2009 Sugar Bowl

The 2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl was the 75th annual edition of the annual college football bowl game that is part of the 2008–09 bowl season of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The game was played on Friday, January 2, 2009[4] at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana between the Utah Utes, champions of the Mountain West Conference, and the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference.[5]

2009 Allstate Sugar Bowl
BCS Bowl Game
75th Sugar Bowl
Sugar Bowl 75th Anniversary logo
Utah Utes Alabama Crimson Tide
(12–0) (12–1)
31 17
Head coach: 
Kyle Whittingham		 Head coach: 
Nick Saban
APCoachesBCS
776
APCoachesBCS
4T-44
1234 Total
Utah 21073 31
Alabama 01070 17
DateJanuary 2, 2009
Season2008
StadiumLouisiana Superdome
LocationNew Orleans, Louisiana
MVPQB Brian Johnson, Utah
FavoriteAlabama by 10[1]
National anthemShades of Praise Choir New Orleans, LA
RefereeScott Novak (Big XII)
Halftime showThe Pride of Utah
Million Dollar Band
Attendance71,872
PayoutUS$17,500,000 per team[2]
United States TV coverage
NetworkFOX
AnnouncersKenny Albert play-by-play
Daryl Johnston color
Charissa Thompson sideline
Chris Myers sideline
Nielsen ratings7.8 (13.369 million, up 11%)[3]

The Sugar Bowl usually takes the champion of the SEC and pits them against an At-Large BCS team. However, with the 2008 SEC Champion, Florida Gators being selected to play for the national championship game, the Sugar Bowl selected two At-Large BCS teams. The bowl kept their traditional ties with the Southeastern Conference for the second consecutive year though, in selecting the Alabama Crimson Tide with an at-large selection.

In the 2009 edition of this bowl game, the No. 6 Utes pulled off an upset of the heavily favored No. 4 Crimson Tide by a score of 31–17. Utah quarterback Brian Johnson was named Most Outstanding Player of the game. With this win, Utah completed the 2008 season as the only undefeated, 13–0 Division I FBS team in the nation, along with becoming the first team from a BCS non-AQ conference to win two BCS bowls. It was also Utah's first win over a Southeastern Conference school.[6] Andre Smith (Alabama starting left tackle and 2008 Outland Trophy winner) was suspended for the game because he declined to cooperate with an investigation by the school's compliance staff on the issue with his uncle's illegal contact with a sports agent. A few days later, he declared himself for the NFL Draft and was the 6th overall pick.[7]

Scoring summary
QuarterTimeDriveTeamScoring Information[8]Score
LengthTimeUtahAlabama
1 11:025 plays, 68 yards1:19Utah Brent Casteel 7–yard reception from Brian Johnson, Louie Sakoda kick good 70
8:375 plays, 32 yards1:37Utah Matt Asiata 2–yard rush, Louie Sakoda kick good 140
4:017 plays, 65 yards1:57Utah Bradon Godfrey 18–yard reception from Brian Johnson, Louie Sakoda kick good 210
2 14:557 plays, 23 yards4:06Alabama Leigh Tiffin 52–yard field goal 213
5:280 plays, 0 yards0:00Alabama Javier Arenas 73–yard punt return, Leigh Tiffin kick good 2110
3 11:417 plays, 30 yards3:05Alabama Glen Coffee 4–yard reception from John Parker Wilson, Leigh Tiffin kick good 2117
10:047 plays, 71 yards1:37Utah David Reed 28–yard reception from Brian Johnson, Louie Sakoda kick good 2817
4 2:497 plays, 31 yards2:24Utah Louie Sakoda 28–yard field goal 3117
Final Score3117

References
  1. "College Football Lines". Maddux Sports. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  2. "BCS Bowl Facts". Fox Sports. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  3. Mandel, Stewart (January 5, 2009). "Ratings are proof the addition of fifth BCS game officially a failure". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 30, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  4. "Sugar Bowl Preview". The Spread. December 16, 2008. Archived from the original on December 29, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  5. "Utah-Alabama Preview". ESPN. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  6. Dinich, Heather (January 2, 2009). "Whittingham, Utes believe they deserve consideration for national title". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 17, 2009. Retrieved January 17, 2009.
  7. Andre Smith (offensive tackle)
  8. "Utah Utes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (Jan 02, 2009)". University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations. January 2, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
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