Top 10 Utah Football Moments From 2008 Season

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Utah football had plenty of moments from the 2008 season where they went undefeated and beat Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl.

SportsBeat put together their top five moments from that season with the Crimson Corner coming up with Nos. 6-10.

Here are the top 10 moments from Utah’s historic season in 2008.

10. Brian Johnson 56-Yard TD Run vs. UNLV

After allowing UNLV to score first, Brian Johnson scored Utah’s first touchdown of the game against UNLV by running in a 56-yard score to tie the game. Utah trailed 14-7 to the Rebels before they outscored them 35-7 to pick up a 42-21 win.

Johnson threw for 183 yards, two touchdowns and one interception while racking up 80 yards on five carries on the ground.

9. Brian Johnson Five TD Passes In First Half vs. SDSU

On the road against San Diego State, the Utes poured it on the Aztecs in the first half but scoring five touchdowns. Utah held SDSU to just one touchdown in the first 30 minutes of action. Johnson threw touchdown passes to Freddie Brown and David Reed twice and Colt Sampson once.

Johnson finished with 283 passing yards, 5 touchdowns and one interception.

8. Corbin Louks 69-Yard TD Run vs. Colorado State

This game was in hand with the Utes up 42-16 in the fourth quarter when backup QB Corbin Louks ran in a touchdown from 69-yards to help the Utes beat Colorado State 49-16.

7. DeShawn Richard Back-To-Back Pick Sixes Against SDSU

The game was already in hand as well for the Utes in the fourth quarter when they held a 49-14 lead. DeShawn Richard snatched two interceptions and took both of them to the house. The first one was an 89-yard pick-six with the second one from 38 yards.

6. Darrell Mack TD Run In Final Minute To Beat Air Force

The Utes needed a touchdown in the final minute to knock off Air Force on the road to keep their winning streak alive. The Falcons had a 16-9 lead at halftime before the Utes outscored Air Force 21-7 in the second half.

Mack finished with 18 carries for 101 yards and 3 touchdowns. Matt Asiata added 116 rushing yards on 19 attempts.

5. Beating Michigan At The Big House

The Utes opened the 2008 season at the historic Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan against the Wolverines. Michigan started the game with a 7-0 lead before the Utes scored their first touchdown from Corbin Louks but the PAT was missed. The Wolverines took a 10-6 lead into the second quarter. Utah answered with three straight field goals by Louie Sakoda. Brian Johnson found Bradon Godfrey for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Utes a 22-10 lead at the halftime break.

In the second half, Utah scored just a field goal while Michigan scored two touchdowns. With 6:26 left in the game, Michigan failed their two-point conversion that would have tied the game. The Utes held on to beat Michigan 25-23 and started the season 1-0.

Johnson threw for 305 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

4. Utes Pick Off Max Hall Five Times To Win MWC Title

In the regular season finale, Utah was ranked No. 8 in the country with BYU ranked No. 16. The Utes jumped out to a 27-17 lead in the first half. The Cougars scored just one touchdown in the second half while the Utes put up 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull off the 48-24 win to claim the Mountain West Conference title.

BYU quarterback Max Hall threw for 205 yards, 5 interceptions and one rushing touchdown. The five interceptions were made by Joe Dale twice, Paul Kruger, Sean Smith and Robert Johnson.

Brian Johnson racked up 303 passing yards and 4 touchdowns while completing 30 of his 36 pass attempts.

3. The Final Drive vs. TCU

On November 6, 2008, No. 11 TCU came to a blacked out Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Horned Frogs had the lead for most of the game but when TCU missed a field goal that would’ve put them up by seven points, the Utes had the ball back with 2:48 remaining to win the game.

The Utes started at their own 20-yard line when they picked up four first downs in the first five plays of the drive. When Utah was at the TCU 31-yard line, Johnson and the Utes faced a 4th and 5 when he connected with Freddie Brown for a 11-yard gain to keep the drive alive. On second and four at the TCU 9-yard line with one minute left in the game, Johnson found Brown once again for a touchdown to give the Utes the lead and eventually the win.

On TCU’s last drive, Utah safety Robert Johnson intercepted Andy Dalton to seal the win.

Johnson threw for 230 yards and one touchdown. Dalton had 251 passing yards and two interceptions.

2. Comeback Win Over Oregon State

Oregon State scored a touchdown with 2:18 remaining in the game to take a 28-20 lead. The Utes scored 11 points in the final 90 seconds to get the win. Brian Johnson connected with Bradon Godfrey to put Utah within two points. Johnson ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game. Louie Sakoda nailed a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Utah the win over the Beavers.

Johnson recorded 201 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Brent Casteel hauled in five receptions for 105 yards.

1. Beating Alabama In 2009 Sugar Bowl

You can’t pick just one play from the Sugar Bowl so the top moment of the 2008 season was when the Utes knocked off No. 4 Alabama.

Utah jumped out to a 21-0 lead with touchdowns from Brent Casteel, Matt Asiata and Bradon Godfrey. Brian Johnson threw two of the three touchdowns. Alabama scored 17 unanswered before the Utes put the Crimson Tide away with a touchdown from Johnson to David Reed and a field goal by Louie Sakoda to give the Utes the 31-17 win.

The Utes’ defense sacked Alabama 8 times and forced three turnovers. Johnson threw for 336 yards and 3 touchdowns while being named Sugar Bowl MVP.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for KSLSports.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.