The No. 14 Houston Cougars are gearing up for a massive top-15 showdown against the No. 10 Utah Utes on the road in Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. There are a number of intriguing matchups across the board, but like in most high-profile games, quarterback play becomes even more of a focus.
Now both Houston and Utah like to run the ball, and are both top five in the Big 12 in rushing yards per game. Utah's offense in particular is built around the running game and the variety of options in the backfield. Houston will likely put a lot of focus on junior running back Wayshawn Parker, who's ran for close to 600 yards and seven touchdowns so far.
However, Utah's senior quarterback in Devon Dampier, is quite talented himself. Dampier has established himself as one of the better quarterbacks in the Big 12 since last season, when he had 34 total touchdowns and just five interceptions. He ran for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2025 while throwing for 2490 yards.
The Challenge of Dampier
This season, Dampier has developed more as a passer and has rushed for only 198 yards and three touchdowns so far. Most of his damage has been through the air, with 1412 passing yards and 15 touchdowns to four interceptions. He has almost a 69 percent completion rate and a rating of 161.7, which is his highest since 2023.
The 5-foot-11, 210-pound quarterback is still tough to bring down with his elusiveness and has been capable of throwing the deep ball as well. Dampier's longest pass completion is 57 yards this year and he's been comfortable in attacking the field outside of the numbers.
Dampier will be another challenge like Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker was last week. They are not the same quarterback, and Dampier can be more shifty in the open field and will use his legs a little more. Houston will need to be strong in pass coverage, especially on deep shots.
However, the front seven will also have to guard against Dampier escaping the pocket and scrambling to create chunk plays. Additionally, Utah employs the triple option in the backfield, among other unique designs, to establish the run.
Houston will need to lineup correctly on defense, otherwise those kind of plays could be brutal.
"Their quarterback is a dynamic player. He's a great runner and he throws it very well. They'll throw some triple option in there with a third component as a pitch or as a pass, so they do a lot of stuff offensively," coach Willie Fritz said in his weekly press conference.
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