Sitting inside the postgame press conference room in LaVell Edwards Stadium, Devon Dampier, still wearing his crimson jersey from Utah’s loss to BYU in 2025, leaned forward in his chair and looked around the room, as if he was still searching for answers.

It was obvious from the look on Dampier’s face that he felt he hadn’t played well. His next few words made that even more clear.

“We’re not happy,” the Ute quarterback said after the loss. “We know what this team is capable of.”

During that game, Dampier’s ankle was taut with red tape and a thick brace, as he played through two sports hernias and a nagging right-ankle injury.

A year later, he is fully healthy and playing some of the best ball of his college career. As No. 3 Utah (8-0, 5-0 Big 12) prepares to host its in-state rival, No. 9 BYU, former Ute Brian Johnson has a message for the quarterback: Keep being yourself.

“He’s had an excellent season so far,” Johnson told The Tribune. “He’s had an excellent two and a half years here as the quarterback.

“It’s been super exciting to watch him continue to develop and lead the guys and go out there and put up his super consistent performances week in and week out.”

Maybe the most critical game against BYU of Johnson’s career came in 2008, when the 11-0 No. 7 Utes were set to face a 10-1 No. 14 Cougar team at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

A loss would have derailed Utah’s second BCS-busting season, which ended with a 12-0 record and a win over Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

Sound familiar? This year’s stakes are similar. A win and Utah has an inside track to the College Football Playoff. A loss, well ... no one wearing red wants to think about that.

“It was a much-anticipated game,” Johnson said. “We had a lot on the line, and we wanted to finish that season off the right way. It was our last game in Rice-Eccles Stadium for our senior class, and we wanted to put a cap on an excellent season.”

Even more eerily, the Utes were coming off a heartbreaking loss in Provo the previous year. Johnson struggled in a 17-10 loss to the Cougars in 2007, throwing two interceptions and totaling only 129 passing yards.

Dampier had 244 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception in Utah’s loss to BYU in 2025. Coming into the season, the senior quarterback said he wanted to play better in the Utes’ big games. Utah won’t have a bigger regular season contest than the one on Saturday.

But Dampier said he’s treating this week like any other.

“I’m very happy with the way this environment is about to play out,” he said.

“I think every single week Scalley has given us the feeling that every game is a championship mentality. … That’s kind of how we treat it, just another game.”

Johnson said his Utes had a similar philosophy in 2008. One game at a time. Every week is the championship. One loss could derail it all.

“It was just like another week of preparation,” Johnson said. “Football players are such creatures of routine and creatures of habit. There was nothing like that; we did extraordinary outside of the realm of our normal preparation.

“If you’re preparing differently for that game, you have got to ask yourself, ‘Why? Why aren’t you preparing like that every single week?”

Johnson went on to guide Utah to a 48-24 win over the Cougars. At the end of the game, fans stormed the field, creating a crimson mass on top of the green turf, as the Utes celebrated a perfect regular season.

“We put so much hard work into that season,” Johnson said. “Those are moments that you will never forget.”

Similar moments are still in reach for the 2026 teams.

As Johnson was in 2008, Dampier has been an integral piece of the Utes’ 8-0 start to the season. He’s thrown for 1,876 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Dampier has also added 83 carries for 393 rushing yards and five more scores. Johnson might be busy with his new coaching gig with the Los Angeles Rams, but he’s still been able to watch Dampier from afar.

“He’s been the ultimate playmaker in multiple phases,” Johnson said of Dampier this season. “He’s done what he’s needed to do in order to win games — whether it’s from the pocket, whether it’s creating out of structure or whether it’s running the football.”

Utah’s special seasons have often come down to special play from the quarterback position. The undefeated 2004 team was led by Heisman finalist Alex Smith. Then it was Johnson in 2008. Cam Rising came next in 2021 and 2022, leading the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl appearances.

Dampier, though, could do something no other Utah quarterback has done: get Utah to the College Football Playoff.

And, as Johnson did 18 years ago, Dampier also has a chance to avenge a Utah loss to BYU.

“When you have really good quarterback play, you have a chance to win every game you play,” Johnson said. “That’s just the reality of it.”

Dampier gives Utah a chance.

Against anyone.

“When you have a guy everyone around the program trusts, where people say, ‘All right, we got this guy, so we got a chance.’ I think that’s a huge positive,” Johnson said. “And Devon has been that for this program over the last two years.”