Perhaps it was a little closer than most Utah fans expected, or wanted it to be, but Morgan Scalley’s team gutted out a victory over Deion Sanders and Colorado, 27-24, on Saturday.
It was a sneaky quiet night for Wayshawn Parker with 98 yards rushing and no touchdowns, but Devon Dampier brought the arm power that accounted for 278 yards through the air and three touchdowns that ultimately was too much for Isaac Wilson and his team’s third-quarter surge that allowed the Buffaloes to take the lead.
The former Utah quarterback accounted for 256 yards passing but threw a late interception that ended up costing Colorado as Utah took a 10-point lead.
Utes’ finesse catches up with them
With the ball sitting at the Colorado 3-yard line in the first half, it seemed Utah was bound to punch the ball into the end zone. But instead, Buffalo defensive lineman Dylan Manuel found it in his hands after a shovel pass from Dampier got tipped backward.
The Utes have benefited mightily by keeping defenses on their toes this season, but with that comes some risk, something Dampier and offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven learned a few yards from six points, then again in the fourth quarter on back-to-back plays.
Byrd Ficklin was used for a quarterback-designed run that was only good for a couple yards before the next play when he ran out for a pass and let it slip through his fingers that stalled the drive.
When the offense is working, the Utes are rolling, but when it’s not, putting together drives seem to be difficult for Morgan Scalley’s team without the trickery.
The Utah offense has been potent, but as the team begins to head into a more difficult part of their season, one has to wonder how much finesse McGiven can afford to keep in his scheme.
Dampier can count on Whittemore
As Utah found itself in some offensive ruts, it was Creed Whittemore who made plays for his quarterback and helped his team secure a victory.
In the third quarter when Utah could not get much going offensively and Colorado had things rolling with 17 unanswered points, the Utes needed a spark.
After throwing his second interception on the previous drive, Dampier found Whittemore for a 43-yard reception on third and 10 to set up an eventual touchdown and put life back into the Ute offense and halt Colorado’s momentum.
Later, with under four minutes to go in the game, Dampier found Whittemore again on a second and 19 play for a 25-yard reception to put the Utes on Colorado’s six, and they would score on the very next play to go up by 10 points.
On the night, the 5-foot-11 Whittemore had three catches for 88 yards.
While the receiver may not have been Dampier’s favorite target throughout the game, he sure made the most with the balls that came his way as he set up two scores for the Utes to eventually score two unanswered touchdowns and ultimately win the game.
Utah’s defense made just enough plays
Sometimes, even the best offenses need their defense to come up big.
While Utah had its way in the first half and it looked like the Utes would continue to build on their 13-0 lead, Colorado came out swinging in the third quarter, but it would flare out before the quarter’s end as Utah retook the lead.
Then in the fourth quarter, Utah’s defense kept the Buffaloes’ offense in check, forcing two punts, and then a James Chenault Jr. interception returned just outside of the red zone gave Dampier the ball with only 22 yards to go.
The defense allowed 138 yards rushing from the Buffaloes and 256 yard receiving, and in a game where the offense struggled coming out of the halftime break, the defense managed to regroup — and it was just enough to get the job done at Folsom Field.