Utah Tailgating (Yeah, It Happens)

Utah and tailgating may sound like an oxymoron, but let me tell you it happens and it's a whole lot of fun.

The tailgating lot "officially" sits in the parking lot of Guardsman Way and South Campus Drive. Where hundreds of fans clad in red, along with the occasional opponent defector, eat tons of food, and reminisce about the past Ute games.

Truly, however, tailgating takes place all over campus in every parking lot. Where I like to plop down is either at the Huntsman Center lot or at the Student Center lot eat a couple of sausages, and prepare to watch a butt kicking instituted by our boys in red.

Utah tailgating may not be in the same league as say USC, UCLA, Texas, Florida, or any SEC team for that matter. But we are miles ahead of the Cougars, where you sit around drink punch.

Anyway you look at it, Utes know how to have a good time. Before and after games.

My Favorite Utah Team

Let's face it. Utah has been playing football for over 110 years, and maybe only 20 of those years stand out as great teams. Of course you have to include the 2008 Sugar Bowl team and the 2004 Fiesta Bowl team. But what others stand out in that 110 year span? There was 1994, the first time Utah gained national recognition. Finished ranked in the top 10. And 2003, the year Urban Meyer turned all expectations around and made Utah a perennial threat.

To me personally there is only one great Utah football team, 2008. It may seem that this is only because it was the most recent successful team to gain national recognition, but no it is because I feel that I have a very special connection with that year's team.

After years of hard work I finally graduated with my Bachelor's Degree from the University of Utah in 2008. Add to that that I had several classes with some of that teams stars and I have more memories added to that year. I had a communications class with Brian Johnson (who by the way is not that bright of a guy) and a Economics class with Jason Boone just to name a few.

Beside my personal connection there are many other reasons that I love this team more than any other. For one Utah's 2004 team had much of a "white-collar" appeal. They steam-rolled every single opponent they faced all thanks to the Spread Offense. At the time no one had seen the spread offense and had no idea how to stop it. By 2008 the spread had lost it's schtick and had become quite normal, so what did Utah do to combat this problem? They turned to another current fashion and heavily instituted the Wildcat.

Aside from the adjusted offense, Utah returned to their tradition of having one of the toughest Defenses in the country. Anchored by tough as nails linebackers and safetys that patrolled centerfield waiting to poach an interception they were nearly unstoppable.

Add in that 2008 featured the head coaching duties of Kyle Whittingham and it gets better. Although Whittingham played for the rival Cougars in college, he learned the error of his ways and joined up with the Utes as an assistant in 1994, 14 years later he finally got his shot as Head Coach and has made it worth while. With his own recruits in the driver's seat Whitty is what made Utah who they are.

Drama was the name of the game in 2008. Starting with a squeaked out win in the Big House against Michigan to open the year and two incredible come from behind wins against Oregon State and TCU. We knew this was going to be a special year.

I vividly remember the Oregon State game down by 8 with 2:30 minutes left in the game, the Utes kicked into gear. Scoring a TD, and converting a two-point conversion to tie it up with about 1:30 left in the game. The D holds stronger than ever converting a three-and-out giving Utah the ball back with more than enough time. Then the most magical thing I could ever imagine occurred. 45,000+ fans all on their feet started chanting in unison "Louie, Louie, Louie." Everyone knew that the game was in the hands of star kicker Louie Sakoda. Sakoda had become the darling of the Utah football team and everyone knew he was going to win the game for us. Booting a easy-as-pie 35-yarder Sakoda won the game without an ounce of stress, resulting in the first of three field rushes that year.

Against TCU another field rush, Utah who dressed in their black uniforms for the first time ever marched down the field in the final minute to score the winning touchdown. Utah made TCU look like the weakest team in the country, which we later found out was in no way the case.

Top it all off with a blowout win over BYU to cap off the regular season it couldn't be beat. Then finally against all doubters, with no one in their corner Utah had nothing to lose against Alabama. Alabama had been ranked No. 1 for a good portion of the year, but Utah wasn't flinching. Scoring 21 unanswered points in a span of seven minutes to open the Sugar Bowl, Utah went on to win with no problems at all.

These are the reasons my favorite Utah team ever is the 2008 Sugar Bowl champion Utes.

Utah Utes to the Pac-10

It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blog. And there have been some incredible things going on in the world. Oil leaks both locally and abroad, economic woes continue, and the World Cup whipping people into a frenzy.

The biggest news, however, came about two weeks ago when the Pac-10 athletic conference invited two teams to join their ranks. The University of Colorado (at Boulder) was invited first and accepted nearly immediately, the other the greatest university in the country...THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH.

As I posted on Facebook days before the invitation was extended "Just get together already. He wants her, she wants him. Pac-10 just invite the Utes. The Utes have already rented a tux and bought the flowers."

Utah accepted the invitation just hours after it was extended, and the Utes are now set to leave the ranks of the lower tier college sports and join the prestigious ranks of the "classiest" conference in the country. It is the dream of every Ute fan to join the Pac-10, one that was thought to be far-fetched. But as is the case Dreams do come true.

So to introduce ourselves to the ranks of the Pac-10 here are the basics about our beloved Utes so that you understand, we come to party...and we won't stop partying until where handed the roses.

Name: The University of Utah

Location: Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 5 miles east of downtown SLC.

Founded: 1850 as the University of Deseret by Brigham Young (the irony of the fact that the former-Mormon leader founded the school and our chief rival is named after him is not lost on us).

Chief Rival: BYU, and to a lesser extent Utah State University.

Mormon?: While the majority of the state of Utah are Mormon, Salt Lake City is only about 35-40% Mormon.

Alcohol?: Oh yeah we drink, and we drink with the best of 'em. Swing by our tailgate parties and you'll see that we mean business.

Nickname: Utes, after the Native American tribe that lived in the mountains around SLC. The state's name Utah is also derived from the tribe meaning "people of the mountains."

Sensitivity?: The University of Utah has an agreement with the Ute Tribe that states the school may use the name as long as they do not disgrace it.

Stadiums: Football: Rice-Eccles Stadium-seats 45,000; Basketball: Jon M. Huntsman Center-seats 15,000; Baseball: Spring Mobile Ballpark-seats 15,000.

Famous Alumi: NFL - Alex Smith, Scott Mitchell, Steve Smith, & Jamal Anderson. NBA - Andrew Bogut, Keith Van Horn, Andre Miller, Tom Chambers, Michael Doleac, & Hanno Mottola.

The Way Too Early Utah Football Notes

Today the Utes held the annual Red-White spring football game up at ol' RES. A chance for fans to get a glimpse of this years boys in red, and a chance for the seldom played boys to strut their stuff on the field. If was a good day, other than starting QB Jordan Wynn going down on the second play with a suspected separated shoulder.

I've been going to the spring games pretty regularly for the last few years and they have never been this popular. Only the chair seats on the west side of the stadium were available to sit at but the entire section was full of fans. There were spring game in the past where only 100 fans (if that) showed up. I was quite impressed with Utah Fans' enthusiasm for this team.

While very few of the stars played much, the backups made their time count. The coaches son, Tyler Whittingham, even got his named called a handful of times. I was impressed with the showings of Freshman QB Griff Robles who threw a couple of bombs for touchdowns, as well as the new corp of linebackers who are looking to fill some big shoes.

I'm now officially excited for the real season to kickoff on Sept. 2. My worries, while still there, are less severe. Utah will once again have a strong football team. One that will challenge for supremacy in the Mountain West Conference.

So for the first time in 2010...GO UTES!!! I know this won't be the last time.

University of Utah National Champions (Originally Posted on January 3, 2009)

As you obviously know by now, the University of Utah football team completed their season on Friday evening by soundly beating a highly touted Alabama team. Currently ranked No. 6 in the country, Utah rightly deserves at shot at the National Title.

With the winner of the "BCS Championship Game" guaranteed the top spot in the Coach's Poll that leaves one open spot atop the Associated Press' completely independent poll.

This season Utah has:
1 - Most notably went 13-0.
2 - Became the first and only team in the BCS era (1998-present) to complete two undefeated season, 2004 and 2008.
3 - Beat five nationally ranked teams (Alabama, BYU, TCU, Oregon State, and Michigan, albeit before we knew how bad the Wolverines were).
4 - Beat two Top 10 teams (Alabama and TCU).
5 - Beat the only team able to defeat Southern California (Oregon State).
6 - Won outright the third best football conference in the country.
7 - Held and ran the table on the eighth most difficult schedule in the country.
8 - Beat an Alabama team that held the No. 1 ranking for five consecutive weeks.
AND
9 - IS THE ONLY UNDEFEATED TEAM OF THE 2008 SEASON

College football has been thirsty for an outsider to win the national title and all Utah fans realize it will take a perfect storm for our team to garner the top spot. Utah deserves the No. 1 ranking and show the country that you don't have to play in the SEC or Pac-10 to be a champion.

To all Associated Press voters, do this country and the world of college football a favor and watch all 13 of Utah's games this year. They will show you that this team plays with more heart and more desire than any other college team. Watch all 13 games and cast your ballot for Utah as your No. 1.

As President-elect Barak Obama has stated, it is a time for change.
THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH UTES, 2008 NCAA FOOTBALL NATIONAL CHAMPIONS.

-Jeren W. Canning
a life long Ute fan.