2009 Sugar Bowl

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 AP Coaches BCS 7 7 6 AP Coaches BCS 4 T-4 4
1 2 3 4 Total Utah 21 0 7 3 31 Alabama 0 10 7 0 17
Date	January 2, 2009
Season	2008
Stadium	Louisiana Superdome
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana
MVP	QB Brian Johnson, Utah
Favorite	Alabama by 10[1]
National anthem	Shades of Praise Choir New Orleans, LA
Referee	Scott Novak (Big XII)
Halftime show	The Pride of Utah Million Dollar Band
Attendance	71,872
Payout	US$17,500,000 per team[2]
United States TV coverage
Network	FOX
Announcers	Kenny Albert play-by-play Darryl Johnston color Charissa Thompson sideline Chris Myers sideline
Nielsen ratings	7.8 (13.369 millions, up 11%)[3]

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]

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 non-BCS 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 sport's agent. A few days later, he declared himself for the NFL Draft and was the 6th overall pick.^[7]

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive		Team	Scoring Information[8]	Score
		Length	Time			Utah	Alabama
1	11:02	5 plays, 68 yards	1:19	Utah	Brent Casteel 7–yard reception from Brian Johnson, Louie Sakoda kick good	7	0
	8:37	5 plays, 32 yards	1:37	Utah	Matt Asiata 2–yard rush, Louie Sakoda kick good	14	0
	4:01	7 plays, 65 yards	1:57	Utah	Bradon Godfrey 18–yard reception from Brian Johnson, Louie Sakoda kick good	21	0
2	14:55	7 plays, 23 yards	4:06	Alabama	Leigh Tiffin 52–yard field goal	21	3
	5:28	0 plays, 0 yards	0:00	Alabama	Javier Arenas 73–yard punt return, Leigh Tiffin kick good	21	10
3	11:41	7 plays, 30 yards	3:05	Alabama	Glen Coffee 4–yard reception from John Parker Wilson, Leigh Tiffin kick good	21	17
	10:04	7 plays, 71 yards	1:37	Utah	David Reed 28–yard reception from Brian Johnson, Louie Sakoda kick good	28	17
4	2:49	7 plays, 31 yards	2:24	Utah	Louie Sakoda 28–yard field goal	31	17
Final Score						31	17

References

1. "College Football Lines". Maddux Sports. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
2. "BCS Bowl Facts". Fox Sports. 2008-12-15. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
3. Mandel, Stewart (2009-01-05). "Ratings are proof the addition of fifth BCS game officially a failure". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 30 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
4. "Sugar Bowl Preview". The Spread. 2008-12-16. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
5. "Utah-Alabama Preview". ESPN. Archived from the original on 18 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-22.
6. Dinich, Heather (2009-01-02). "Whittingham, Utes believe they deserve consideration for national title". ESPN. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
7. Andre Smith (offensive tackle)
8. "Utah Utes vs. Alabama Crimson Tide (Jan 02, 2009)". University of Alabama Athletics Media Relations. 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2009-01-02.