No. 17 Utah defeated Utah State 33-0 in a sellout game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The victory marked the 98th consecutive sellout at the stadium, dating back to the 2010 season opener, with the exception of the pandemic-altered 2020 season.
Quarterback Devon Dampier completed 22-of-32 passes for 253 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 34 yards on 10 rushing attempts. He is 13-2 as the starter. Wide receiver Braden Pegan tied career highs with eight catches for 122 receiving yards and two touchdowns. This performance made Pegan the first Utah wide receiver since Bryan Thompson in 2019 to record multiple touchdown receptions and over 100 receiving yards in a single game.
Running back Daniel Bray recorded 101 all-purpose yards, including a 63-yard rushing touchdown, which was the longest play of the season for the Utes. Additionally, quarterback Byrd Ficklin recorded a nine-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter, marking his first rushing touchdown of the season.
The Utah defense held Utah State to 188 total yards and 58 rushing yards. This was the season-best for the Utah defense and the fewest yards allowed since the Colorado game last season. The Utes recorded five tackles for loss and four sacks, including the first 1.5 sacks of linebacker Cyrus Polu's career.
Safety Rabbit Evans recorded his first career interception during the third quarter on a third-down play. Linebacker Trey Reynolds set a career-high with 10 tackles, while linebacker Elijah Elliss also set a career-high with five tackles.
Utah leads the series against Utah State 81-29-4 overall and 55-17-4 when playing in Salt Lake City. The Utes have scored 30-plus points in nine straight games, which is the longest active streak in FBS. Kicker Dillon Curtis was perfect on the season with PATs and 3-for-3 on field goals, including a 54-yard field goal.
Utah's next scheduled game is a conference opener against Iowa State.
