Weird because nobody expected what happened, except for maybe the Utes themselves, and, in particular, one Robert Johnson. Cool because Utah deserved exactly what it got.

A 44-6 victory over UCLA.

So much for BYU Lite.

So much for feeling sorry for Utah football.

After everything the Utes had faced, having been punched in the mouth in their first two games and, even worse, plagued by a ridiculous spate of serious injuries to some of their best players, they manned up against the 11th-ranked team in the country on Saturday and . . . refloated a sunk season.

Johnson knew buoyancy was coming - in a big way. The Utah safety, who in his first college start hauled in two interceptions and caused a game-changing fumble, had a dream on Wednesday night that the Utes were going to "dominate the game."

"It was kind of crazy," he said. "I saw that I was going to have an interception, but I didn't see two. It was so clear to me. I never had a dream like that before. I knew we were going to win."

He took his illuminated powers a bit far, perhaps, when he later answered a question about how good the Utes might become by saying: "We could be, like, ranked No. 1."

Optimism, indeed, flowed in the aftermath of this Utah triumph, in equal measure to the negativism that swirled around the same team over the past two weeks. And why not?

This win was a whopper.

But there was 1) no fluke to it; 2) no fortuitous bounces; 3) no magic; 4) no gifts; 5) no gadgetry; and 6) no finger-of-the-football-gods intervention.

OK, that's a lie.

There were small bits of Nos. 2) through 6) at Rice-Eccles, but absolutely none of the first one.

Still, Utah at least initiated - and, in some cases, forced - most of what it received.

We've all seen many upsets in our day, few more convincing and properly rewarding for the winners than this complete reversal of fortune.

Here's the best example: With the Utes up, 17-6, midway through the third quarter, Bruin quarterback Ben Olson lofted a moonshot that landed in the hands of receiver Marcus Everett. As Everett reached for the goal line, he fumbled, the ball rocketing out the back of the end zone for a Utah touchback.

Here's the thing: Johnson hatcheted the receiver's arm as the fumble happened. "I was going for the strip," he said.

He got it.

That was followed by a seven-play, 80-yard drive by Utah that was punctuated with - get this - a 12-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Corbin Louks - who? - to freshman tight end Dallin Rogers - who? - that gave the Utes a 24-6 lead, and hammered down the Bruins' fate.

Johnson's second pick, 13 seconds later at the UCLA 37, set up a Louie Sakoda field goal, propping the margin to 21.

Point is, the Utes deserved this game. They were the better team and the better-coached team, a remarkable manifestation, considering they were not good enough, nor well-enough coached, to beat Oregon State on the road or Air Force at home the two previous weeks.

For their part, the Bruins badly stumbled and bumbled around, especially on offense, but the Utah defense stuck the visitors, causing their confusion, again and again.

For much of the game, Olson looked lost. Both the Bruin offense and defense were humbled, unlike after last week's win over BYU, when Pac-10 boasting surfaced.

This time, there was respect: "They made more plays than we did," said Matthew Slater, a senior UCLA free safety. "We knew we were in a fight here."

A fight favoring the Utes, who found two effective quarterbacks for themselves - Tommy Grady completed 17 passes for 246 yards, including three TDs, and Louks situationally threw his scoring pass and ran for a few key yards here and there - alongside a primal yell of a running game. Darrell Mack shredded a tough UCLA defense with 107 yards, one touchdown, and two receiving TDs.

Utah's offense even showed a mix of bravado and gumption, pulling off a fake field goal late in the first half that gained a first down and facilitated Grady's TD pass to Mack that gave the Utes a 14-6 lead.

Quite frankly, it was something Urban Meyer would have called, and the whole performance, the entire game was reminiscent of 2004, with newfound Utah confidence and hope for what now lies ahead.

"There are no limits for this team," said Paul Kruger, who had an interception. "There are no boundaries. This is Utah football. And there's definitely more to come."

Pity the Utes no more.

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* GORDON MONSON can be reached at gmonson@sltrib.com. To write a letter about this or any sports topic, send an e-mail to sportseditor@sltrib.com.