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By Bryan Colbert Jr.
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Utah’s perfect season was slipping away in the closing minutes Saturday night.
One throw from Devon Dampier changed everything.
The quarterback connected with Creed Whittemore for a 70-yard touchdown, lifting the Utes to a 40-39 victory at Arizona and their first 10-0 start since 2008. That Utah team finished 13-0, giving this year’s unbeaten run a familiar and significant benchmark.
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Utah entered Saturday ranked No. 2 in the College Football Playoff rankings and improved to 7-0 in Big 12 play. The victory extended the program’s nation-leading winning streak to 16 games and kept the Utes positioned for a conference championship push.
Getting there required another answer from Dampier.
Arizona took a 39-33 lead with just over three minutes remaining, putting Utah’s unbeaten record in immediate danger. Dampier responded by finding Whittemore for the decisive score, and the Utes’ defense stopped the Wildcats on their final possession. Jackson Bennee broke up a fourth-and-2 pass to end the threat.
“When it mattered most, I was able to find Creed,” Dampier said.
The finish capped a night that tested Utah long before the final drive.
The Utes fell behind 14-3, their largest deficit of the season. Dampier helped erase it with two second-quarter rushing touchdowns, sending Utah into halftime ahead 17-14. Arizona continued answering, forcing the visitors to overcome three separate second-half deficits.
Dampier finished with 204 passing yards and two touchdown passes, adding 100 rushing yards and two more scores. Running back Daniel Bray supplied a career-high 197 rushing yards and a touchdown as Utah piled up 500 yards of total offense.
The performance also added another milestone to Morgan Scalley’s first full season as head coach.
Scalley improved to 11-0 overall, including last season’s Las Vegas Bowl, and became the first coach in program history to begin his first full season 10-0. Utah has reached that record just three times in school history.
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Yet Scalley’s postgame assessment left room for improvement. He credited his players’ belief in one another while acknowledging mistakes the team must correct. His focus remained on preparing for the next opponent.
Utah visits TCU on Nov. 21 before hosting West Virginia on Nov. 27 to finish the regular season. Two more victories would preserve its unbeaten record heading into the postseason.
Saturday showed how quickly that pursuit can become fragile. It also showed why Utah remains in it.
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