through the back of the end-zone for a touchback. "That really killed any momentum we had gained," said UCLA coach Karl Dorrell
. The Utes took possession and dominated the rest of the game with the help of their defense forcing 5 total turnovers and keeping the Bruins scoreless throughout the 2nd half. RB Darrell Mack ended the game with 107-yards rushing on 19 carries, becoming the first Ute running back to rush for 100-yards in a single game since Quinton Ganther
in the 2005 Emerald Bowl
. This was the Utes' first win over the Bruins.
UCLA Leads Series: 8 – 1 – 0
rushed for 190-yards and 2 TDs on 29 carries leading the way to the Rebel's first win over the Utes since 1979.
Utah Leads Series: 11 – 2 – 0
pass to Jereme Brooks was taken away by James Brindley for an interception. Brooks would later redeem himself, catching his first career touchdown pass from Johnson, tying the game at 7 at the end of the first quarter. The Ute defense stopped the Aggies on their next possession, forcing them to punt. Derek Richards took the punt and returned it for a touchdown, the first punt returned for a score since Steve Smith against California
in 2000. Utah would not trail again as Darrell Mack racked up 132-yards rushing and a TD on 26 carries. This victory marked the Utes' tenth straight against their oldest rival.
Utah Leads Series: 75 – 28 – 4
is typically the most anticipated conference game for each of these two teams. In 2006, the rivalry was ranked in the Wall Street Journal as the 4th best college football rivalry game in the country.
The game was largely a defensive struggle until the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. The Utes took the lead 10–9 when Darrell Mack scored the first touchdown of the game with just 1:34 left. On the ensuing possession, however, BYU converted on fourth and eighteen from their own 12 with a 49-yard pass from Max Hall to Austin Collie. Harvey Unga made the game-winning touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining, and Austin Collie caught a pass in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion, putting the Cougars up 17–10. Unga became BYU's first freshman running back to gain 1,000 rushing yards in a season. This was also Collie's 6th game for over 97 yards receiving. BYU racked up 424 offensive yards to Utah's 244. Unga was named the MWC Offensive Player of the Week, and freshman kicker, Mitch Payne, was named MWC Special Teams Player of the Week making 3 of 4 field goals.
Utah Leads Series: 52 – 33 – 4
, who threw and ran for a touchdown to lead the Utes to a 35–32 win. He finished the day going 20–25 for 226 yards and the two touchdowns. Running Back Darrell Mack ran for 76 yards on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns. The Midshipmen were led by Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada who went 7–14 for 122 yards, 2 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Fullback Eric Kettani carried the ball 12 times for 125 yards and 1 touchdown. Utah struck first on a 5 yard Mack run in the 2nd quarter. The Midshipmen then proceeded to score 17 straight points with 11:52 to play in the 3rd quarter. The Utes then struck back with three straight touchdowns including Brian Johnson's 19 yard scramble with 12:47 to go in the fourth quarter to make it 28–17 in favor of the Utes. Kaheaku-Enhada then hooked up with Shun White for a 10 yard pass that made it 28–25. Mack then had a 1 yard run to make it 35–25 with 1:27 to play. Kaheaku-Enhada then found Zerbin Singleton with 00:57 to play to make it 35–32. Navy then converted the onside kick
. Utah safety Joe Dale then intercepted Kaheaku-Enhada to seal the Ute win.
Utah Leads Series: 1 – 0 – 0
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season of 2007-2008
2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 30, 2007, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in New Orleans, Louisiana on January 7, 2008, where the top...
. The team was coached by 3rd year head football coach Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham
Kyle Whittingham is the head football coach of the University of Utah Utes. Prior to becoming the head coach at Utah, Whittingham served as Utah's defensive coordinator for ten seasons. He was named head coach of Utah after Urban Meyer left for the Florida Gators in 2004...
. The Utes played their homes games in Rice–Eccles Stadium.
Recruiting
Schedule
Oregon State
The Utes and Beavers kicked off the 2007 college football season playing in the first game of the year. For the Utes, this game marked the long awaited return of QB Brian JohnsonBrian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
, who sat out the 2006 on a medical red-shirt, and the debut of highly touted Junior College All-American transfer, RB Matt Asiata. Unfortunately, both Asiata and Johnson would suffer serious injuries that altered the season for the Utes. After only 4 carries, Matt Asiata's season ended when his leg was broken near the end of the 1st quarter. Brian Johnson threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Brent Casteel to take the lead moments later, but was injured as well near the end of the first half suffering a separated shoulder that would take him out of the game and on to the sideline. Utah's offense was never able to put together a consistent drive and left their defense on the field for the majority of the game. Oregon State's offensive line and senior RB Yvenson Bernard took advantage of a fatigued Ute defense, racking up 165 yards rushing and 2 TDs on 29 carries.
Oregon State Leads Series: 9 – 4 – 1
Air Force
In the conference opener for both teams, Utah's injury woes would continue against the falcons as junior WR Brent Casteel suffered a torn ACL which ended his season while Air force accumulated 334 rushing yards and controlled most of the game. In the final moments, Utah found themselves down 20–12 on the Air Force 1-yard line. On 3rd-and-goal, Freshman RB Eddie Wide took a direct snap through the middle of the line only to be taken down for no gain. With time running down to under a minute to go the final chance to score came on 4th down. Darryl Poston took a hand-off to the right side of the line and was met by a swarm of Air Force defenders who stopped him just a couple feet short of the goal-line. Utah was handed their 2nd defeat of the season and began 0–2 for the first time since 2000.Air Force Leads Series: 14 – 10 – 0
UCLA
Having started the 2007 season 0–2, the Utes were off to their worst start since 2000, and with their starting QB, RB and star WR out to injury, their luck did not look like it was about to change against the #11 UCLA Bruins. The game started off with both teams scoring on their first possessions, Utah on a 53-yard touchdown pass from backup QB Tommy Grady to WR Marquis Wilson, and UCLA on a 45-yard field goal by Kai Forbath. The 2nd quarter was more of the same with Forbath kicking another 3 points onto the scoreboard for the Bruins from 52-yards out, and Grady finding RB Darrell Mack on a 12-yard touchdown pass just before the end of the 1st half.Trailing 14–6 midway through the 3rd quarter it looked as though UCLA was about to get closer to the lead the Utes held when UCLA QB Ben Olson
Ben Olson
Benjamen James Olson is an American football quarterback. He played for the UCLA Bruins football team. He excelled in football at Thousand Oaks High School, earning high school All-American honors in 2001....
found a wide open Marcus Everett who looked to be on his way to the end-zone for a 52-yard touchdown reception. Ute safety, Robert Johnson
Robert Johnson (safety)
Robert Johnson is an American football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League, who is currently a member of the practice squad. He was drafted by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Utah. Following final cuts Johnson was...
caught up to Everett and hit him before he crossed the goal-line causing him to fumble the ball through the back of the end-zone for a touchback. "That really killed any momentum we had gained," said UCLA coach Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell
Karl Dorrell is a football coach, currently an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL. He was previously the head coach of the UCLA Bruins, the first African American head football coach in the school's history...
. The Utes took possession and dominated the rest of the game with the help of their defense forcing 5 total turnovers and keeping the Bruins scoreless throughout the 2nd half. RB Darrell Mack ended the game with 107-yards rushing on 19 carries, becoming the first Ute running back to rush for 100-yards in a single game since Quinton Ganther
Quinton Ganther
Quinton Ganther is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
in the 2005 Emerald Bowl
Emerald Bowl
The Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl is a post-season college football bowl game certified by the NCAA that has been played annually at 40,800-seat AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, in San Francisco, California, since 2002...
. This was the Utes' first win over the Bruins.
UCLA Leads Series: 8 – 1 – 0
UNLV
Coming off of one of the biggest wins in school history, the Utes next faced UNLV. Utah's offense struggled the entire game turning the ball over 4 times and never scored, being shut-out for the first time since 1993. Like their match against Oregon State, the Ute defense was dominated by a strong Rebel running attack. UNLV RB Frank SummersFrank Summers
Frank Summers is an American football fullback for the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League. In his NFL career, he most recently played for the Pittsburgh Steelers...
rushed for 190-yards and 2 TDs on 29 carries leading the way to the Rebel's first win over the Utes since 1979.
Utah Leads Series: 11 – 2 – 0
Utah State
Utah State gave the Utes a scare, scoring first after Brian Johnson'sBrian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
pass to Jereme Brooks was taken away by James Brindley for an interception. Brooks would later redeem himself, catching his first career touchdown pass from Johnson, tying the game at 7 at the end of the first quarter. The Ute defense stopped the Aggies on their next possession, forcing them to punt. Derek Richards took the punt and returned it for a touchdown, the first punt returned for a score since Steve Smith against California
California Golden Bears football
The California Golden Bears football team is the college football team of the University of California. The team plays its home games at California Memorial Stadium, however the team played at San Francisco's AT&T Park in 2011 while Memorial Stadium was being renovated, the team will return to...
in 2000. Utah would not trail again as Darrell Mack racked up 132-yards rushing and a TD on 26 carries. This victory marked the Utes' tenth straight against their oldest rival.
Utah Leads Series: 75 – 28 – 4
Louisville
Utah Leads Series: 3 – 0 – 0San Diego State
Utah Leads Series: 14 - 12 – 1TCU
Utah Leads Series: 4 – 1 – 0Colorado State
Utah Leads Series: 52 – 22 – 1Wyoming
Utah Leads Series: 48 – 31 – 1New Mexico
Utah Leads Series: 30 – 17 – 2Brigham Young
This rivalry game, unofficially dubbed "The Holy War,"Holy War (Utah vs. BYU)
The Holy War is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the University of Utah Utes and the Brigham Young University Cougars. The game is part of the larger Utah–BYU rivalry...
is typically the most anticipated conference game for each of these two teams. In 2006, the rivalry was ranked in the Wall Street Journal as the 4th best college football rivalry game in the country.
The game was largely a defensive struggle until the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. The Utes took the lead 10–9 when Darrell Mack scored the first touchdown of the game with just 1:34 left. On the ensuing possession, however, BYU converted on fourth and eighteen from their own 12 with a 49-yard pass from Max Hall to Austin Collie. Harvey Unga made the game-winning touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining, and Austin Collie caught a pass in the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion, putting the Cougars up 17–10. Unga became BYU's first freshman running back to gain 1,000 rushing yards in a season. This was also Collie's 6th game for over 97 yards receiving. BYU racked up 424 offensive yards to Utah's 244. Unga was named the MWC Offensive Player of the Week, and freshman kicker, Mitch Payne, was named MWC Special Teams Player of the Week making 3 of 4 field goals.
Utah Leads Series: 52 – 33 – 4
Navy
Utah started this game looking for their seventh straight bowl win since 1999. They did just that, led by Quarterback Brian JohnsonBrian Johnson (quarterback)
Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009....
, who threw and ran for a touchdown to lead the Utes to a 35–32 win. He finished the day going 20–25 for 226 yards and the two touchdowns. Running Back Darrell Mack ran for 76 yards on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns. The Midshipmen were led by Quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada who went 7–14 for 122 yards, 2 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Fullback Eric Kettani carried the ball 12 times for 125 yards and 1 touchdown. Utah struck first on a 5 yard Mack run in the 2nd quarter. The Midshipmen then proceeded to score 17 straight points with 11:52 to play in the 3rd quarter. The Utes then struck back with three straight touchdowns including Brian Johnson's 19 yard scramble with 12:47 to go in the fourth quarter to make it 28–17 in favor of the Utes. Kaheaku-Enhada then hooked up with Shun White for a 10 yard pass that made it 28–25. Mack then had a 1 yard run to make it 35–25 with 1:27 to play. Kaheaku-Enhada then found Zerbin Singleton with 00:57 to play to make it 35–32. Navy then converted the onside kick
Onside kick
In American and Canadian football, an onside kick is a type of kick used at a kickoff or other free kick, or scrimmage kick or other kick during play, in which the ball is kicked favorably for the kicking team to avoid giving away the ball...
. Utah safety Joe Dale then intercepted Kaheaku-Enhada to seal the Ute win.
Utah Leads Series: 1 – 0 – 0
The Beehive Boot
"The Beehive Boot, which signifies instate football supremacy, was conceived in 1971. The authentic pioneer boot is awarded annually to the Utah school with the best record against its instate NCAA Division I foes. The schools who compete for the boot are Utah, Brigham Young and Utah State. In its 32-year history, the Beehive Boot has been awarded to Utah 10 times (1978, 1988, 1993, '94, '95, '99, 2002, 03, 04, and 05)."| 2007 Battle for the Beehive Boot | ||||||
| Date | Home | Road | Site | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 29, 2007 | Utah | Utah State | Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, Utah | |||
| November 24, 2007 | Brigham Young | Utah | Lavell Edwards Stadium • Provo, Utah | |||
| Records | ||||||
| Utah | Utah State | BYU | Notes | |||
| 1-1 | 0-1 | 1-0 | BYU and Utah State will not compete against each other this year | |||
Roster
Wide Receiver Wide receiver A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Tight End Tight end The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Offensive Line
Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Running Back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Defensive Line
Defensive Back Defensive back In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... "
Long snapper Long snapper In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....
Kicker Placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points... / Punter
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Statistical Leaders
| Passing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | COMP | ATT | Pct. | YDS | TD | INT | QB Rating | |
| Brian Johnson Brian Johnson (quarterback) Brian Delance Johnson is an American football quarterbacks coach for the University of Utah. He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the New York Sentinels in the UFL Premiere Season Draft in 2009.... |
111 | 162 | 68.5 | 1160 | 8 | 5 | 138.8 | |
| Tommy Grady | 57 | 114 | 53.6 | 662 | 4 | 3 | 105.1 | |
| Rushing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD |
| Darrell Mack | 254 | 1126 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Ray Stowers | 35 | 215 | 6.1 | 1 |
| Corbin Louks | 17 | 90 | 5.3 | 1 |
| Receiving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | REC | YDS | YPC | TD |
| Derrek Richards Derrek Richards Derrek Adams Richards is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent.-Life:... |
37 | 413 | 11.2 | 1 |
| Bradon Godfrey Bradon Godfrey Bradon Cache Godfrey is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2009... |
33 | 337 | 10.2 | 0 |
| Brian Hernandez | 28 | 302 | 10.8 | 0 |
| Tackles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Solo | Asst | Total |
| ' | |||
| ' | |||
| ' | |||