Devon Dampier rushes for 3 TDs as Utah rolls to 42-10 win over No. 21 Arizona State

SALT LAKE CITY — Come rain or shine, Devon Dampier could not be stopped Saturday night.

Sheets of rain blanketed Rice-Eccles Stadium as a heavy dose of lightning threatened to seriously delay the late kickoff against No. 21 Arizona State Saturday, but all went to plan for Utah at home as the Utes rolled to a 42-10 victory — the first official Big 12 victory at home since entering the league last season.

And Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) had its veteran quarterback to thank for much of the team's success Saturday night.

The visiting Sun Devils could not contain Dampier, and he rushed for a team-high 120 yards and three touchdowns — including the team's second score of the night in the second quarter from 24 yards out — on 10 rushing attempts.

He becomes the first Utah quarterback since Travis Wilson in 2015 against Oregon to rush for over 100 yards in a game.

But Dampier, not one to highlight himself, gave all the credit to his offensive line, which kept him upright all game and gave him plenty of time against Arizona State's defense to move the ball down field.

"We trust those boys up front," Dampier said. "Our front five, I trust those guys over anybody. I mean, we take whatever the defense gives us, and our run game was moving. We were moving the ball efficiently, and stuck to it."

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham echoed the sentiment of his star quarterback, saying there was no real need to mix in a ton on passing on a night when the Utes were effective running the ball.

"The run game really was in high gear from the from the get, so we just stayed with it; and, like I said, Devon was really efficient when he did throw the ball. ... But the run game was really what won this football game for us."

Dampier started out in the rainy environment with a pass attempt — an incomplete toss to Wayshawn Parker in the flat — but didn't need many to put distance on an Arizona State (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) defense that has largely stopped the run all season.

The Utes managed 183 rushing yards in the first half against a Sun Devils defense that had only given up 119 all season in a game. In the end, Utah finished with 278 total rushing yards, with all six of the team's touchdowns coming on the ground.

Parker finished behind Dampier with 55 rushing yards, while NaQuari Rogers added 48 yards and two touchdowns, and Daniel Bray contributing 41 yards in another strong performance from the freshman back.

Dampier finished the night with 104 yards on a modest 7-of-12 passing in just three quarters before being replaced by backup Byrd Ficklin, who added a 4-yard rushing touchdown of his own early in the fourth quarter.

He also added a single completed pass late in the fourth quarter for 32 yards to tight end Otto Tia. The freshman quarterback remains 100% in his limited passing attempts this season.

And for as efficient as Utah's offense was Saturday night, it was Utah's defense that deserved much of the credit, too, in the win.

Smith Snowden locked down star wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, limiting last season's Biletnikoff finalist to just 25 yards on six catches (11 targets) in the first half. He finished with 40 yards on eight catches, while contributing a 3-yard rushing touchdown.

Snowden was primarily on Tyson duty, but other defenders in the secondary got in on the mix, too. That performance from the secondary, Whittingham said, was the team's best of the season.

"It was really important," he said of locking down Tyson. "It was obviously a focal point, and Smith Snowden did an outstanding job on him. He shadowed him a lot of the night, not completely, but a lot of the time. And to hold a talent like that to just 40 yards is a credit, again, to the secondary and the way they played tonight. He's a heck of a player."

Up front, John Henry Daley set the tone, among others, as the defense brought consistent pressure on backup quarterback Jeff Sims, who got the start Saturday with an injured Sam Leavitt out for the weekend with a foot injury.

Utah sacked Sims five times on the night, while adding an additional seven tackles for loss and five pass breakups. Daley is the first player since Chase Hansen in 2018 to record a tackle for loss in each of the first six games of the season.

Utah's biggest highlight was a three-sack sequence to start the fourth quarter — two of which were credited to Daley — to keep the Sun Devils from advancing the ball down the field in a pivotal stretch for the road team.

But it was just one of many times Utah's defense stifled an Arizona State offense that managed just 259 total yards of offense and went 7-of-18 no third-down attempts. The team was an improved 4-of-5 on fourth downs, but it only resulted in 10 points on the night.

Late in the second quarter, Arizona State attempted to add a 29-yard field goal to one that was made previously in the first quarter, but Jackson Bennee, who started at safety Saturday, read the situation and immediately jumped past the line to block the field goal attempt as Blake Cotton jumped on the ball to stall the drive and leave the Sun Devils without points.

"(Morgan) Scalley is — he's a master when it comes to scheming something up like that," Bennee said, giving the credit to his defensive coordinator. "And they showed what we were looking for. And, honestly, we were kind of moving around. I didn't think we were going to get it off, but it worked out, jumped over and, yeah, there ya go."

It was a complete effort in all phases of the game for the Utes, and one in which Whittingham said the team was "solid from start to finish."

"We started fast and never let up," he said. "There was no lulls in the game."

For the reigning Big 12 champions, it was a long night with little to show for on the scoreboard. Sims finished the night throwing for 124 yards on 18-of-38 passing, while adding 52 rushing yards on 21 attempts.

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