Utah’s offense looked dormant in the first half. But two second-half touchdowns were enough for the Utes to pull away late.
Utah defensive end John Henry Daley, left, sacks Wyoming quarterback Kaden Anderson, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Laramie, Wyo. (AP Photo/Matthew Idler)
Laramie, Wyo. • Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham knows anything can happen in War Memorial Stadium.
And his No. 20 Utes kept it too close for comfort against Wyoming for the first part of the matchup.
Utah was held to three points through the first two quarters, largely in part to three missed field goals, six penalties and one fumble at the 7-yard line from Nate Johnson.
But No. 20 Utah (3-0) was still able to defeat Wyoming (2-1) 31-6 on Saturday evening, largely in part to a second-half recovery from its offense. Junior quarterback Devon Dampier finished 27 of 41 on the night with 230 passing yards and 86 rushing yards for two total touchdowns.
“[We were] just finishing drives and capitalizing on third downs,” Dampier said of Utah’s second half turnaround. “I mean, the bigger story for the first half is definitely defense. They held them down to six points the whole game.
“I’m glad we have both sides of the ball.”
The Utes’ defense kept them ahead for most of the game. Utah sack leader John Henry Daley was a star in the contest, finishing with two sacks and six total tackles.
Heading into the week, Whittingham said he wanted to see more “explosive plays” from his team’s offense. Dampier and the Utes struggled to make that happen in the first half against the Cowboys.
Utah outgained Wyoming 268 to 78 at the break, but missed multiple opportunities to score points. Freshman kicker Dillon Curtis ended the half with a blocked kick, leaving Utah with just a 3-0 lead at the break.
The Utes offense got back on track on their first drive in the third quarter, however. Senior running back NaQuari Rodgers’ 1-yard touchdown capped off a nine-play, 83-yard drive.
Dampier and Beck responded again with an 8-yard dot to Larry Simmons. On the score, Utah’s star quarterback fumbled the ball, picked it up and fired it to Simmons for his first receiving score as a Ute.
Sophomore defensive back Jackson Bennee ultimately sealed the game for Utah with a 57-yard interception with just under 10 minutes remaining in the game. Dampier capitalized on the turnover, throwing a 14-yard score to tight end JJ Buchanan.
“We just weren’t executing as we needed to,” Whittingham said. “We’ve been really good on third down the first two games, but, and I think probably our final numbers tonight were bad.”
Next, Utah will face No. 21 Texas Tech at 10 a.m. MDT on Saturday in Salt Lake City.