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Bowl season roundup
The Utes, and the Mountain West Conference as a whole, left their mark on the 2009 bowl season as the Utes not only stretched their nation-leading bowl win streak to nine, but also finished the decade undefeated in eight bowl game appearances. The Utes’ 37-27 win over the Golden Bears in the Poinsettia Bowl was one of four bowl wins for the MWC, which finished the bowl season 4-1 in bowl game appearances.
The successful bowl season for the Mountain West started when Wyoming nudged past Fresno State in a thrilling double overtime win in the New Mexico Bowl. True freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels led the Cowboys to the win by throwing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in double overtime.
BYU kept the ball rolling with a convincing win against the Pac-10’s Oregon State. On a windy night in Las Vegas, the Cougars more than doubled up on the Beavers, sending them home with a 44-20 defeat.
Utah took care of business the next day against Cal to make the conference 3-0 with two bowl games remaining.
More than a week later, the Air Force Academy piled on 47 points against Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl on New Year’s Eve to keep the conference perfect.
But Jan. 4, the conference’s hopes for a perfect bowl season ended when Boise State handed TCU its first loss of the season when the Broncos won the Fiesta Bowl 17-10. With the win, Boise State joins Utah as the only schools to win multiple Bowl Championship Series Bowl games despite not playing in a BCS conference. Nevertheless, the MWC finished the postseason 4-1, giving the conference the best bowl-game winning percentage in the nation.
Familiar face joins coaching staff
A year after becoming Utah’s all-time winningest quarterback and leading the Utes to their second undefeated season and BCS bowl win on the decade, Brian Johnson has joined the Utah coaching staff as an assistant coach and will oversee the quarterbacks.
“The addition of Brian Johnson to our coaching staff is a huge positive for our program,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “Brian was an outstanding player for us, has natural leadership ability and possesses a complete understanding of the game. Brian’s intelligence,
knowledge of the quarterback position and tireless work ethic will help make his transition into coaching a smooth one.”
Johnson is filling the vacancy left by assistant coach J.D. Williams, who, after only one year at Utah, accepted a coaching position at UNLV. Johnson graduated from the U last May with a bachelor’s degree in mass communication and was a four-time Academic All-Conference honoree during his time as a player. Johnson went 26-7 as a starter in his three years as the starting quarterback and earned a total of five bowl rings during his time at the U as well as being part of both of Utah’s two undefeated seasons.
“I am really excited for this opportunity and am grateful for coach Whitt’s confidence and trust in me,” Johnson said. “The chance to coach at my alma mater and help build on the success we have enjoyed here at Utah is really a dream come true. I am looking forward to working with Jordan (Wynn) and Terrance (Cain), as well as the rest of the quarterbacks, and to remain a contributing part of Utah’s football success.”
Three Utes named to Shrine All-Star game
Senior standouts Zane Beadles, David Reed and Stevenson Sylvester were picked to play in the 2010 East-West Shrine game that will be held Jan. 23 in Orlando, Fla. The East-West Shrine Game is the longest running college all-star game in the country. It has been held annually since 1925 and benefits Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Beadles, Reed and Sylvester are among 11 seniors invited from six MWC universities to represent the conference in the national all-star game. Others representing the conference in the Shrine game will be BYU’s Max Hall, Jan Jorgensen and Dennis Pitta as well as Air Force safety Chris Thomas and TCU offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse. Scouts from all 32 NFL football teams will be on hand to scout talent for the upcoming NFL draft. In the 84-year history of the Shrine game, 62 future NFL Hall of Famers have participated in the All-Star game.
b.chouinard@chronicle.utah.edu
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