Devon Dampier lifts No. 3 Utah past No. 7 BYU 28-20 in 'Holy War'

Devon Dampier threw for 177 yards with three total touchdowns as the No. 3 Utah Utes defeated the No. 7 BYU Cougars 28-20 in the 'Holy War' rivalry on Saturday. This was the first-ever top 10 meeting between the Beehive State schools. 

The Utes (9-0) opened the game firing on all cylinders. Dampier led his team on the first offensive drive, which ended with six points and a ton of momentum. He scrambled for a 22-yard score with only 75 seconds off the clock for a 7-0 lead.

With both teams splitting games in the last 40 matchups, the hype surrounding this game was well-deserved and lived up to its rivalry name. However, it took BYU time to get there. The Utah defense forced a three and out on BYU’s opening drive, giving the Utes another opportunity to strike.

Dampier threw a 46-yard touchdown strike to Braden Pegan for a 14-0 lead with 10:31 left in the first quarter. That would be the last time Utah scored before halftime.

BYU (7-2) came alive by forcing a three and out on the next three Utah offensive drives. The Cougars opened up a string of 20 unanswered points. A 75-yard touchdown bomb from Bear Bachmeier to Isaiah Glasker put the Cougars ahead at 14-13 with 13:17 before halftime.

The Cougars' defense came away with two fumble recoveries to end the half with a 20-14 lead. However, this was a tale of two halves for both teams. Utah came out swinging and allowed Bachmeier and BYU's offense to even the playing field. But the Cougars couldn't capitalize when they needed to do so.

Bachmeier finished with 272 passing yards with a touchdown and four interceptions. Two picks on the Cougars' final drives, with both at the goal line. He came into the game with four interceptions and matched his previous total in the second half against the Utes. This was Bachmeier's worst game at BYU after leading his team to a victory over then-No. 2 Notre Dame almost a month ago.

This game has major College Football Playoff implications for both teams. Utah will be considered one of the top teams in the country. They came into the contest with a 90 percent prediction for the 12-team bracket if they beat BYU. For BYU, they'll need to win out and try and win the conference, which would likely mean a 'Holy War' Part II. But this means they'll need help in the process.

Utah keeps the nation's longest win streak intact at 15 games. They'll likely move up in the next AP Top 25 College Football Poll on Sunday.

UP NEXT:

Utah travels to Tucson to face No. 22 Arizona.

BYU hosts Baylor at home.