7 straight and one of the best finishes of the bowl season so far. Can't really ask for a better way to kick off the bowl season, but it was far from being a great performance for the Utes.

Offense: C+ - I thought about giving Utah a B, but their performance in the first half really weighed down this score. In fact, I would say Utah's first half performance on offense was a big, fat F. The second half, however, was a different story, as the Utes had no trouble moving down field and getting into the end zone.

Brian Johnson had his best game since probably Louisville, as he was named the Poinsettia Bowl MVP. In the second half he actually looked like his old self and if BJ can perform like this next year, Utah will be mighty tough to beat.

Defense: B+ - Utah's defense was fantastic in the first half and pretty solid in the second. Yet I can't get over Navy's last touchdown, which got them back into the game. Utah is supposed to have one of the best secondaries in the nation and they were burned on that pass. In fact, there were a few passes they were burned on, but lucked out because of dropped passes on Navy's part. Give credit to Navy, though, since they shook things up offensively and Utah obviously was thrown off by the fact Navy went to the passing game more than they generally do.

However, when it comes to the option, Utah's defense played about as good as one could hope for. There were a few times where Navy broke a play for a big gain, but other than that, they were contained -- especially in the first half. The Utes also forced Navy into something they rarely saw this season, 3rd and longs. That ultimately kept Utah in it in the first half, as the offense needed to heavily rely on the defensive performance. Had Utah's defense struggled, Navy probably would have built a massive halftime lead and coasted to the victory.

Special Teams: C - The worst performance of the year for the Utes. Louie Sakoda looked, well, human out there and with the game on the line, the Utes gave up an onside kick. The Midshipmen set the special teams tone early, when they had a big return on Utah's opening kick. Luckily it didn't impact the final outcome and Utah was able to overcome those struggles.

Coaches:

• 
  
• Andy Ludwig: C+ - Give Ludwig some credit, he adjusted in the second half. Yet this game was essentially a microcosm of Ludwig's coaching over the past 3 years. Inconsistent. They had a horrible first half and a solid second half, but couldn't put together a complete game. Had Utah passed the ball more in the first half like they did in the second, the Utes would've cruised. But it was as if Utah played not to lose and that mindset nearly lost them the game.
• Gary Andersen: B+ - Another solid performance by Andersen. Andersen is a fantastic defensive coordinator and hopefully Utah can hang onto him as long as possible. Navy is a tough team to plan defensive schemes for, but he did a bang-up job and it was pretty much his defense that kept Utah in the game early.
• Kyle Whittingham: B - At the half, it looked like Whittingham was lost and confused, much like he was in the UNLV game. You could see it slipping, the confidence that we had seen from this team through 7 of the final 8 games of the season. Yet he pulled things back together, down 10, and Utah eventually won the game. Hopefully Whittingham has now exorcised his demons and Utah can now finally roll under his leadership.

In what turned out to be a tale of two halves, Utah came back, nearly lost the lead and finally was able to hang on to defeat Navy 35-32 in the Poinsettia Bowl. It marked Utah's seventh straight bowl win, tying Boston College for the nation's longest winning streak.

Utah got on the board first, going up 7-0 before Navy rattled off 17 straight points to take what appeared to be a commanding 17-7 lead early in the third quarter. That scoring spurt seemed to wake the Utes up on the offensive end, as Brian Johnson and Co. began an air assault which not only got Utah back into the game, but gave them a two score lead in the fourth quarter. That's where things got interesting.

After Brian Johnson scored on a 19 yard touchdown run, the Utes took a 28-17 lead, 21 unanswered points, and looked poised to blow the game open. However, Navy put together a successful drive that ended with a 10 yard pass from Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada to Shun White. The Midshipmen converted the two point conversion and cut Utah's lead to three. With the game tightening and time being a factor, the Utes began another drive that appeared to be once again successful, as they marched down the field and into Navy territory. Yet Utah caught a break, as Jerome Brooks bolted for the end zone, fumbled the ball and appeared to do it while in bounds. The ball rolled into the end zone, which should have been ruled a touchback, however, Utah kept possession and had a chance to score from Navy's 1 on fourth down. The Utes failed to punch it in and the Midshipmen took over on downs.

Starting within their own five, Navy struggled to move the ball and on 4th and short, failed to convert, giving the Utes the ball once again deep in their territory. There, unlike the last time, Utah managed to score with less than 2 minutes left in the game to go up 35-25. But Navy wasn't done and managed to fight back with little time left.

With time against them, the Midshipmen began a crucial drive to get back into it. On the fourth play, 10 yards into their drive, Kaheaku-Enhada found Zerbin Singleton down the middle for a 58 yard touchdown. After the successful PAT, Navy had cut Utah's lead to only 3 and went for the onside kick, their last chance at victory.

The onside kick got the perfect bounce, appeared to have originally been caught by Utah, but Navy came up with it, giving them one last shot at the improbable. Looking down field, trying desperately to get Navy into field goal range, Kaheaku-Enhada tossed the ball down field, only to have it intercepted by Utah's Joe Dale, preserving Utah's 7th straight bowl win.

Brian Johnson was named the Poinsettia Bowl MVP after connecting on 20 of 25 passes for 226 yards. He also ran for 69 yards, including a 19 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was clearly one of the best performances of Johnson's career and offered a glimpse of what he can do when healthy. With now until the summer to really rest, Johnson should be primed to go once the Utes take on Michigan in Ann Arbor to start next season.

This was a big win for Utah, as it gives them 9 or more wins for only the fifth time in school history. But most importantly, it preserves their bowl winning streak and gives the team some great momentum heading into next year.

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!

Let's make it 7 bowl games in a row!

Gameday
Utah	Navy

What to expect when Utah has the ball: A balanced offense. With Navy constantly having trouble defending the run and the pass, look for Utah to air it out a bit, but also ram the ball down their d-line's throat.

What to expect when Navy has the ball: That damn pesky triple option. Navy won't pass much, so they'll keep it on the ground most of the night. If they succeed at running their offense, the Midshipmen shouldn't have a problem moving the ball down field.

How Utah wins: Contain the triple option, which is easier said than done. On paper, Utah should win, but the Utes have struggled with this type of offense in the past and I'm not so sure that changes tonight. The Utes will also need to be successful on offense, because I expect this to be a fairly high scoring game. With Navy's defense performing as badly as they have over the season, there is no excuse for Utah to struggle on the offensive end.

Lucky is back by popular demand and he wants to end the season on a winning note.

Let's hear what you think. Register for a free account here and leave your comments, predictions and other gameday chatter below in the comments section. GO UTES, BEAT NAVY!

If you're interested in the Navy perspective during the game, check out Pitch Right's live blogging of the game.

To get a better idea of how Utah and Navy match-up, I thought it would be best to compare each national ranking. Unlike the position rankings, there is no real bias when crunching these numbers.

Team	Total Offense	Total Defense	Scoring Offense	Scoring Defense	Run Offense	Run Defense	Pass Offense	Pass Defense	Turnover Margin
Utah	81st 362.83 YPG	15th 319.42 YPG	74th 25.50 PPG	3rd 15.58 PPG	47th 163.67 YPG	38th 131.33 YPG	85th 199.17 YPG	15th 188.08 YPG	15th 0.83
Navy	24th 444.58 YPG	99th 438.17 YPG	8th 39.92 PPG	109th 36.50 PPG	1st 351.50 YPG	80th 172.67 YPG	119th 93.08 YPG	106th 265.50 YPG	63rd -0.08

Leader of the two bolded.

When it comes to offense, Navy clearly has the advantage, as they lead in total offense, scoring offense and run offense. Only Utah has the advantage in pass offense and that's because Navy avoids passing the ball like the plague.

Now on defense, it's a completely different story, as the Utes lead in total defense, scoring defense, run defense and pass defense. Navy does not lead in any of these defensive categories, which means this will be the perfect offense versus defense match-up. The team whose strength fares the best tonight will win the game. That means Utah's defense will have to have a superb game for the Utes to win. Likewise, if Navy is going to win, their offense will have to perform at a higher level, especially if their defense fails to stop Utah and its running attack.

With Navy not really being good enough to stop the run and pass, Utah will probably have a balanced offense. Yet the running game will be important to not only eat clock, but keep the Navy offense off the field. And that might be the biggest key tonight, not giving the Midshipmen that many opportunities to work their offense.

A lot to discuss and not much time to do it in.

Navy's season

The Midshipmen enter the Poinsettia Bowl with an 8-4 record. It's been a historic season for Navy, as they defeated Notre Dame for the first time in 44 years. But it was also a season where Navy had some inexplicable losses, as well. Sound familiar? Well, it's kind of like how Utah's season played out. Never the less, here's a look at Navy's season.

Opponent	Result	W/L
@ Temple	30-19	W
@ Rutgers	24-41	L
Ball State	31-34	L
Duke	46-43	W
Air Force	31-20	W
@ Pitt	48-45	W
Wake Forest	24-44	L
Delaware	52-59	L
@ Notre Dame	46-44	W
@ North Texas	74-62	W
Northern Illinois	35-24	W
Army	38-3	W

Now the common opponent between the two is Air Force. Utah lost to the Falcons in the second game of the season, while Navy beat them. However, this game doesn't mean much, since the Utes were without Brian Johnson and their starting running back, as both went down a week prior against Oregon State. I think most fans feel that had Utah played Air Force later in the year, they would have won.

Out of Navy's schedule, their victory over Notre Dame is pretty impressive. Mostly because they have nowhere near the talent level of the Fighting Irish and were fighting 44 years of failure. So the Irish went 3-9, it was still a monumental victory.

Yet on the other side of the spectrum, Navy's loss to Delaware has left many people scratching their heads. While Delaware is a strong D1-AA team, that still doesn't explain how the Navy defense could give up 59 points. The same could be said for their losses to Ball State and their close victory over North Texas. If this shows us anything, it's that Navy's defense might be the worst in the nation. But regardless of their victories and losses, the Midshipmen still managed to have a fairly successful season. So successful, in fact, they lost their head coach.

Navy's bowl history

Navy has a pretty strong bowl tradition, especially over the past few years. Under the leadership of Paul Johnson, Navy has now been invited to 5 consecutive bowl games (just like Utah). In the past four bowl games, the Midshipmen are a respectable 2-2. Those victories were over New Mexico and Colorado State. Navy is 3-0 against current Mountain West teams in bowl games, as they also defeated BYU in the 1978 Holiday Bowl.

Some other impressive bowl games Navy has played in are the 1924 Rose Bowl (a tie with Washington), the 1955 Sugar Bowl (a victory over Mississippi) and the 1961 Orange Bowl (a loss to Missouri). Navy has also played in the Cotton Bowl twice, where they are 1-1.

Ranking the positions

(1 Lowest, 5 Highest)

Team	Quarterbacks	RBs	Receivers	O-Line	D-Line	Linebackers	Secondary	Special Teams	Coaching
Utah	4	4.5	3	4	4	2.5	5	4	4
Navy	4.5	4.5	2	2.5	2	2.5	1.5	4	2.5

I think ultimately the two offenses are evenly matched, however, Navy's defense just has not been consistent enough for me to say they're any good. The coaching difference is only because Navy will have an unproven man working the sidelines. While I don't think there will be an issue here, it's impossible to say, right now, that they are better off in terms of coaching than Utah. If Paul Johnson were to coach the bowl game, there is no question Navy would rank higher in that category.

Prediction

This will be a pretty entertaining game. If Utah's defense just plays well against the triple option, they should win. However, if Navy's offense rolls, I don't like Utah's chances in a shootout. Honestly, I want this to be a win, but I'm having some major doubts right now. That doesn't mean I expect a loss, it's just I really don't have a feeling either way. So I won't make a prediction, only to say that I hope my dream the other night does not come true. That dream had Utah losing either 27-17 or 28-13, I can't exactly remember. We'll see.

Finally...

Should the leprechaun be brought back?

The last time Lucky danced, Utah fell to defeat. Lucky's career total stands at 7-1, a pretty remarkable record, if you ask me. However, he is tainted by a loss. So should I bring him back for this game, or should Lucky retire for good? Click here to vote.

Poll

Lucky for the Navy game?

65%

Yes, c'mon he's still lucky!

19 votes

34%

Nope, he's been tarnished for good. Retire him while he's ahead.

10 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed

Entering Thursday's bowl game, Utah has the second longest bowl winning streak in the nation. A victory, coupled with a Boston College defeat, would give Utah the longest, but that might not be the biggest storyline facing the Utes in their game against Navy.

With a victory, Utah can do something only a handful of Ute teams have done in the past, win 9 or more games. And for a program still trying to find an identity under Kyle Whittingham, that would be huge. A win Thursday will mean Utah ended the season winning 8 of their last 9 games. It would also remove some of the sting from last month's loss to BYU. But most importantly, it would set up for some major momentum heading into the 2008 season, one that nearly unanimously has been pegged as the make or break year for Kyle Whittingham and crew.

A loss, however, and not only would Utah lose its winning streak, it could set the program back a bit. Utah would have ended the season with two consecutives losses for the first time in over 10 years and it would mean back-to-back 8-5 seasons. And even though Utah struggled early in the season, they salvaged the season and a loss could ultimately unravel all the good the Utes did over the past 8 games. If that happens, there will be no momentum heading into next year and the season will have ended on a far bigger downer than anyone could have ever expected. Which means this may be the most important bowl game, outside of the Fiesta Bowl, Kyle Whittingham has ever coached in.

For Utah to return to the national stage, it must prove they have sustainability in college football. Losing to Navy would solidify the fact Utah is a regressing program that got lucky during their winning streak. College football is fickle like that and a victory over Navy would continue keeping Utah relevant, while a loss would almost certainly place them amongst college football's most irrelevant programs.

I know it sounds like I'm putting a lot on this game, but I do think there is a big difference between 9-4 and 8-5. Just as there is a huge difference between 10-3 and 9-4, however, that is something Utah failed to attain with a loss to BYU in November. But now they can somewhat make up for it and it all will begin with a victory against Navy.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you have probably heard that Navy head coach Paul Johnson is on his way to Atlanta, Georgia to coach Georgia Tech. Johnson spent 6 years in Annapolis creating one of the most potent offenses in the country, employing the now rarely used triple option. His coaching propelled the program to a success it had not seen since the days of George Welsh. That success made Johnson a hot commodity and it finally caught up with the Midshipmen, as they've had to replace their often revered head coach.

Replacing Johnson will be offensive line coach Ken Niumatalolo -- thought to be the first Polynesian head coach in NCAA history. Niumatalolo has had a history running the triple option under Johnson and has ties to the Navy program outside of his current stint, as he was the offensive coordinator there under former Utah State head coach Charlie Weatherbie. Though Weatherbie had a dramatically different offense while at Navy than Johnson, Niumatalolo will most likely keep the triple option, as it has been proven to be one of the most successful styles for the Midshipmen.

So what does this mean for Utah? Hard to say. While the Utah game will be Niumatalolo's first game as a head coach, the players have been groomed for quite some time under Johnson. So even if Niumatalolo turns out to be an utter failure as a head coach, it isn't likely to show until he has a more dramatic influence on the program. Which means I don't see that being an issue for the Utah-Navy game and don't expect there to be much difference in the way Navy plans for this game under Niumatalolo than they would under Johnson.

Niumatalolo appears to be keeping much of the staff intact, which is a huge plus, especially on the offensive end. That should lower the chance of major turmoil entering the game, which is a positive for Navy. Looking at what has transpired the past few days, I don't think this coaching change will hurt Navy all that much in the bowl game. Stability is important, as Utah fans saw in the Fiesta Bowl when Urban Meyer had already accepted the Florida gig. Since Niumatalolo has been with the program for a while and has coached under Paul Johnson since Johnson's arrival in Annapolis, I expect Navy to play just as well as they would if Paul Johnson were roaming the sidelines. However, will that be enough to win the game? Hopefully not.