Valley product, Utah state title case

Because of the number of fellow Las Vegans on Oklahoma's roster, Utah junior linebacker Stevenson Sylvester had a little bit of a rooting interest Thursday night.

Just a little bit.

He mostly didn't care about the Oklahoma-Florida game that decided the Bowl Championship Series champion and resigned himself to realize The Associated Press' vote for the national title was out of his control.

With Florida's 24-14 victory, the No. 1 Gators received 1,606 voting points. Utah got 1,519 points and finished second.

But Sylvester, who went to Valley High School, did more than enough to put the Utes anywhere near contention for an AP title. He was dominant in Utah's 31-17 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama on Jan. 2, making three sacks and recovering a fumble.

Utah convinced a lot of skeptics nationwide.

"We saw one poll that said 90 percent of the country didn't think we would be able to win," Sylvester said. "It was a great feeling to know that (Alabama) was one of the top teams in the country."

The Utes jumped to a 21-0 lead and later responded with a touchdown after the Crimson Tide cut the deficit to four points in the third quarter.

Sylvester said the Utes were mentally tough at that spot because they played so many close games during the season. They staged fourth-quarter rallies to beat Oregon State and Texas Christian.

"That's why the '08 team is better than the '04 team because the '04 team blew everybody out," Sylvester said of the Urban Meyer-coached squad that went undefeated. "They didn't have adversity."

Utah also was eager to prove Alabama coach Nick Saban wrong after he called the Tide the only team from "a real BCS conference" to go unbeaten in the regular season.

"You feel disrespected," Sylvester said. "We've beaten people. It lit a fire under our belt."

The Utes did more than just pull off the upset. They also sparked a national debate about their credentials as a possible national champion and again created discussion about the failings of the BCS and whether a playoff should take its place.

As for his part in helping Utah record eight sacks in a startling defensive effort against Alabama, Sylvester deferred credit, saying his teammates helped put him in position to make the plays.

But he still had to make the plays, and a good argument could be put forth Sylvester should have been named the game's Most Outstanding Player. That honor went to quarterback Brian Johnson.

"A lot of people said that, but Brian Johnson did a great job," Sylvester said. "I can't think of another guy."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.