Country roads: Utah bounces back with blowout win over West Virginia

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A smattering of boos rang down as West Virginia players exited the field at halftime, and a majority of the student section never returned for the second half.

It was an indication of the fans' frustration with their home team and Utah's early dominance a week after a blowout loss on their own home field.

The Mountaineers amassed only 90 total yards by the halftime break, while Utah controlled a 28-0 lead en route to 278 total yards of offense in the half — more than the full game total against Texas Tech last week.

It was a true Utah bounce-back effort, and one that silenced an otherwise raucous crowd in a regular setting. But on Saturday, there was no question who was the better team as the Utes pulled away for a 48-14 win in Morgantown.

"Proud of our team for the response from last week — tough loss last week, disappointing loss — and talked about not letting that be a detractor for this week and being able to flush it and move on and not have a hangover, so to speak," Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. "I think they did exactly just that. They were able to prepare for West Virginia, great attitude all week long."

Utah (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) quarterback Devon Dampier and the Utah offense showcased a more diverse playbook against West Virginia (2-3, 0-2 Big 12), mixing in a good dose of passing and a complimentary run game to score a touchdown on five of the team's first six drives.

The only negative was a Dampier interception on a missed connection with receiver Tobias Merriweather. The Utah defense, though, snuffed out the ensuing West Virginia drive, stalling any progress the Mountaineers hoped to gain off the turnover.

Dampier finished the afternoon game throwing for 237 yards and four touchdowns — a career high in passing touchdowns — on 21-of-26 passing a week after being limited with an ankle injury.

He added 33 yards — including a 7-yard rushing touchdown off the right edge in the first quarter — on 11 carries, and was replaced by freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin to start the fourth quarter.

Ficklin tossed a fourth-quarter touchdown to running back Bryce Duke to cap off the scoring in a full quarter of play. The freshman finished throwing for 53 yards on a perfect 4-of-4 passing.

"Good to see Byrd Ficklin get a full quarter of play," Whittingham said. "That guy's really got a lot to him. He's got the right demeanor, the right mentality. I think he's going to be a special player someday, but it was good to see him really come in and do some athletic things."

Utah made an emphasis Saturday to get the passing game going after a nearly non-existent performance last week.

Dampier spread the ball around primarily to three different players — Ryan Davis, Dallen Bentley and freshman JJ Buchanan — to give Utah a different element in an offense that has largely worked to establish the run. Each of the aforementioned players collected a touchdown off a Dampier throw.

Davis led the team with 107 receiving yards and one touchdown, while Bentley added 59 yards and a score, and Buchanan amassed 32 yards and a touchdown as the team finished with 237 receiving yards.

"We know that that was something that hurt us last week, and we needed to be able to push the ball down the field better," Whittingham said. "We did that this week. Receivers stepped up, answered the challenge. I thought we had a good scheme going in — a right dose of run and pass, play action off the run game."

Dampier said it was all about what the defense gave the offense, as well as his offensive line protecting him from any trouble.

"They held a lot of time for me, and instead of taking those running lanes, I was able to make a lot more plays just sitting in the pocket today," Dampier said. "So that was a little bit of emphasis, but we play whatever the defense gives."

Wayshawn Parker led the Utes with 66 rushing yards — including a 40-yard run midway through the third quarter — on nine carries, while adding a 10-yard touchdown reception.

West Virginia found some success early in the third quarter after it replaced the game's starter, quarterback Jaylen Henderson, with Khalil Wilkins, who connected with Cam Vaughn on a 39-yard touchdown strike to cap off an eight-play, 75-yard drive for the first points of the game.

Wilkins brought a different look for the Mountaineers, who moved the ball better with him under center. But it wasn't enough against Utah's defense — despite a few letdowns that gave West Virginia some chances they couldn't capitalize on in Utah territory.

Despite the overall success in the win, Utah lost a few players due to injury, including Nate Ritchie, who took a helmet to the knee from his own teammate on a West Virginia fumble, and do-it-all athlete Jackson Bennee, who came up hobbling after a 14-yard reception.

Dallas Vakalahi later left the field on West Virginia's first scoring drive. The veteran defensive tackle limped off the field and was eventually taken back to the locker room.

None of the injured players appeared for the remainder of their game, and their status moving forward remains to be seen. Whittingham said he'll "reserve judgement until we get final medical evaluations."

"I don't want to say something now that maybe isn't accurate," he added.

Utah now goes into its first bye week before hosting Arizona State at Rice-Eccles Stadium the week after.

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