Poinsettia Bowl drive chart

by JazzyUte on Dec 21, 2007 11:27 AM MST in Poinsettia Bowl

Thanks to Joel at Rocky Top Talk for making this great drive chart of last night's victory.

One thing you should easily notice is how well Utah played in the second half. It seemed the Utes came out playing not to lose, but when that wasn't working, Kyle Whittingham obviously decided to change the gameplan. This is evident when he was asked at the half what needed to change and Whitt answered that the team needed to open it up and pass more. Well that's exactly what they did and it not only spurred a comeback, it pushed Utah to victory.

I believe had Utah opened it up in the first half, the game would not have come down to the final play like it did.

Click for the FULL SCREEN VERSION or hit play below.

Navy gave Utah the short passing game, which really opened things up and when previewing the game, I expected as much. It just took Utah a half to figure that out, which really left a bad taste in my mouth after the first two quarters.

Utah's defense also played pretty well, especially when you consider how good of an offense Navy actually runs. They kept them in check for most of the first half and after the Midshipmen scored to go up 17-7, Utah really controlled the flow of the game on both sides of the ball. Well except when Navy inexplicably drove down field and scored to make it a 3 point game again. Luckily they didn't have enough in the tank and Kaheaku-Enhada was intercepted by Joe Dale to preserve the Utah victory after the Midshipmen recovered their own onside kick.

As for the bad call, while it obviously benefited Utah, you can't say that decided the outcome of the game. The Midshipmen still had a chance to score and couldn't even move the chains enough to get a 4th and short. I'm not one to blame officials for losses (see my posts after the BYU game) and I don't think they played any part here. Even with that bad call, Navy still managed to get one final shot and couldn't pull off the stunning comeback.

I'll have more on the game later, but this was a strong victory for the Utes and it's always nice to keep the streak going. I think Boston College plays Michigan State and the Eagles are tied with Utah for the nation's longest bowl winning streak. So to that I say, GO SPARTANS!

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missed call

With all due respect, I don't know how you can say that with respect to the blown call. No one play causes the outcome of the game (usually) but there are plays that have major barring and that was one of them. Start from the 1/4th line and your play calling on first down is extremely limited (I think every Navy fan knew a midline was coming.) Start from the 20 and you're able to be much more horizontal in your offense, which is what this offense likes to do. Considering Navy fell about a yard short on the fourth down attempt, I'd say starting so far back was a big deal.

by Adam on Dec 21, 2007 1:21 PM MST 0 recs

Sorry, but Navy fans need to get over it.

Just like Utah fans needed to get over the bad PI call and personal foul when they played BYU. The fact is, it happened and Navy was still given a chance to win, or at least tie, and they couldn't do it. Did it impact the outcome of the game? Well no one knows, so it's impossible to say. Navy very well could have scored or they very well could have gone 4 and out, just as they did in the game.

It also doesn't change the fact Navy had a 4th and short and still couldn't convert after holding the Utes. The bottom line, Navy had two chances to win the game and couldn't get it done. They left the points on the field, not the refs. Had Navy made the plays, they would've probably won, but they couldn't get it done. You can blame the officials for giving the Midshipmen poor field position, but it doesn't change the fact they still had a chance to make the plays and just didn't.

The only way I could ever concede the refs cost Navy the game is if that call happened when Utah was down by something like 4 points and then scored a touch down as time expired on 4th and 1. But it didn't happen that way. Navy stopped the Utes, got the ball back and then turned it over on downs, couldn't stop hold Utah, got a score and THEN got the ball back again but failed to score as well. Sorry, but the call didn't change the outcome of the game, not when the Midshipmen were still given two chances to win the game and didn't do it.

by JazzyUte on Dec 21, 2007 1:54 PM MST up 0 recs

Congrats to the Utes

Congrats to the Utes for a fine win.

Blown calls leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth. The losing team is left with coulda, shoulda, woulda. The winning team is stuck with tarnish on the win. Sucks for both teams, but it doesn't change the outcome.

In the end, Navy was in charge of its own destiny. We had the ball in the remaining moments and didn't get it done. Hats off to the Utes for making the interception.

You'll have to cut the other Navy posters some slack. This is the second time this season a Ref has blown a crucial call. The other was taking away an onside kick in the in the final minute of the Delaware game. Same scenario - after the game it was shown to be a blown call. Twice in one season, maybe you can sympathize.

The Poinsettia Bowl was a great game, between two solid, well matched teams that came down to the end. As a fan, that is why you watch the games. In addition, the mutual respect shown by each team by standing in silence while the other team's alma mater was playing by their respective bands showed a very high degree of class and sportsmanship for both programs. It was impressive to watch in today's smack talk fan world.

Again, congrats to the Utes.

by armchairqb448 on Dec 22, 2007 12:58 PM MST 0 recs

Thank you.

And as a Ute fan, we're very accustom to bad calls. I know many fans are still bitter about the PI and personal foul that went against the Utes in the final minute of the BYU game. However, like Navy, Utah still could've won, but managed to lose. This was probably the most exciting bowl game since the 1994 Freedom Bowl for the Utes. Generally they blow by teams (like Tulsa, Georgia Tech, Pitt and So. Miss), so it's actually pretty cool seeing a bowl game go down to the final play. Hats off to Navy for not giving up. I think this will be one of the better bowl games of the season.

by JazzyUte on Dec 22, 2007 3:44 PM MST up 0 recs