Even said so, privately.

So it was hardly a surprise to him to watch quarterback Brett Ratliff enjoy another astonishing performance while receiver Travis LaTendresse carved the Yellow Jackets apart with a record 16 catches for 214 yards and four touchdowns in his final college game to give the Utes a 38-10 victory in front of 25,742 fans at wet and slippery SBC Park.

"What they did defensively, we felt like there were a lot of things we could get," Ludwig said. "They kept giving us the underneath stuff, so we just kept taking it."

Did they ever.

Although they were solid underdogs against a defense that ranked in the top 10 nationally, the Utes did what few gave them a chance to do after such a tumultuous season. They erupted for 550 yards - that's more than they compiled in the win over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl last year - beat a ranked team for the third straight time and won an unprecedented fifth bowl game in a row.

"Everyone counted us out again, like they did at BYU, but we believed in each other," said running back Quinton Ganther, who rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown. "And when we believe in each other and come together as a family, we can't be beat."

The Utes certainly looked unbeatable against the Yellow Jackets, making it hard to believe they actually lost five games this season. But finishing 7-5 after winning four of their last five games was a welcome reward for a team that coach Kyle Whittingham said felt besieged by criticism during its midseason slump.

"I can't even put it into words," receiver Brian Hernandez said. "We've been hearing all week that they're from the ACC and that's a different kind of football, but it's the same game for all of us."

It wasn't just the offense, either.

Defensively, the Utes smothered quarterback Reggie Ball and virtually blanked All-America receiver Calvin Johnson, holding him to two meaningless catches.

Running back P.J. Daniels rushed for 109 yards for Tech and teammate Damarius Bilbo had 103 receiving yards, but the Utes generated a huge pass rush, made two interceptions and shut out the Yellow Jackets after halftime while holding them to just five first downs.

"I've never been around a group of players who have demonstrated so much guts, courage and resiliency," Whittingham said. "We had so many guys make plays, it was unbelievable."

So by the time darkness began to set in amid the red brick stadium on the banks of the bay, the Yellow Jackets were finished.

They trudged wearily around the field, refusing - according to Utah's Eric Weddle - to even respond to the Utes, after insisting before the game that they had overcome the disappointment of having to play a bowl game so far from home.

"You could just tell that they didn't want to be here," Weddle said.

The Utes, on the other hand, could not have been happier.

They rocketed to a 20-0 lead on three LaTendresse touchdown catches in the first 16 minutes, and kept the Yellow Jackets from reclaiming momentum with a defense that hardly looked like the group that melted down at times earlier in the season.

"I don't think they were expecting it," Utah safety Casey Evans said. "We just hit 'em in the mouth, and we had the momentum pretty much the whole game."

The Yellow Jackets insisted they didn't quit - "I don't know how you could say we quit," Tech's Kenny Scott said - but it appeared to be a fair question, as LaTendresse continued to catch wide-open pass after wide-open pass. The Utes even threw him a two-point conversion pass early in the fourth quarter to make it 31-10, apparently just because they could.

"We picked 'em apart," Ratliff said.

The junior quarterback had been just that bold before the game, saying he couldn't wait for the opportunity to ravage the Yellow Jackets. And if that sounded a bit brazen for a player who had made all of one start in his college career, he backed it up by completing 30 of 41 passes for 381 yards and just one interception. The pick came in the end zone, too, keeping the wrecking of Georgia Tech from being even worse.

"We just kept taking it to them," Hernandez said, "and they quit."

Reporter Michael C. Lewis can be reached at mcl@sltrib.com. To read more about the Utes, go to his blog at www.sltrib.com/blogs. To write a letter about the Utes or any sports topic, send an e-mail to sportseditor@sltrib.com.

Storylines

IN SHORT - The Utes won an unprecedented fifth straight bowl game by upsetting No. 24 Georgia Tech 38-10 in the Emerald Bowl.

KEY STAT - Senior receiver Travis LaTendresse caught 16 passes for 214 yards and four touchdowns - each a school bowl record.

KEY MOMENT - Utah's Marquis Wilson caught a 22-yard pass on the first play of the game, setting the tone for a scorching of the heralded defense.