Utah stuns Alabama to finish undefeated

Undefeated, and uninvited.

Led by Brian Johnson and a swarming defense, No. 7 Utah completed its perfect season by upsetting fourth-ranked Alabama, 31-17, in the Sugar Bowl on Friday night at New Orleans.

After piling up wins in the Mountain West Conference against a schedule deemed soft, the Utes (13-0) were left out of the Bowl Championship Series national championship game in favor of perennial powers Florida and Oklahoma, even though both have one loss.

But at the Sugar Bowl, Utah showed it could do more than just hang with the big boys, it could dominate one of them.

“I know where I’m voting us. I’m voting us No. 1. End of story,” Coach Kyle Whittingham said afterward.

Utah’s only chance for a piece of the national title -- albeit a remote possibility -- is in the Associated Press poll. The AP, not part of the BCS, awards its own national champion.

The Utes are the only team in the AP Top 25 that remains unbeaten.

“What else do we have to prove?” said Johnson, selected the game’s most outstanding player. “Without question, we’re one of best, if not the best team in the country.”

Johnson threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and the Utes took charge from the start by bolting to a stunning 21-point lead.

With the victory, Utah became the first team from a non-BCS conference to win two BCS bowls. The Utes beat Pittsburgh in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl under coach Urban Meyer, going for his second BCS national title with Florida when his Gators play Oklahoma on Thursday in Miami.

Johnson’s pinpoint passing led Utah to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and the Utes refused to wilt when Alabama pulled to within 21-17 early in the second half.

After surging to No. 1 in the rankings with a 12-0 regular season, Alabama closed the season with two consecutive losses, the first against Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Mississippi 47, Texas Tech 34 -- Behind Jevan Snead’s passing, Dexter McCluster’s squirming runs and some big returns by Marshay Green, the No. 20 Rebels (9-4) overcame an early deficit and beat the No. 8 Red Raiders in the last Cotton Bowl played in the stadium of the same name at Dallas.

The Red Raiders (11-2) converted a pair of early turnovers into a 14-0 lead, but Snead led the Rebels to touchdowns on their next three drives, followed by a go-ahead field goal shortly before halftime.

Next year, the Cotton Bowl will be played in the stadium being built by the Dallas Cowboys.

Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19 -- Ventrell Jenkins scooped up a fumble and barreled his 285-pound frame 56 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, helping the Wildcats win a program-best third consecutive bowl game with a victory in the Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn.

Kentucky (7-6) never led until the fourth quarter, when Myron Pryor forced a fumble with about three minutes left. In the scramble for the loose ball, Jenkins came up with it and rumbled down the right sideline untouched for the touchdown.

East Carolina finished 9-5.