Kyle Whittingham didn’t have to search for motivation this week.
“Who was the guy that pointed out that we hadn’t won a Big 12 game at home?” the veteran head coach said with a grin at his postgame press conference. “Thank you for doing that. That’s done, we’re done with that, appreciate your input on that.”
The Utes buried that stat under a 42–10 avalanche, dominating No. 21 Arizona State in every phase. Quarterback Devon Dampier powered the night, rushing for 120 yards and three touchdowns on just 10 carries while completing 7 of 12 passes for 104 yards.
“We didn’t throw the ball a ton tonight, but he was very efficient when we did,” Whittingham said. “He’s back to 100%, and what you saw tonight is more of what he’s capable of.”
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Utah’s offensive line paved the way for 276 rushing yards, as NaQuari Rogers added two scores and Daniel Bray flashed big-play speed on the edge.
“Offensive line, outstanding,” Whittingham said. “Rushed for almost 300 yards, and the offensive line was a big reason for that, obviously.”
Even with a weather delay before kickoff, Utah never lost rhythm. “I thought they handled it real well,” Whittingham said. “We took a little different approach…waited until about 25 minutes before kickoff to go out and then just stayed out.”
Defensively, Utah smothered the Sun Devils. “Defense played outstanding, start to finish,” Whittingham said. “We were in great position on those balls up the field all night long.”
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By the end, the stands were thinner than usual, but the noise was pure satisfaction.“Pretty darn good,” Whittingham said of the atmosphere. “We appreciate the fans that toughed it out and stayed. You did a great job.”
Utah is 5–1, and readies for a huge matchup at BYU next week.
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