a couple of thoughts:
1. Utah is an outstanding team that has humbled us all. i didn't even see many around here giving Utah much of a chance, so it wasn't just us. Utah came out of the gate pissed off and kicked us straight in the va-jay-jay. period. even though they had ALOT of input from Urban Meyer (Utah's coach said in previous interviews that he was on the phone with Meyer when he found out they were playing us) on scouting us, it still takes their players to execute that game plan. they executed it flawlessly, and you have to give them props. they played an outstanding game.
2. our team has finally realized what happens when you dismiss an opponent. we came close a few times, but Utah finally taught them the lesson.
3. Andre Smith helped kill us. not only was his suspension a distraction, it alone put the team in a bind. i really don't think we would have been in bad shape had his replacement not gone down as well. we had 2 OL in their natural spots the whole game. when you are a run-first team, thats a killer.
4. Kareem Jackson is the new Marcus Carter. he was directly responsible for two TDs because of his poor tackling/coverage. had he not arm tackled, their WR would have been stopped short on 3rd down on one of those TDs. the other one and many other catches he allowed he just wasn't turning his head or anything.
5. i'm glad CNS took over with the adjustments in the second half, otherwise we could have easily lost by 30. coming back to within 4 from down by 21 in the first quarter isn't that shabby. but in the end, it didn't matter because well, we lost.
6. i think we still had a great season. things didn't turn out the way i wish they would have, but it turned out waaaaay better than i thought it would. we had an undefeated regular season and throttled AU, fell a litle short in the SECCG, and got humbled in the Sugar Bowl. its a far cry from 6-6, a loss to ULM, and a trip to Shreveport. i'll take it any day.
09 will be very interesting. we have some rebuilding to do, but i think we will have a decent season. McElwain is good about building an offense around the strengths of the personnel, not the other way around.