2004 Utah Utes football team
The 2004 Utah Utes football team represented the University of Utah in the 2004 NCAA Division I-A football season. This team was the original 'BCS Buster', meaning, this was the first time that a team from a BCS non-AQ conference was invited to play in one of the BCS bowl games. The team, coached by second-year head football coach Urban Meyer, played its home games in Rice-Eccles Stadium.
2004 Utah Utes football | |
---|---|
Mountain West champion Fiesta Bowl champion | |
Fiesta Bowl, W 35–7 vs. Pittsburgh | |
Conference | Mountain West Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 5 |
AP | No. 4 |
Record | 12–0 (7–0 MW) |
Head coach |
|
Offensive coordinator | Mike Sanford (2nd season) |
Offensive scheme | Spread option |
Defensive coordinator | Kyle Whittingham (10th season) |
Home stadium | Rice-Eccles Stadium (Capacity: 45,017) |
Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 4 Utah $ | 7 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
New Mexico | 5 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
BYU | 4 | – | 3 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wyoming | 3 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Air Force | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Colorado State | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
San Diego State | 2 | – | 5 | 4 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UNLV | 1 | – | 6 | 2 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Utah finished the season 12–0, the fourth undefeated and untied season in school history. The Utes were one of three teams in the top-level Division I FBS to finish the season undefeated (the others being the USC Trojans and the Auburn Tigers.)
Utah was the highest-ranked BCS non-AQ team in each poll every week of the season.
Schedule
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
September 2 | 5:30 pm | Texas A&M* | No. 20 | ESPN | W 41–21 | 45,419 | |
September 11 | 8:00 pm | at Arizona* | No. 17 | KJZZ | W 23–6 | 52,790 | |
September 18 | 5:00 pm | at Utah State* | No. 15 | KJZZ | W 48–6 | 24,750 | |
September 25 | 1:00 pm | Air Force | No. 14 |
| ESPN+ | W 49–35 | 44,043 |
October 1 | 6:00 pm | at New Mexico | No. 14 | ESPN2 | W 28–7 | 40,182 | |
October 16 | 8:00 pm | North Carolina* | No. 11 |
| KJZZ | W 46–16 | 45,319 |
October 23 | 5:00 pm | UNLV | No. 9 |
| KJZZ | W 63–28 | 40,341 |
October 30 | 7:00 pm | at San Diego State | No. 9 | KJZZ | W 51–28 | 32,683 | |
November 6 | 7:45 pm | Colorado State | No. 7 |
| ESPN2 | W 63–31 | 44,222 |
November 13 | 5:00 pm | at Wyoming | No. 7 | ABC | W 45–28 | 17,074 | |
November 20 | 5:00 pm | BYU | No. 5 |
| ESPN2 | W 52–21 | 45,326 |
January 1 | 6:30 pm | vs. No. 19 Pittsburgh* | No. 5 | ABC | W 35–7 | 73,519 | |
|
Rankings
Week | |||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
AP | 20 | 20 | 17 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
Coaches | 21 | 19 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
BCS | Not released | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Not released |
Game summaries
Texas A&M
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aggies | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
#20 Utes | 7 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 41 |
Arizona
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#17 Utes | 17 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
Wildcats | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Utah State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#15 Utes | 20 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 48 |
Aggies | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Air Force
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 7 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
#14 Utes | 0 | 21 | 14 | 14 | 49 |
New Mexico
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#14 Utes | 7 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
Lobos | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
North Carolina
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tar Heels | 7 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
#11 Utes | 10 | 20 | 7 | 9 | 46 |
UNLV
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rebels | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
#9 Utes | 28 | 14 | 21 | 0 | 63 |
San Diego State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#9 Utes | 10 | 24 | 7 | 10 | 51 |
Aztecs | 0 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
Colorado State
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rams | 3 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 31 |
#7 Utes | 21 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 63 |
Wyoming
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#7 Utes | 17 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 45 |
Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
BYU
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fiesta Bowl: Utah vs. Pittsburgh
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
#19 Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
#5 Utes | 7 | 7 | 21 | 0 | 35 |
Depth chart
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Season Statistics
Team
|
|
Individual Leaders
Passing | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | COMP | ATT | Pct. | YDS | TD | INT | QB Rating |
Alex Smith | 214 | 317 | .675 | 2952 | 32 | 4 | 176.52 |
Brian Johnson | 14 | 21 | .667 | 142 | 1 | 1 | 129.66 |
Fan Tagovailoa | 2 | 2 | 1.000 | 24 | - | - | 305.80 |
Paris Warren | 1 | 2 | .500 | 21 | - | - | 138.20 |
Rushing | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Player | ATT | YDS | YPC | TD |
Marty Johnson | 165 | 802 | 4.9 | 14 |
Quinton Ganther | 109 | 654 | 6.0 | 2 |
Alex Smith | 135 | 631 | 4.7 | 10 |
Steve Savoy | 22 | 307 | 14.0 | 6 |
Paris Warren | 28 | 157 | 5.6 | 2 |
Brian Johnson | 21 | 92 | 4.4 | 1 |
Receiving | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Player | REC | YDS | YPR | TD |
Paris Warren | 80 | 1076 | 13.4 | 12 |
Steve Savoy | 67 | 961 | 14.3 | 11 |
Travis Latendresse | 27 | 411 | 15.2 | 2 |
John Madsen | 27 | 377 | 14.0 | 5 |
Quinton Ganther | 7 | 49 | 7.0 | 1 |
Marty Johnson | 7 | 46 | 6.6 | 1 |
Jerome Wright | 5 | 64 | 12.8 | 1 |
Tackles | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Solo | Asst | Total | TFL | Sacks | |
Spencer Toone | 40 | 75 | 115 | 4 | 1 | |
Tommy Hackenbruck | 46 | 45 | 91 | 9.5 | 4.5 | |
Eric Weddle | 47 | 28 | 75 | 4.5 | 1 | |
Morgan Scalley | 27 | 24 | 51 | 2.5 | 2.5 | |
Marquess Ledbetter | 15 | 31 | 46 | 9 | 4.5 | |
Steve Fifita | 23 | 22 | 45 | 9 | 4.5 | |
Ryan Smith | 26 | 18 | 44 | 3 | 2 | |
Bo Nagahi | 31 | 11 | 42 | 2.5 | 0 | |
Corey Dodds | 10 | 27 | 37 | 4 | 2 | |
Sione Pouha | 16 | 20 | 36 | 3 | 2 | |
Jonathan Fanene | 12 | 10 | 22 | 5.5 | 3 | |
Pass defense | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | INT | YDS | Broken up | |||
Morgan Scalley | 6 | 79 | 2 | |||
Eric Weddle | 4 | 34 | 5 | |||
Jonathan Fanene | 1 | 76 | 1 | |||
Corey Dodds | 1 | 26 | 1 | |||
Ryan Smith | 1 | 0 | 7 | |||
Sione Pouha | 1 | 0 | 4 | |||
Steve Fifita | 1 | 6 | 2 | |||
After the season
NFL Draft
Utah had five players taken in the 2005 NFL Draft:[3]
National
- Urban Meyer: The Home Depot Coach of the Year Award, Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, Woody Hayes' National Coach of the Year, Maxwell George Munger Award
- Alex Smith: Heisman finalist (fourth place), The Sporting News National Player of the Year, Sports Illustrated National Player of the Year, Cingular Sports/ABC Sports All-American, SI.com All-American (first team), CoSIDA Football Academic All-American of the Year, Davey O'Brien Award finalist, Walter Camp Award finalist
- Chris Kemoeatu: Cingular Sports/ABC Sports All-American, SI.com All-American (first team)
- Morgan Scalley: SI.com All-American (second team), CoSIDA Academic All-American (first team), Anson Mount Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Bronko Nagurski National Player of the Week, Pat Tillman Award (East–West Shrine Game honor)
- Steve Savoy: SI.com All-American (second team), The Sporting News All-American (honorable mention)
- Ryan Smith: The Sporting News Freshman All-American (second team)
- Spencer Toone: CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII first team
Conference
- Coach of the Year: Urban Meyer
- Offensive Player of the Year: Alex Smith
- Co-defensive Player of the Year: Morgan Scalley
- All-MWC First team: Alex Smith, Steve Savoy, Chris Kemoeatu, Steve Fifita, Sione Pouha, Morgan Scalley
- All-MWC Second team: Paris Warren, Marty Johnson, Jesse Boone, Eric Weddle
- All-MWC Honorable mention: Makai Aalona, Quinton Ganther, Tommy Hackenbruck, Matt Kovacevich, Spencer Toone
References
- "2004 Season Year in Review". Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
- "Ute Record Book" (PDF). University of Utah. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
- "NFL Draft History 2005". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 25, 2010.