Utah enters its house opener in opposition to Cal Poly in Salt Lake Metropolis on Saturday with a way more potent offense than a season in the past.
The No. 25 Utes (1-0) thrashed UCLA 43-10 on the Rose Bowl final Saturday in a dominating efficiency, echoing the Utah groups that received back-to-back Pac-12 championships earlier this decade.
New Mexico switch Devon Dampier shined in his Utes debut, throwing for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 21-of-25 passing. He additionally led the way in which on the bottom with a team-high 87 yards on 16 carries, together with a 2-yard rating.
With Dampier on the controls, Utah rolled up 492 complete yards on offense — together with 286 speeding yards — and transformed 14 of 16 third downs. The Utes scored on all six journeys to the crimson zone and averaged 6.2 yards per play.
“This sport was a press release sport, for positive,” Dampier mentioned following the win. “I feel everybody on the staff had a good suggestion of that it was a press release sport, and we needed to point out the nation what this staff is about and simply maintain enterprise.”
On the opposite aspect of the ball, Utah proved stingy. The Utes surrendered 220 complete yards to UCLA, together with solely 84 speeding yards. The Bruins have been 2-of-11 on third down and gave up 4 sacks, together with two by John Henry Daley.
“We did an excellent job controlling the road of scrimmage on each side of the ball and that was the largest distinction,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham mentioned.
Utah additionally succeeded in using defensive stars Smith Snowden and Lander Barton on each side of the ball.
With snaps divided equally between protection and offense, Snowden led Utah receivers with 51 yards on six catches. He additionally ran for 15 yards and a landing on three carries. Barton caught a 14-yard landing go from Dampier within the second quarter to assist Utah draw back.
Whittingham mentioned Utah will proceed to depend on Snowden and Barton to contribute on a number of offensive performs. The scale of their roles will hinge on matchups and personnel packages.
“We plan on utilizing them each week,” Whittingham mentioned.
FCS member Cal Poly (1-0) faces twin challenges in each stopping the Utes and attempting to maneuver the ball offensively.
The Mustangs coasted to a 41-17 street victory of their season opener in opposition to San Diego, totaling 469 yards final Saturday. Pittsburgh switch Ty Dieffenbach threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-27 passing in his Cal Poly debut.
The Mustangs haven’t had the identical stage of success in opposition to FBS opponents in current seasons. Cal Poly hasn’t overwhelmed an FBS staff since edging Wyoming 24-22 in 2012.
Utah hasn’t misplaced to a Large Sky Convention staff — or another FCS opponent — since falling to Idaho 28-17 in 1993.
–Area Degree Media
