SALT LAKE CITY, Devon Dampier produced four touchdowns, Utah's defense intercepted Bear Bachmeier four times, and the third-ranked Utes stayed unbeaten Saturday night with a 28-20 win over No. 9 BYU in the Holy War rivalry.
Dampier beat the Cougars through the air and on the ground, piling up 264 yards of total offense as Utah improved to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in Big 12 play. The victory also ended a three-game skid against BYU in the rivalry series. Dampier tossed two touchdown passes to Braden Pegan and added a pair of rushing scores.
The Utes trailed by six points at the break but took control after halftime, forcing three turnovers while blanking the Cougars over the final two quarters. The second-half surge preserved Utah's College Football Playoff ambitions, while BYU, now 7-2 and 4-2 in the conference, dropped its second game in three outings to put a dent in its own CFP resume.
Bachmeier finished with 272 passing yards and a touchdown and chipped in 59 yards rushing, but two of his four interceptions came in the fourth quarter, both in the end zone. He had thrown only four interceptions across BYU's first eight games combined.
Facing a 20-14 halftime deficit, Utah moved in front during the third quarter when Pegan hauled in a 14-yard touchdown catch. The Utes' defense limited BYU to 39 yards in that period and came away with an interception. Dampier then stretched the lead to 28-20 with his second rushing touchdown, a 5-yard run with 12:03 remaining in the game.
BYU mounted late threats but could not finish them. Bachmeier drove the Cougars to the Utah 2-yard line, only to be intercepted by Trey Reynolds with 4:39 left. In the closing seconds, after BYU advanced to the Utah 41, Nate Ritchie sealed the result with another end zone interception.
The game opened at a blistering pace for the Utes, who racked up 138 yards and two touchdowns on their first seven plays to grab a 14-0 advantage less than five minutes in. Dampier sparked the outburst, connecting with Noah Bennee on a 47-yard pass before capping the opening drive himself with a 22-yard scoring run. On Utah's next possession, he found Pegan in stride over the middle for a 46-yard touchdown.
The Cougars answered before halftime, recovering two fumbles and forcing four punts across six second-quarter drives. Bachmeier hit Legend Glasker in stride for a 75-yard touchdown strike for BYU's first score. Midway through the quarter, LJ Martin, back from injury, ran untouched into the end zone on a 4-yard carry to put the Cougars ahead 20-14, a lead they could not protect after the break.
