No. 25 Utah throttles Cal Poly 63-9 behind Devon Dampier's 3 TD passes.

Tyler Tate/AP

The No. 25-ranked University of Utah football team dominated Cal Poly 63–9 on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Utah quarterback Devon Dampier, a transfer from the University of New Mexico, led the charge with three touchdown passes, tying his career high in his first home appearance as a Ute. “It was awesome. Just being in the stadium, it was as electric as everyone had talked about,” Dampier said following the game . Dampier completed 17 of 23 passes for 192 yards. He threw touchdowns to three different receivers: a 52-yard bomb to Wayshawn Parker on the opening drive, a short 4-yard strike to Ryan Davis, and an 11-yard pass to Dallen Bentley in the third quarter. After his third touchdown, Dampier was subbed out, and backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin added two rushing touchdowns as Utah cruised to victory. Parker, who also scored on a 43-yard run, credited the team’s chemistry: “It brings me joy, seeing everybody happy. Like, I know I scored, but it was like, the whole team scored”. Utah’s defense also shined. Defensive back Jackson Bennee intercepted a pass from Cal Poly quarterback Ty Dieffenbach and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown, giving Utah a 14–0 lead in the first quarter. The interception return extended Utah’s streak to 22 straight seasons with at least one pick-6, the longest such streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

“When he threw it, I was kind of in disbelief, but right as I caught it, I just didn’t look back,” Bennee said. Head coach Kyle Whittingham praised him as the “biggest surprise” of the season so far . Despite playing without five starters and committing several penalties, Utah controlled the game throughout and outgained Cal Poly 518–233 in total yards. Whittingham noted, “Controlled the game, really, from start to finish and a lot of guys made good contributions”. At halftime, former head coach Ron McBride and former player Roy Jefferson were inducted into the Utah Football Ring of Honor. McBride coached the Utes from 1990 to 2002 and led them to their first bowl game in three decades. Jefferson, a multi-position standout in the 1960s, went on to become an All-Pro in the NFL. Cal Poly, now 1–1, struggled to keep pace and settled for three field goals, two by Noah Serna and one by Gianluca Dimauro. The Mustangs used three quarterbacks in the loss. Utah (2–0) will travel to Wyoming next week, while Cal Poly will return home to host Western Oregon.