Devon Dampier threw for 237 yards and four touchdowns to lead Utah to a 48-14 victory over West Virginia in Morgantown, W.V. on Saturday.
Dampier completed 81 percent of his passes and helped the Utes (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) roll up 532 total yards against the Mountaineers. Ryan Davis added 107 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Utah scored touchdowns on five of its first six drives and had five scoring drives of 10 or more plays.
Backup quarterback Khalil Wilkins totaled 102 yards on offense for West Virginia and threw a touchdown pass. The Mountaineers (2-3, 0-2 Big 12) trailed by as many as 35 points while losing a second straight Big 12 game by at least 30 points.
Utah’s offense sizzled from the start, opening the game with three straight touchdown drives. The Utes averaged 6.2 yards per play before halftime, while also going 8-of-8 on third down in that stretch.
JJ Buchanan opened the scoring by reeling in a 7-yard pass after fighting through contact in the end zone. Dampier capped Utah’s next drive by barreling across the goal line and scoring on a 7-yard QB keeper. Then, on the third drive, the Utes ran 11 straight plays before Dampier hit Davis on a 32-yard dart to extend the lead.
Those scores added up to a 21-0 lead for Utah with 11:32 left in the second quarter. The Utes made it 28-0 going into halftime when Dampier hit Dallen Bentley on a 2-yard strike for his third passing touchdown.
Utah’s defense made it impossible for West Virginia to ever seriously threaten to get back in the game. The Utes stopped the Mountaineers twice on fourth down before halftime and allowed just 3.1 yards per play through the first two quarters.
In the end, West Virginia faced its largest halftime deficit in a conference game at home since 2003.
Dampier’s fourth touchdown pass – an 11-yard tightrope catch by Wayshawn Parker – put the Utes up 35-0 early in the third quarter.
