Dampier and Parker star in No. 21 Utah’s first opener without Whittingham in 21 years

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Devon Dampier threw for three touchdowns, Wayshawn Parker had the first three-touchdown game of his career and No. 21 Utah routed Idaho 66-14 coach Morgan Scalley’s regular-season debut.

After 21 years at Utah, Kyle Whittingham moved to Michigan to make way for Scalley, the previous defensive coordinator who coached Utah’s win over Nebraska last season in the Las Vegas Bowl.

“I just wanted our players to show what our culture is all about. It’s not, and I keep saying this, it’s not about Morgan,” Scalley said after being celebrated and doused with water by his players in the locker room.

Dampier wanted to make sure his coach felt the appreciation and support the team has in him.

“I made sure I gave him his shout-out because he’s such a loving guy,” Dampier said.

Parker ran for 71 yards had two touchdown receptions and a 21-yard TD run, where he shed several tacklers, all in the first half.

“I was just going out there being confident in my O-line and the whole team. We’ve been waiting since January and it was time to … show what it’s going to be like this whole year,” Parker said.

Dampier, who was hampered by injuries last season, looked nimble and was accurate (13 for 18) except for some long-distance throws. He sat after the first drive of the second half — with Utah leading 38-7 — but still had 176 yards passing and 31 yards rushing while staying clean in the pocket.

“It was so much fun,” Dampier said. “Scalley’s a different head coach. I wondered what it was going to be like, but he had an energy and a calmness in us to do our thing.”

Transfer wide receiver Braden Pegan dazzled with the hands and his feet — scoring on a 7-yard reception and a 12-yard end around. Backup QB Byrd Ficklin threw for 93 yards and two TDs and ran for 70 yards.

“There was a lot to love about this. We know that the quality of opponents is just going to go up from here on out. But for a first game, we wanted to be clean. We wanted to play as a team,” said Scalley whose team had just one penalty.

Idaho’s Hayden Kincheloe rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter after Utah had taken a 17-0 lead. Joshua Wood passed for 111 yards and scrambled for a 22-yard score for the Vandals (0-2).

The game marked the most points and largest margin of victory for Utah in the 29-game series.

The Takeaway

Idaho: As expected, Idaho struggled to move the ball and stop the bigger Utes but the Vandals engineered a stellar 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive in the first half. Outside of completing 4 of 5 passes on that march, Wood was 5 of 22 with an interception.

Utah: All eyes were on the Utes’ offensive and defensive lines, which were almost entirely new this season. The big guys up front may not have dominated on every play but protected the quarterbacks and opened up enough lanes for Utah to roll up 633 yards — 364 on the ground and 269 in the air. On defense, the Utes allowed just 225 yards.

Poll Implications

Utah was expected to win handily and the Utes showed no glaring weaknesses in the blowout.

Up Next

Idaho: Hosts Lamar next Saturday.

Utah: Hosts Arkansas next Saturday in the Utes’ second home game against an SEC team.

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