Devon Dampier proves Utes are Big 12 contenders after road win

AMES, Iowa — The quarterback has plenty of reasons to feel confident as he approaches Utah’s bye-week following a tough road victory, and believes the best is yet to come for the offense.

After all, Devon Dampier helped the Utes notch their first conference win of the season, and now they’re one of four Big 12 teams that remain undefeated. The crowd of 52,150 at Jack Trice Stadium tested Dampier’s mental toughness, as well as his teammates, but he showed that big players step up in big games.

Utah (4-0) showed tremendous balance on offense against Iowa State. Not to mention the Utes have scored at least 31 points in each their first four games. Dampier is glad that the team is one step closer to playing for a Big 12 Title after the win, and wants everyone to stay hungry as they prepare for the journey ahead.

“That’s all we’ve been talking about this week, first time having a conference game, and our biggest game is our next game, and we have aspirations of being in the Big 12 Championship,” Dampier said. “This was path number one, and I thought we approached it well, first time being away from our fans, and it was us.”

Dampier had a lot of family in attendance, and that gave him more motivation to go out and deliver a great performance. The Utes were impressive the entire afternoon too, and produced four touchdown drives, which included three in the first half.

Utah moved the chains on the ground, and through the air with ease, and was the engine that made the train go. His dual-threat ability was on full display, and Dampier’s supporting cast contributed enough to where he didn’t have to be a hero on every down.

Although the Utes were held scoreless in the third quarter, Dampier provided his senior leadership, and helped them respond to adversity.

“I gotta be better at decision-making, and a lot of that falls on me, where I’m getting the ball out, where I’m looking on the field,” he said. “I just gotta be more efficient on my part, and we got things to learn from this game.”

Once the smoke cleared, Dampier completed 18 of his 27 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. However, he also played smart in a hostile environment, didn’t turn the ball over, and never lost his cool after late hits, which Coach Morgan Scalley admired.

“Devon is a vet who’s been in hostile crowds before, and this isn’t something that would shake him,” Scalley said. “Really poised in my opinion, did a really nice job of operating the offense during the breaks, and he’s a leader and captain for a reason, which he just proved it again today.”

Utah finished with 411 yards of total offense, which included 205 on the ground, and 206 through the air. That type of balance on offense has the Utes looking like the team to beat in the Big 12. There’s no denying that Dampier is proving great quarterbacks make others around them better. Utah will resume conference play at home against Kansas, and in the meantime Dampier intends on ironing out all of the wrinkles with the rest of the unit.

“I promise we’ll come back stronger.”