Final
Utah scores 28 points in second half to hold off Navy
Dec 21, 2007 - 7:07 AM By Tim Powers PA SportsTicker Contributing WriterSAN DIEGO (Ticker) -- Utah did just enough to fight off a furious comeback by Navy.
Utah scored 28 second-half points en route to defeating Navy, 35-32, in the third annual Pointsettia Bowl on Thursday.
San Diego native Darrell Mack rushed for a one-yard score with 1:27 remaining in the game, providing the Utes a 35-25 lead and seemingly sealing a victory.
But the Midshipmen, who won the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl two years ago, got a quick 58-yard strike from Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada to Shun White to cut the deficit to 35-32 with 0:57 left in the game.
After recovering the ensuing onside kickoff, Navy marched to the Utah 49-yard line before Joe Dale picked off Kaheaku-Enhada's pass to earn Utah's eighth victory in nine games.
"We knew that when you're going against any academy, they're going to play all 60 minutes," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "I'm just proud of the way our defense hung in there and slugged it out."
The Utes, who struggled offensively in the first half, erased a 10-point second-half deficit with seemingly little effort, scoring three quick touchdowns to build a 28-17 advantage with 12:47 left in the fourth quarter.
"We talked about it at halftime and we wanted to open things up offensively," Whittingham said. "That's obviously what we did in the second half. (Quarterback Brian Johnson) took over with his playmaking ability, both running and throwing. That was the difference."
Johnson threw for a score and rushed for another, finishing the game completing 18-of-23 passes for 217 yards and throwing one interception.
"We just took advantage of what they were giving us," Johnson said. "Guys kept running after the catch. We got into a rhythm offensively. We got the ball to our wideouts and let them run with it." Mack, who went to nearby Monte Vista high school, rushed 23 times for 78 yards and two scores.
"The resilience of the this team, we weren't going to quit," Johnson said. "It says a lot about this team that we kept battling and found a way to win."
Navy cut its deficit to 28-25 when White ran for a 10-yard score with 8:48 remaining, and held Utah out of the end zone on the ensuing drive, stuffing Mack at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal with 3:40 left.
"We just weren't able to finish it," said Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo, who was leading the Midshipmen for the first time after Paul Johnson resigned to take the head coaching job at Georgia Tech. "I just wish we could have finished with a kick there. We definitely had an opportunity at the end of the game to come back and win it."
Utah broke a scoreless tie when Mack rushed five yards to give the Utes a 7-0 lead with 8:42 left in the second quarter.
Reggie Campbell, who two years ago scored five touchdowns in Navy's victory in the inaugural Poinsettia Bowl, was held out of the end zone in this one and rushed for 59 yards on seven carries.
Kaheaku-Enhada completed 6-of-11 passes for 63 yards and one touchdown.
"I felt like we could have score some more points in the first half and put the game away," Niumatalolo said. "Against a tough team like Utah, you can't let those get away."
- POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
UTAH 0 7 14 14 35
NAVY 0 10 7 15 32 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NONE
2ND QUARTER: UTAH - TD, DARRELL MACK 5 YD RUN (LOUIE
SAKODA KICK), 6:18. UTAH 7-0
NAVY - TD, KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA 1 YD
RUN (JOEY BULLEN KICK), 9:20.
UTAH
Dec 21 12:51 AM
TD NAVY SHUN WHITE 58 YD PASS FROM KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA (JOEY BULLEN KICK)
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:39 AM
TD NAVY SHUN WHITE 58 YD PASS FROM KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA (JOEY BULLEN KICK)
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:39 AM
TD NAVY SHUN WHITE 58 YD PASS FROM KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA (JOEY BULLEN KICK)
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:39 AM- POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD NAVY
SHUN WHITE 58 YD PASS FROM KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA
(JOEY BULLEN KICK)
UTAH 35
NAVY 32 0:57 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:39 AM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD UTAH
DARRELL MACK 1 YD RUN
(LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
UTAH 35
NAVY 25 1:27 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:33 AM
TD NAVY JOHN CHARLES WHITE 10 YD RUN (KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA RUN FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION)
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:10 AM
TD NAVY JOHN CHARLES WHITE 10 YD RUN (KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA RUN FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION)
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:10 AM- POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD NAVY
JOHN CHARLES WHITE 10 YD RUN
(KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA RUN FOR TWO-POINT CONVERSION)
UTAH 28
NAVY 25 8:48 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 21 12:10 AM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD UTAH
BRIAN JOHNSON 19 YD RUN
(LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
UTAH 28
NAVY 17 12:47 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 11:57 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF END, 3RD QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
UTAH 0 7 14 21
NAVY 0 10 7 17 END, 3RD QTR
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NONE
2ND QUARTER: UTAH - TD, DARRELL MACK 5 YD RUN (LOUIE
SAKODA KICK), 6:18. UTAH 7-0
NAVY - TD, KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA 1 YD
RUN (JOEY BULLEN KICK), 9:
Dec 20 11:47 PM
TD UTAH DERREK RICHARDS 40 YD PASS FROM BRIAN JOHNSON (LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 11:44 PM
TD UTAH DERREK RICHARDS 40 YD PASS FROM BRIAN JOHNSON (LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 11:44 PM
TD UTAH DERREK RICHARDS 40 YD PASS FROM BRIAN JOHNSON (LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 11:44 PM- POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD UTAH
DERREK RICHARDS 40 YD PASS FROM BRIAN JOHNSON
(LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
UTAH 21
NAVY 17 1:12 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 11:44 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD UTAH
JEREME BROOKS 23 YD RUN
(LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
UTAH 14
NAVY 17 4:47 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 11:34 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD NAVY
ERIC KETTANI 43 YD RUN
(JOEY BULLEN KICK)
UTAH 7
NAVY 17 11:52 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 11:11 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF HALFTIME 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
UTAH 0 7 7
NAVY 0 10 10 HALFTIME
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NONE
2ND QUARTER: UTAH - TD, DARRELL MACK 5 YD RUN (LOUIE
SAKODA KICK), 6:18. UTAH 7-0
NAVY - TD, KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA 1 YD
RUN (JOEY BULLEN KICK), 9:20.
Dec 20 10:39 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
FG NAVY
JOEY BULLEN 39 YD
UTAH 7
NAVY 10 0:28 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 10:37 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD NAVY
KAIPO-NOA KAHEAKU-ENHADA 1 YD RUN
(JOEY BULLEN KICK)
UTAH 7
NAVY 7 5:40 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 10:15 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF POINSETTIA BOWL
TD UTAH
DARRELL MACK 5 YD RUN
(LOUIE SAKODA KICK)
UTAH 7
NAVY 0 8:42 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Utah vs. NavyDec 20 10:04 PM - POINSETTIA BOWL
AT SAN DIEGO
NCAAF END, 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
UTAH 0 0
NAVY 0 0 END, 1ST QTR
Dec 20 9:48 PM
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