Devon Dampier and Utah wasted no time turning Saturday night into a showcase of just how slippery this offense can be.
No. 20 Utah rolled past Arkansas 43-10 in Salt Lake City, with Dampier throwing for two touchdowns and running for two more while Wayshawn Parker piled up three scores of his own. The Utes hit Arkansas with motion, misdirection and a steady stream of pressure from the opening snap to the final whistle.
That first play set the tone. Dampier took the snap and flipped it backward to backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin, who sent it across the field to Parker for a 36-yard gain. Utah never really let the Razorbacks settle in after that.
“If you could describe this offense in one word it would be fun,” Dampier said with a smile. “It stresses the defense a lot just trying to guard all that we do.”
Parker was the centerpiece of the first half, scoring twice on the ground and once as a receiver as Utah built a 29-3 lead by halftime. It marked the seventh time in the last eight games that the Utes put up at least 20 points before the break.
“We try and be as efficient as possible. Creativity’s part of that,” Utah coach Morgan Scalley said.
“If all of a sudden it doesn’t work, then it’s like, ‘Oh, you were too cute’. But it worked, so hooray for us!”
Arkansas grabbed a brief lead on Max Gilbert’s 29-yard field goal on its opening drive, then went quiet for long stretches. The Razorbacks didn’t get past Utah’s 30-yard line again until the fourth quarter.
“One loss will not define us ... but we were clearly not good enough tonight in all three phases,” Arkansas Coach Ryan Silverfield said. “Everybody is to blame as every person in this locker room didn't do well enough.”
Dampier finished 18 of 24 for 261 yards, and Noah Bennee led Utah’s passing game with four catches for a career-high 113 yards in the Utes’ second home game against an SEC opponent. Utah beat Florida 24-11 in 2023.
The second quarter brought more of the chaos Utah wanted. Noah Bennee’s brother, Jackson Bennee, picked off an overthrown screen pass, setting up Dampier’s 7-yard touchdown run. Mana Carvalho then turned a surprise direct snap into a 2-point conversion, and Utah kept pouring it on with touchdowns on four straight possessions.
Dampier also crossed a career milestone, topping 6,000 passing yards when his time at New Mexico is included.
Arkansas, meanwhile, still hasn’t beaten an FBS opponent since its 39-26 win over Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl on December 27, 2024.
Utah’s defense did its part, too. Playing man coverage most of the night, the Utes came away with 13 pass breakups, their most since 1998. Scalley liked what he saw from a unit that kept batting balls away and kept Arkansas uncomfortable.
“We’re going to continue to be aggressive. The batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage is very deflating to a quarterback,” the coach said.
Noah Bennee, a former walk-on at Utah who transferred back after playing at Weber State to join his brother, said the whole thing still feels pretty special.
“We're having so much fun. Honestly, it’s a it’s a dream come true being able to be back here playing,” Bennee said.
For Arkansas, the second game under Silverfield showed how much ground still needs to be covered at the Power Four level. KJ Jackson completed 14 of 34 passes, and the Razorbacks managed just 61 rushing yards without much help from the ground game. AJ Hill offered one of the few bright spots, converting two fourth downs before Arkansas finally reached the end zone for its lone touchdown.
Utah’s latest win also kept its run under Scalley rolling. The Utes improved to 3-0 in the Scalley era, and none of those games have been close, with an average margin of victory of 35.7 points.
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