Utah vs. Michigan Prediction

Michigan v. Utah
August 30, 2008
1:30 pm MT

Pregame Notes:

The 21st-ranked utes come into Ann Arbor with a lot of confidence, and vow to not be intimidated. “It’s an incredible stadium that seats almost three times as many people as our home stadium,” says head coach Kyle Whittingham in his pre-game interview with radio legend Frank Dolce. “But my players need to know that the football field is the same as the stadium that we play in.” Before the game, Whittingham takes his players onto the field and—noticing their astonished faces—pulls out a tape measurer. With Louie Sakoda sitting on Paul Kruger’s hefty shoulders, they measure the goalposts to be exactly ten feet high. “Gentlemen,” Whittingham concludes, “I think you’ll notice that the goalposts are exactly the same height as the goalposts we practice on in Rice-Eccles Stadium.” The players chuckle a collective sigh of relief.

Before kickoff, the utes gather in a corner and perform the Haka dance, much to the pleasure of the visiting fans.

Utah wins the coin toss, and they elect to receive the kickoff.

First Quarter:

Things couldn’t start much worse for the utes as quarterback Brian Johnson drives the team down the field only to throw a pick-six in the Red Zone. And the wolverines take an early 7-0 lead in front of a deafening crowd.

The utes’ ensuing drive stalls at their own 40 yard line, and they are forced to punt.
Michigan drives down the field with their new spread offense, and new coach Rich Rodriguez makes a delightful first impression for the home crowd as Michigan drives it to the five, where they are forced to kick a field goal. 10-0 Michigan.

More bad news for the utes as Heisman candidate Brent Casteel and Freddie Brown collide on a quadruple reverse option, suffering a concussion and pinched nerve, respectively. Luckily backup quarterback Corbin Louks is able to pounce on the ball to prevent a turnover inside their own five yard line, and they punt.

But the ute defense holds strong to prevent more bleeding. After one quarter, it is 10-0 Michigan.

Second Quarter:

A defensive stalemate results for most of the second quarter, but late in the half the utes get on the board when Brian Johnson hits Aiona Key for a forty-two yard gain, and Darrell Mack finishes the drive a few plays later. Michigan leads 10-7 heading into the locker room.

Halftime:

The utes get inspired by a neat little rap composed by Brian Johnson and Matt Asiata. Meanwhile in the Michigan locker room, coach Rodriguez is late giving his motivational speech as he spends most of the time negotiating a new buyout so that he can coach at Alabama (long story).

The Wolverine Marching Band is top-notch, as usual, and they have the place rocking.

Third Quarter:

Utah takes the lead early in the third period when Robert Johnson intercepts an errant throw and takes it to the house, giving a little extra high-step in there to show off his new UnderArmour gear. 14-10 Utes.

Blunders aplenty plague both offenses, the worst being a botched pitch between Elijah Wesson and Matt Asiata on the second reverse deep in their own territory. The wolverines recover the fumble at the six yard line, but can only manage a 19-yard field goal. 14-13 Utah as we head into the fourth.

Fourth Quarter:

Another offensive mistake comes from the Utes as Brian Johnson is pressured out of the pocket and throws an ill-advised pass across the field that is intercepted and returned for a touchdown with 5:10 left. The wolverines’ tailback dives over a tackle and into the end zone for the two-point conversion, and the utes suddenly find themselves down 21-14.

But Brian Johnson doesn’t panic, and the utes methodically drive down the field. There is a bit of controversy as a third-and-ten completion at midfield is ruled a catch by Bradon Godfrey despite evidence of him landing out of bounds on the completion.

With 1:11 to go, Utah has third and goal at the four-yard line, and Brian Johnson rushes in for a score, but suffers a dislocated shoulder on the play and is taken to the locker room for x-rays.

With Michigan driving for a game-winning score, they fail when a 38-yard field goal soars wide left with no time remaining, sending the game into overtime.

Overtime:

Michigan wins the coin toss, and they elect to take the ball last. With Louks now in the game for the utes, their offense goes nowhere, but Louis Sakoda nails a 48-yard field goal to give the utes a 24-21 lead.

The wolverines appear poised for victory when on their first play from scrimmage it is run to the two-yard line by their speedy tailback. But Lady Luck strikes for the utes when on the very next play, the snap is mishandled and defensive lineman Kenape Eliapo ends up with the ball at the bottom of the pile. Utes win it 24-21!

Postgame aftermath:

Drying off from his Gatorade shower, Whittingham is at a loss for words in the postgame press conference. “All I can say is that when you’re living right on and off the field, magic happens!” he exclaims with a wide-mouthed grin. “Urban Meyer would be proud of this group of guys!”

It is discovered that Brian Johnson will be out for the next six to eight weeks with his shoulder separation, but luckily the NCAA grants him three more years of eligibility due to all of the injuries sustained throughout his career.