2007 Poinsettia Bowl The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl was a post - season American college football bowl game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Utah Utes played on December 20 , 2007 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California . Utah defeated Navy 35 – 32 in a game that came down to the final seconds . The third edition of the Poinsettia Bowl was the first of 32 games in the 2007 – 2008 bowl season and the final game of the 2007 NCAA football season for both teams . Coming into the game , both teams had win - loss records of 8 – 4 . After beginning their season with a 4 – 4 record , the Navy Midshipmen defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in triple overtime and became bowl eligible after defeating the North Texas Mean Green for their sixth win of the season . The Utah Utes began the season with a 1 – 3 record , but won seven straight games when quarterback Brian Johnson returned from an injury . After finishing with the third best record in the Mountain West Conference , they accepted their invitation to the bowl game . Both teams ' offenses moved the ball down the field effectively during the game ' s first few drives , but neither team could make it into the end zone , leaving the game scoreless after one quarter . The Utes scored first in the second quarter , and the Midshipmen tied the game at 7 – 7 on their next drive . Navy added a field goal with 28 second left in the half to give the Midshipmen a 10 – 7 lead at halftime . After the Midshipmen scored another touchdown to increase that lead to 17 – 7 , the Utes scored three unanswered touchdowns to gain a 28 – 17 lead . The Midshipmen narrowed that lead to three points after scoring another touchdown and two - point conversion , and after a series of defensive battles for both teams , the Utes scored again with 1 : 27 left in the game . Navy scored another touchdown on its next drive to bring the score to 35 – 32 and recovered an onside kick to retain possession with less than a minute left in the game . Midshipmen quarterback Kaipo - Noa Kaheaku - Enhada ' s final pass down field , however , was intercepted , allowing the Utes to run out the remaining seconds and win the game with a final score of 35 – 32 . The win gave the Utah Utes their sixth straight bowl victory . Team Selection . The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl , operated by the organizers of the Holiday Bowl , was sponsored by the San Diego County Credit Union . The previous year ' s game matched the TCU Horned Frogs from the Mountain West Conference against Northern Illinois Huskies from the Mid - American Conference . TCU defeated Northern Illinois with a score of 37 – 7 . In exchange for their participation in the 2007 game , Navy and Utah each received $ 750 , 000 . Navy . Prior to the beginning of the 2007 college football season , Poinsettia Bowl organizers and Navy reached a single - season agreement with the United States Naval Academy for the Midshipmen to play in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl if the team became bowl eligible by reaching at least six wins . The Midshipmen had previously won the inaugural 2005 Poinsettia Bowl and played in the 2006 Meineke Car Care Bowl . The team earned a 4 – 4 record through the first eight games of the season , including an overtime loss against the Ball State Cardinals and a double - overtime win against the Pittsburgh Panthers . The team ' s ninth game versus the Notre Dame Fighting Irish ended with a triple - overtime win for the Midshipmen , their first victory in the Navy – Notre Dame football rivalry in 43 years . With a 5 – 4 record and needing another win to become bowl eligible , the Midshipmen reached that mark when they defeated the North Texas Mean Green in a contest that set a new NCAA record for most points scored in a regulation - length FBS college football game . The Midshipmen accepted their invitation to play in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl on November 12 . Utah . Utah ' s selection as the other half of the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl matchup came by virtue of its third - place finish in the Mountain West Conference , with which the Poinsettia Bowl had an exclusive agreement . After Utes quarterback Brian Johnson suffered a separated shoulder in the team ' s season opening loss to the Oregon State Beavers , Utah began the 2007 season with a 1 – 3 record through the first four games , their sole victory coming against the eleventh - ranked UCLA Bruins . When Johnson returned the following week , the Utes won seven straight games before falling to the BYU Cougars in the annual " Holy War " game to finish the regular season with a 8 – 4 record . The team accepted its invitation to the game on December 2 , 2007 . The Utes accepted their invitation to play in the 2007 Poinsettia Bowl on December 2 . Pre - game buildup . Navy . Prior to the game , Midshipmen head football coach Paul Johnson announced he would take over the head coaching position at Georgia Tech for the 2007 season . Navy ' s offensive line coach Ken Niumatalolo was initially named interim head coach , but was confirmed as Navy ' s permanent head coach before the game . The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl was Niumatalolo ' s first game as head coach at any school . Utah . The Utah Utes came into the game having won their last six bowl games . The team ranked fourth in the nation in defense , allowing an average of 130 rushing yards per game . Game summary . The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl was the first of 32 bowl games scheduled for 2007 college football bowl season . At the conclusion of the national anthem during the pre - game show , four United States Navy F / A - 18 Hornet aircraft performed a flyover past the stadium . The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl kicked off on 9 : 12 pm EST on December 20 , 2007 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego , California . The game began in fair weather , but by the start of the second half , it had begun to rain . The game was televised in the United States on ESPN , although the first six minutes of game time were broadcast on ESPN Classic rather than ESPN due to a time overrun from another program . The program earned a Nielsen rating of 2 . 00 . First quarter . Navy received the ball to begin the game . After starting their first drive on their own 45 - yard line , the Midshipmen earned a first down by advancing the ball to the Utah 49 - yard line , but were prevented from gaining another first down by the Utah defense . On the ensuing punt , Navy ' s punter mishandled the snap and fumble d the football . The Utes recovered the fumble , but ran only three plays before Midshipmen linebacker Ross Pospisil intercepted a pass by Utes quarterback Brian Johnson and returned it across the 50 - yard line . A facemask penalty against Utah , several effective rushes by Midshipmen running back Reggie Campbell , and a 29 - yard reception by Campbell set up a first and goal situation . Utah ' s defense stiffened , however , and Navy failed to score a touchdown on its first two attempts inside the Utah 10 - yard line . On the third try , Campbell ran up the middle but fumbled the ball , which Utah recovered . After recovering the fumble , Utah mounted a 13 - play , 49 - yard drive that penetrated into Navy territory before it stalled at midfield . Utah was forced to punt the ball away , which rolled into the end zone for a touchback . Taking possession with less than a minute remaining in the first quarter , Navy running back Reggie Campbell ran for 44 yards at the Utes ' 36 - yard line . Two subsequent rushing plays ran out the first quarter and set the Midshipmen up for a third down to begin the second quarter . At the end of the first quarter , the score remained 0 – 0 . Second quarter . The second quarter began with Navy facing a third down in Utah territory . A false start penalty on the Midshipmen and a Utah defensive stand prevented Navy from earning another first down . On fourth down , Midshipmen kicker Joey Bullen attempted a 50 - yard field goal , but missed the goalpost s to the left , keeping the game scoreless . Utah began its next drive at its own 33 - yard line . The Utes progressed to the Navy 48 - yard line before running back Darrell Mack managed a 20 - yard run to drive the Utes to the Navy 28 - yard line . A 14 - yard pass to wide receiver Braden Godfrey put the Utes in Navy ' s red zone for the first time , and Utah scored the first touchdown of the game on a five - yard run from Mack three plays later . With 8 : 42 remaining in the second quarter , Utah led 7 – 0 . Reggie Campbell returned the ensuing kickoff for 25 yards to start Navy at their own 30 - yard line . Long runs , A 19 - yard run from Shun White and a 15 - yard pass interference penalty against the Utes helped advance the ball quickly down the field . On the eighth play of the drive , Midshipmen quarterback Kaipo - Noa Kaheaku - Enhada crossed the goal line from one yard out to tie the score at 7 – 7 with 5 : 14 remaining in the first half . On the ensuing drive , Utah was unable to move the ball effectively , and the Utes were forced to punt the ball away . All - American kicker Louie Sakoda ' s punt traveled 29 yards , setting up the Navy offense at their own 47 - yard line with 2 : 39 remaining before halftime . The Midshipmen converted a fourth down during the drive , but the drive came to a halt following a false start penalty . Kicker Joey Bullen made his second field goal attempt of the game , a 39 - yard kick through the uprights to give the Midshipmen a 10 – 7 lead . With 28 remaining in the first half , Utah received the kickoff and ran a single running play to run out the clock . At halftime , the Midshipmen led the Utes with a score of 10 – 7 . Third quarter . Utah began the second half on offense . After a six - yard pass on the first play , Utah failed to gain the additional four yards needed for a first down and were forced to punt the ball away . Beginning at their own 31 - yard line , the Midshipmen moved the ball quickly . Two consecutive rushing plays earned Navy a first down , and a 15 - yard Shun White run on the third play of the drive brought the team to the Utes ' 43 - yard line . On the next play , fullback Eric Kettani broke through the Utah defensive line and ran 43 yards for a touchdown , giving Navy a 17 – 7 lead with 11 : 52 remaining in the third quarter . On the first play of Utah ' s drive , Johnson completed a 22 - yard pass to wide receiver Brian Hernandez . Utah ' s offense faltered , however , and was forced to punt . The ensuing punt from Sakoda was downed at the Midshipmen 8 - yard line , and Navy ' s offense was forced into a three plays - and - out possession . Beginning at their own 41 - yard line , Utes quarterback Johnson threw three consecutive completions to bring the drive to the Midshipmen 27 - yard line . Just outside the Navy red zone , the Midshipmen defense forced a fourth down for Utah . Utah attempted to convert the fourth down instead of trying a long field goal . The conversion was successful , and on the first down following the conversion , Utah executed an end - around that went for 23 yards and a touchdown . The score cut Navy ' s lead to three points and put the score at 17 – 14 with 4 : 47 remaining in the third quarter . Though the midshipmen picked up one first down on their next drive , they were forced to punt the ball away with just over two minutes remaining in the quarter . Greg Veteto ' s punt was downed at the Utes ' 16 - yard line . The Utes ' offense connected on passes of 10 , 18 , and 11 yards before Johnson completed a 40 - yard pass to Derrek Richards for another touchdown . The 1 : 24 long drive took five plays and covered 84 yards . With the touchdown , Utah regained the lead by a 21 – 17 score . Midshipmen Campbell ran the opening kickoff return to the Navy 32 - yard line , but the team struggled on the next two plays , fumbling and recovering the ball each time . The two failed plays allowed time to run out in the third quarter . At the end of the third quarter , the Utes held a 21 – 17 lead . Fourth quarter . The Midshipmen faced a long third down play to begin the fourth quarter and was forced to punt when quarterback Kaipo - Noa Kaheaku - Enhada was sacked . Over the next five plays and 1 : 16 of game time , the Utes drove 61 yards ending when quarterback Brian Johnson scored a touchdown on a 19 - yard scramble with 12 : 47 remaining in the game . The score gave Utah a 28 – 17 lead . The Midshipmen began their next drive at their own 19 - yard line . With several short rushes , Navy began to build a drive . A 14 - yard pass by Kaheaku - Enhada brought the team to the Utah 47 - yard line . On the next play , fullback Eric Kettani broke free for a 35 - yard sprint that put Navy inside the Utah red zone . Two plays later , Shun White rushed 10 yards into the end zone for a touchdown . For a subsequent two - point conversion , Kaheaku - Enhada kept the ball and rushed forward across the goal line . The touchdown and two - point conversion cut Utah ' s lead to 28 – 25 with 8 : 52 remaining . Utah began its next possession with two quick completions of 11 yards to move the drive to the Midshipmen 49 - yard line . Johnson continued to move the ball , picking up yardage through the air and on the ground . As Utah reached Navy territory , however , the Midshipmen ' s defense stiffened . Inside the 10 - yard line , Utah had three tries to cross the goal line and earn a touchdown . On the third play inside the ten , Utah wide receiver Jereme Brooks caught a pass from Brian Johnson . As he extended the ball toward the goal line , he was hit by Navy cornerback Ketric Buffin . Brooks lost control of the ball , which came out of his hands , hitting the pylon at the corner of the end zone . According to NCAA rules , the pylon was both out of bounds and in the end zone . Therefore , the fumble should have been considered a touchback , with Navy awarded possession at its own 20 - yard line . Instead , officials ruled that Brooks had been out of bounds before fumbling and Utah maintained possession . After the game , officials acknowledged the mistake . Utah had one more chance to score , but turned the ball over on downs after failing to cross the goal line on a run from inside the 1 - yard line . The Midshipmen began their next drive at their own 1 - yard line with 3 : 40 remaining in the game . Over the next three plays , Navy failed to gain a first down . Facing a fourth - and - two inside its own nine - yard line , Kaheaku - Enhada attempted to rush the ball for the first down , but was stopped by the Utah defense . Navy turned the ball over on downs inside its own 10 - yard line , putting Utah in position to put the game away with less than two minutes remaining . Three rushing plays later , Utah ' s Darrell Mack ran the ball into the end zone for the Utes ' fourth touchdown of the second half , giving Utah a 35 – 25 lead with just 1 : 27 remaining in the game . The Midshipmen mounted a quick four - play , 69 - yard touchdown drive that left 57 seconds on the clock and closed the lead to 35 – 32 . Navy successfully converted the ensuing onside kick . A short rush gained Navy nine yards , but kept the clock moving . On the final play of the drive , Kaheaku - Enhada hurled the ball downfield in hopes of earning a first down , which would stop the clock and move the team to within field goal range . The ball was intercepted by a Utah defender , however , and Utah subsequently ran out the clock to end the game with a score of 35 – 32 . Final statistics . Utah Utes quarterback Brian Johnson , who ran for one touchdown and threw for another , was named the game ' s Most Valuable Player . Johnson ' s second half performance helped the Utes overcome a ten point deficit ; during the third quarter , he completed all nine of his passes for 120 yards . He eventually completed 20 of 25 passes in the game for 226 yards . Although the Midshipmen dominated the first quarter statistically , three turnovers prevented the team from scoring during the game ' s first few drives . Midshipmen fullback Eric Kettani finished the game with 125 yards on 12 carries , averaging 10 . 4 yards per carry , finishing one yard short of his season - best of 126 yards in a loss to the Ball State Cardinals earlier that year . Both teams struggled to convert on third and fourth downs , converting 15 out of 34 attempts . Post - game effects . Utah ' s win was the seventh - straight bowl win for the Utes , a record that tied it with Boston College for the most consecutive bowl - game wins in NCAA history . Two weeks later , Boston College won the 2007 Champs Sports Bowl , its eighth consecutive bowl game win . The 2007 Poinsettia Bowl was the last time the bowl would feature a matchup between an at - large team and the second - place Mountain West Conference team . Prior to the game , Poinsettia Bowl officials announced that the at - large half of the matchup would be replaced by the Pacific - 10 Conference ' s seventh - place team in 2008 . In 2009 , the Pac - 10 ' s sixth - place team would be granted a bid to the Poinsettia Bowl .