SALT LAKE CITY — I’m not sure if Utah fans have caught their breath yet after that absolute roller-coaster Saturday night in Salt Lake City. This was one of the craziest games of the entire 2025 season, and head coach Kyle Whittingham agreed, calling it “one for the ages.”

Kansas State rolled up 342 rushing yards by halftime on 18 yards per carry, with five 30+ yard runs. It was the worst rushing defensive half in Utah history. Then it continued into the second half with Kansas State finishing with 472 rushing yards (Utah’s worst ever).

Kansas State scored its fifth rushing touchdown to make it 47-35 with seven minutes left, but they attempted a 2-point try, which Utah’s Tao Johnson intercepted

and returned 100+ yards for the rare pick two — a 4-point swing — to bring Utah within 10 points and shift the momentum.

Utah cut it to 47-44 on Devon Dampier’s touchdown to Larry Simmons, and then on a fourth-and-1, Dampier broke free and ran it all the way down to the 5-yard line to set up his game-winning touchdown. The television cameras were shaking so hard on Dampier’s long run I thought the live feed was going to break.

Rice-Eccles was rocking.

The 51-47 win keeps Utah alive for the Big 12 title game and the playoff, though they need plenty of help from teams ahead of them. First, they close out the regular season with a trip to Lawrence, Kansas, to face the 5-6 Kansas Jayhawks (Friday, 10 a.m. MST, ESPN).

Game Grader

(Opponent-adjusted statistical dominance via Pick Six Previews)

3-year average (2022-24): Utah 55.4 (23rd of 68 Power 4) | Kansas 53.4 (27th)
2024 season: Utah 44.9 (48th) | Kansas 53.0 (32nd)
2025 season: Utah 72.0 (11th) | Kansas 43.9 (50th)

My Game Grader formula is a measure of statistical dominance that adjusts for opponent strength and is a key piece of my preseason and in-season evaluation.

In my annual season preview magazine Pick Six Previews, I selected Utah to finish fourth in a wide-open Big 12 race. They lost twice — a 34-10 loss to Texas Tech and 24-21 loss to BYU — but eight of their wins have been blowouts with an average yardage margin of +200 per game.

I projected Kansas to finish 12th in the Big 12 in my preview magazine, and so far that has held true. They are 5-6 overall, 3-5 in the Big 12, with their three wins over 1-10 Oklahoma State and the two coaching change teams UCF and West Virginia. They are No. 50 of 68 Power Four teams in Game Grader.

Utah with the ball

(Opponent-adjusted metrics, per Pick Six Previews)

Utah offense: 10th of 68 Power 4 Teams, 27th passing, 2nd rushing
Kansas defense: 53rd of 68 Power 4 Teams, 58th pass defense, 53rd rush defense

Utah’s offensive line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, and it is certainly deserved. They are one of the few lines to place in the top 15 of both my OL run push (No. 2) and Pass Protection (No. 14).

They have lived up to Whittingham’s preseason praise calling them the best line he’s ever coached. Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu both deserve All-Big 12 and All America hype, and could be high NFL draft picks in April.

Utah ran for 292 yards Saturday, led by Wayshawn Parker’s fourth straight 100-yard game, 94 yards and two scores by Dampier, and then another breakout performance from freshman Byrd Ficklin, who added 54 yards and three touchdowns.

Look for more rushing success Friday as they face a Kansas defense ranked 110th in yards per carry and 124th in explosive long-yard rushing. Kansas has also struggled to defend the pass, so Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck will be able to call a balanced, dynamic offense.

Kansas with the ball

(Opponent-adjusted metrics, per Pick Six Previews)

Kansas offense: 18th of 68 Power 4 teams, 13th passing, 27th rushing
Utah defense: 35th of 68 Power 4 teams, 9th pass defense, 58th rush defense

After Saturday’s breakdown, Utah fell from 17th to 35th in my opponent-adjusted defense stat. Their 8.8 yards per play allowed was the worst since the 2021 Rose Bowl shootout loss to Ohio State.

They also fell from 32nd to 58th in the opponent-adjusted rushing defense category. On the season, Utah has allowed 1,904 rushing yards, which is their worst in over decade.

They got more bad news when star defensive end John Henry Daley was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He finished with 11.5 sacks, which is currently second in all of the Power Four. Despite the injury, and their poor performance against Kansas State, I do not expect this to be a recurring theme.

Kansas finished in the Big 12’s top three rushing offenses for three straight years (2022-24) but have struggled here in 2025. They are eighth in the league in yards per carry and 12th in the per-game category.

Instead, they have gotten more production from the pass game. In his sixth season, Jalon Daniels is having his best passing year of his career with 21 touchdowns to just four picks.

Game prediction

Utah’s offense has the decisive advantage here against the Kansas defense. Over the last four games, Utah is lighting up the scoreboard with an average 51 points per game and an insane 340 rushing yards per game.

Look for both trends to continue Friday as the Utes close out Whittingham’s eighth 10-win season of his career.

Utah 51 | Kansas 28