Utah Utes at Wyoming Cowboys

Devon Dampier has strong 2nd half as No. 20 Utah beats Wyoming 31-6

Dampier completed eight straight passes on Utah’s third-quarter scoring drives, finishing 27 of 41 for 230 yards and two TDs while adding 86 yards rushing. The Utes (3-0) scored on every second-half possession and finished with 311 yards on the ground.

“I wanted to see what our offense is built of. For us to not have a touchdown and then be able to come out after halftime and go 100 percent is awesome to see,” Dampier said.

NaQuari Rogers ran for a 1-yard TD to cap a 10-play, 83-yard drive to begin the second half.

On the next possession, Dampier engineered a 19-play, 80-yard march. On the final play, he dropped the ball after his dropback, picked it up and then threw a 8-yard scoring strike to Larry Simmons with 0:23 left in the third quarter.

After an interception by Jackson Bennee, Dampier connected with JJ Buchanan for a 14-yard TD to make it 24-0 with 8:35 remaining.

Terron Kellman rushed for a 15-yard TD on fourth-and-1 with 4:23 to play for Wyoming's only score. Utah answered with Hunter Andrews' 11-yard scoring rush.

“Devon Dampier is really good ... and they won both sides of the line of scrimmage, particularly in the second half,” Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel said.

It was the 84th meeting between the schools but the first in 15 years. Wyoming (2-1) has only played Colorado State more than Utah.

Early on, the prolific Utah offense was stymied by key mistakes. Most costly was Nate Johnson’s fumble that was forced by Desman Hearns and recovered by Andrew Johnson at the Wyoming 3 with 2:02 left until halftime.

So, what was the big halftime speech? “Finish drives!” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham told his team.

The Utes had six penalties for 68 yards in the first half and many wiped away big plays.

Utah’s Dillon Curtis made a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter but missed two others and had one blocked by Anees Vyas just before halftime.

“Kind of a weird game. We had very similar yardage in the first half and second half, but very different results,” Whittingham said.

Ryan Davis, who transferred from New Mexico to Utah with Dampier, had a career-high 10 receptions for 91 yards.

The takeaway Utah: On an unsettled day of wind and rain, it took a half for Dampier and the Utes to settle in. The Utes may rise in the rankings but they have plenty to work on before beginning Big 12 play against Texas Tech next week. Fortunately for the Utes, their defense was stingy, limiting Wyoming's Kaden Anderson to 108 yards passing. John Henry Daley had two sacks, doubling his total on the year.

“We want to make sure people know that we can dominate in the trenches and also on the back end as well,” Daley said.

Wyoming: The Cowboys had given up just one touchdown all season and corralled Utah for a half until Dampier wore them down. Wyoming ran just 57 plays to Utah's 86 and was outgained 541 yards to 229.

Up next Utah: Hosts No. 21 Texas Tech next Saturday.

Wyoming: Visits Colorado next Saturday.