Wayshawn Parker rushes for 171 yards as No. 12 Utah stays undefeated in win over Kansas

SALT LAKE CITY — Coming off its bye week, No. 12 Utah made easy work of Kansas in the opening quarter in the team's return to Rice-Eccles Stadium, jumping out to a 14-0 lead.

But that fast start quickly changed after a rough second quarter for the Utes, who saw a double-digit lead evaporate to Kansas. Devon Dampier looked rushed and couldn't connect with his receivers, while the defense let Kansas move down the field with ease in the final two minutes of the half.

Utah answered back to start the second half with a defensive stop and then a score — a 2-yard receiving touchdown to Ricky Johnson — but Kansas refused to go down without a fight.

On the ensuing Jayhawks possession, quarterback Isaiah Marshall marched Kansas down the field and answered with a 29-yard touchdown toss to make it a 3-point game.

Utah, though, had enough in the tank — which included a touchdown pass to Semi Taulanga — to fight off the Kansas upset. The Utes escaped with a 41-24 win on their home turf to stay undefeated on the season. But Kansas gave Utah all it could handle for the full 60 minutes on Saturday night.

Dampier finished the night throwing for 238 yards, three touchdowns and an interception on 23-of-30 passing, as Utah (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) gutted out the win. He added 68 rushing yards and a touchdown in the win.

Wayshawn Parker added 171 rushing yards and two touchdowns — including a 90-yard touchdown run late in the game in which he topped 21.3 mph on the run — while Johnson topped all receivers with a career-high 104 yards and a touchdown on five catches.

Kansas (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) was held to just 30 yards of total offense in the first quarter, but the Jayhawks quickly made up for that in the following three quarters to finish with 391 total yards.

Marshall ended the game with 333 yards, two touchdowns and an interception on 19-of-37 passing. He nearly got in the end zone again for Kansas, but was stopped 2 yards short of the goal line on fourth down to give Utah the ball back. And that's when Parker broke loose for his long touchdown to ice the game.

This story will be updated.

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