Why Bama’s Utah Loss Shouldn’t Scare You

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Give it up for the Utes of Utah, who stormed the Superdome and whipped Alabama, 31-17. It was an amazing performance from a double-digit ‘dog, playing the game of their lives.

The Utes looked faster, more prepared, and more physical. They were also sky-high for a game that the Crimson Tide viewed as meager consolation for the big prize.

The anti-SEC proponents are using the loss as ammunition for their relentless case against college football’s finest conference. A Mountain West team beat one of the SEC’s elite, they say. And via the transitive property, Florida — who beat the Tide by a similar-but-not-quite-as-impressive tally of 31-20 — must be overrated as well.

It’s just the familiar drumbeat of fans who are jealous and envious of the brand of football which is played perenially in the Southeastern Conference. Make no mistake about it, the loss was embarrassing. As good as Utah looked, a 12-1 SEC squad — even in a down year for the conference — should have found a way to win. And how can a squad which barely posted a winning season in ‘07 find themselves unmotivated to win a BCS bowl one year later?

But if you’re going to tell me that Utah really is that good, and that Bama really was that bad, I’m going to fight you. Hard. Some facts:

1) Utah steamrolled their fair share of non-Top 25 opponents this season, but struggled mightily against Air Force (30-23), New Mexico (13-10) and TCU (13-10). I’ll give the Utes a pass for barely edging a Michgian team which would ultimately win only three games, but it’s hardly a quality win this season. (Hat tip for the balls needed to schedule that game years ago, when Michigan was no patsy.)

2) If you want to play the ‘transitive property’ game, well, TCU was rolled in the mid-season by Oklahoma, losing by 25 points.

3) Bowl games are not always the ultimate measuring stick of a team, or a conference. Every team has its moments. And bowls are a unique experience. Some teams handle it well. Some don’t. Bama, despite saying the right things leading up to the contest, appeared to believe they were entitled to win based on their resume and that pretty cursive ‘A’ on their uniforms. Utah spent all of December seething in a boiling cauldron of public doubt and disdain, and it paid off. (Sound familiar, Gator fans?)

4) Kyle Whittingham is an Urban Meyer disciple and probably bound for grander destinations in the relatively near future. Being that he does things “Urban’s Way”, you can bet that the level of preparation for this game was out of sight. And it showed: Utah’s players seemed to sniff out every offensive play from Bama. They were all over the screens, and totally shut down Bama’s play-action ‘Waggle’ passes. Giving a coach like Whittingham a full month to prepare is like injecting nitrous into a powerful engine.

5) There were times that Utah’s fantastic preparation, player motivation, and excellence in execution weren’t enough to hide the disparity in talent. Fans of Florida football surely recognized the five-yard crossing route, which Utah used only to moderate success because the Alabama LBs and DBs were easily fast enough to chase down the Ute receiver. Insert a Percy Harvin or Julio Jones on that route, and it goes from being a 3-yard gain to a 20-yard gain. But Utah couldn’t pull it off.

6) Nick Saban is a great coach. We here at O&B Hue still think he’s sort of slimy, but pen us in as believers: what he did to get his players to reach their maximum potential in ‘08 was nothing short of amazing. But Saban simply couldn’t resurrect his players’ flagging interest in playing a team like Utah after falling to the Gators. It happens in college football.

7) Bama was down their best lineman before the game started and lost their second-best starter in the first quarter of play due to injury. And from that point on, the patchwork line couldn’t stop Utah’s aggressive defense. Champions find a way to win, and all that jazz, and there are no excuses in football. Alabama’s backups should have been better prepared. Still, it was a tough circumstance to lose two starters on the offensive line.

What it boils down to is this: Utah used perfect execution, player motivation, fantastic coaching and an incredible level of scouting and preparation to win this game. They certainly didn’t win it with talent, although their players played very well. They didn’t do it with athleticism, athough once again the Utes played to the very best of their ability. They simply showed up ready to go and with a chip on their shoulder. Meanwhile, Alabama brought much less than their A-game. The result was what you saw on Friday night.

If you think that the Utes could have handled Florida, dream on. It might not have been an epic beatdown like Georgia or LSU, but I guarantee the Gators would have whipped that team by at least three touchdowns.

How does this apply to Oklahoma? Only in one way: if Florida players were reading their press-clippings and suffering from expandius-cranius — which I don’t believe they are or were, by the way — they have just received a wonderful wake-up call.

Any team can win on any given Saturday. The team that shows up with their homework done and their lunch pail at their side will come home with the victory. Utah proved that in the Sugar Bowl, and now it’s Florida’s turn in Miami.