No. 10 Utah erases first-half lull in comeback win over No. 14 Houston
by Josh Furlong ksl · KSL.comSALT LAKE CITY — No. 10 Utah was on the wrong side of football for much of Saturday night.
With No. 2 BYU and No. 8 Texas Tech dropping games earlier in the day, Utah just needed a win to move up in the rankings and claim the top spot in the Big 12. And No. 14 Houston had other plans on another chaotic weekend of college football.
But Houston didn't account for Jackson Bennee.
With Utah holding onto a 14-13 lead late in the game and Houston backed up deep in its territory, Bennee went untouched to Houston quarterback Conner Weigman and strip sacked the dynamic Cougars player as defensive tackle Jireh Moe jumped on the ball.
On the ensuing possession, Utah quarterback Devon Dampier went untouched into the end zone to give the Utes a 21-13 lead with just over two minutes left to play. The touchdown sent Rice-Eccles Stadium into pandemonium in the dark and gave Utah some much-needed breathing room.
Even with the electric turnaround for the Utes, the defense wasn't finished against Weigman and a high-powered Houston offense, who managed to get down to Utah's 23-yard line with under two minutes left to play.
In the end, Utah's defense held firm and stopped Houston on their final drive to defeat the Cougars 21-13 and remain undefeated on the season as one of only four remaining unbeaten teams in the country (and the only remaining team in the Big 12).
Utah (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) finished the night with 438 total yards on offense, with an equal split between the pass and run against a stout Houston defense.
Dampier threw for 204 yards and two interceptions — including a potential costly one late in the game — but led the team with 152 rushing yards and two scores to move into second place all-time for a Utah QB in rushing (passing former Utah QB Tyler Huntley).
The Cougars (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) held the Utes scoreless in the first half and took a 10-0 lead to open up the third quarter on an eight-minute drive to start the second half. But Utah finally found its offense on their first drive of the second half, with quarterback Devon Dampier escaping for a 22-yard rushing touchdown for the team's first points of the night.
Utah used that momentum to eventually take a 14-13 lead on a Wayshawn Parker 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter. From there, Utah continued to build on its momentum in an effort to erase a slow-moving first half of play.
Weigman finished the night throwing for 282 yards on 19-of-35 passing, but didn't have a passing touchdown on the night.
This story will be updated.