Calm in the Desert: Devon Dampier's 70-Yard Strike Keeps No. 2 Utah Perfect in a 40-39 Thriller at Arizona

Some teams spend a road week resting, studying film and sleeping in their own beds. No. 2 Utah spent Friday stuck on the ground in Salt Lake City, flew to Tucson the morning of the game and still found a way. Behind four touchdowns from quarterback Devon Dampier, including a 70-yard strike to Creed Whittemore in the final minutes, the Utes beat No. 23 Arizona 40-39 late Saturday night at Casino Del Sol Stadium to stay perfect ^[1][2].

The win moved Utah to 10-0 and kept the Utes in prime position for both the Big 12 championship game and the College Football Playoff, Yahoo Sports reported ^[3].

A Long Day Before a Long Night

The trouble started a day earlier. A nationwide ground stop on Friday left Utah's charter unable to make the trip to Tucson as planned, and the Big 12 pushed the kickoff back three hours to 8:30 p.m. Mountain time so the Utes could fly in on Saturday morning ^[3].

Utah's sports science staff did what it could to make up for the lost day. Players drank tart cherry juice on the flight, and the team used circulation machines to keep tired legs fresh, Yahoo Sports reported ^[3]. It was not the preparation any coach would draw up. Nobody on the sideline used it as an excuse.

Down Early, Then Dampier

Arizona came out swinging and built a 14-3 lead before Utah settled in, the Deseret News noted ^[4]. From there, Dampier, a Phoenix native playing in his home state, took over ^[4].

His night was not clean. Dampier completed 13 of 25 passes for 204 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and he also lost a fumble, the Associated Press reported ^[1]. He ran 14 times for 100 yards and two more scores ^[1]. The mistakes were costly. Arizona's Jay'Vion Cole picked him off at the Arizona 1-yard line to end a Utah drive, and Utah miscues in the second half, including a fumbled pitch on the first play after halftime and a muffed punt in the fourth quarter, helped the Wildcats put 10 points on the board ^[1].

Arizona had its own star. Quarterback Noah Fifita threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns as the two teams traded blows deep into the night ^[1][5]. The Wildcats finally went ahead late on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Mizell and a successful two-point conversion ^[1][2].

Utah needed only two plays to answer. With roughly two and a half minutes left, Dampier found Whittemore, who raced 70 yards untouched for what proved to be the winning touchdown ^[1][2][4]. According to the Deseret News, teammates had looked at their quarterback in the huddle and told him, "This is your Heisman moment" ^[4]. He delivered, and the Utah defense held on from there.

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Respect on the Other Sideline

Arizona coach Brent Brennan was gracious afterward. "I've got a ton of respect for those guys," he said of the Utes, according to the Deseret News ^[5]. Brennan also took responsibility for a late decision that went against his team and told his players they had to learn from the loss and move forward ^[5].

That is the right way to lose, and it should not get lost in the celebration. Arizona played a ranked, unbeaten team to the final whistle and its coach answered for his own call without pointing fingers.

Andre's Take: Perspective Wins Close Games

I wrote this week about the young man at the center of this. Dampier has been open about his faith. He calls himself a Christian who puts his faith in Christ, and he told the Deseret News in August that the biggest way his faith shows up in football is perspective. "I want to be more Christlike," he said, as Sports Spectrum reported ^[6].

Perspective is exactly what a night like Saturday demands. A quarterback who throws an interception at the 1-yard line and loses a fumble can spiral. A team that loses a travel day and falls behind 14-3 on the road can fold. Utah did neither. Dampier kept his head, his teammates kept believing in him, and when the moment came he was ready for it.

Dampier stayed at Utah after his head coach and offensive coordinator left for Michigan, choosing loyalty over the transfer portal for his senior season under Morgan Scalley ^[6]. Ten games later, that choice looks better every Saturday.

There is still work left. A perfect regular season, a Big 12 title and a playoff run all sit in front of the Utes ^[3]. But teams that win on a 70-yard strike after a day like Friday tend to believe they can win anywhere. Right now, Utah has every reason to believe it.