On a night that saw more than 1,100 yards of total offense, Devon Dampier needed about 18 inches to save the Utes’ season.
Utah’s junior quarterback rallied his team, carrying them to the goal line with a 59-yard run in the game’s final minutes. Then he carried the Utes to victory, smashing through the Kansas State defensive front and into the painted turf in the north end zone at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Utah linebacker Lander Barton sealed the win with an interception, providing redemption for a defense that struggled horribly for most of the contest.
The wild 51-47 win for the No. 12 Utes kept their Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes alive for now.
“That was one for the ages,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said afterward. “Games like that come along every once in a great, great while. So proud of our guys hanging in there.”
Dampier finished the game with 259 passing yards, 94 rushing yards and four total touchdowns. Backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin contributed three rushing touchdowns of his own.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah quarterback Byrd Ficklin (15) celebrates a Ute touchdown, in Big-12 Football action between the Utah Utes and the Kansas State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
“Shoot, man, we battled all game,” Dampier said on ESPN after the win. “Adversity definitely hit us. This is probably the most we’ve had.”
And the Utes found a way to respond.
The Utes amassed 551 yards of total offense. And they needed every bit of that to make up for a defense that allowed Kansas State to total 574 yards.
Utah gave up five touchdowns and a whopping 472 yards on the ground — the most the Utes have ever allowed under Whittingham and the second most in program history.
“Got battered in the run game,” Whittingham said. “If you said we’re going to give up nearly 500 yards and win the game, I’d say you’re crazy. It doesn’t happen. And so just a great illustration of what determination and guts and a never-say-die attitude can get you. Just so happy for our seniors to be able to go out with a win in their last opportunity” at home.
As the Utes left the field at halftime, boos rained down from the thousands of Utah football fans inside Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Kansas State running back Joe Jackson had gashed through the Ute defense for 236 first-half rushing yards and two touchdowns. Kansas State led Utah 31-21 at the time.
Utah was able to quickly reclaim a 35-31 lead with 10:03 in the third quarter, following a 38-yard touchdown throw from Dampier and a 10-yard rushing score from Ficklin, respectively.
Once again, however, Utah’s defense could not stop the Wildcats. Kansas State quarterback Johnson led a 14-play, 79-yard drive capped off by a 2-yard touchdown reception. The Wildcats then added a field goal and another rushing touchdown by Jackson.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes defensive end Logan Fano (0) tries to get to Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson.
It wasn’t until after that last Jackson touchdown that the tide began to turn.
Utah’s Tao Johnson intercepted the two-point try and returned it to make the score 47-37.
“I guess ESPN had a 97% chance of us losing at that point,” Whittingham said of the network’s analytics. “My daughters look at that the whole game, and that’s how they decide if they’re happy or not. It was down to 97% but, hey, there’s 3% there for us, I guess.”
The Utes marched down the field, scoring a touchdown on a 12-play drive.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah cornerback Jason Stokes Jr. (30) and cornerback Smith Snowden (2) celebrate the Utes' win over the Kansas State Wildcats.
Needing a defensive stop, Utah linebacker Logan Fano and cornerback Smith Snowden combined to force a three-and-out and a Kansas State punt that put the ball back in Dampier’s hands for the game-winning drive.
The win moved the Utes to 9-2 on the season and 6-2 in Big 12 play, keeping their CFP and Big 12 Championship hopes alive for at least another week.
Next, the Utes will take on Kansas at 10 a.m. MST on Friday in Lawrence, Kansas.