In-game analysis of Utah vs. Kansas Big 12 college football game

Examining the key storylines developing over the course of the Utes' regular season finale against the Jayhawks

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham and his team end the 2025 regular season in Lawrence, Kansas, for a bout with the Kansas Jayhawks. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Anyone aware of the College Football Playoff rankings heading into Week 14 knew Utah's at-large bid aspirations were almost slim to none.

Those who understood the several scenarios in play for the Big 12 championship game had a similar outlook regarding the Utes' conference title hopes.

But nothing was set in stone going into the week of Thanksgiving, giving the Utes (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) plenty of reasons to end the regular season on a high note as it faced Kansas (5-6, 3-5 Big 12) in a pivotal matchup from David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

The Jayhawks weren't going to simply roll over, though, as they fought to become bowl eligible and end a topsy-turvy regular season on a high note.

The tailback tandem of Leshon Williams and Daniel Hishaw Jr. gave Kansas hope of pulling off the upset early on, along with several big runs from dual-threat quarterback Jalon Daniels.

Shoring up their run defense was a top priority for the Utes after giving up 472 yards on the ground to Kansas State. But not having one of the nation's top defensive ends, John Henry Daley, hurt Utah in the trenches and it showed, as Kansas gashed the Utes all afternoon.

Just like the week prior, though, Kyle Whittingham's group rallied together when it mattered most to pull off a gutsy win and keep its respective College Football Playoff and Big 12 championship hopes alive.

Despite giving up 290 rushing yards, Utah scored 21 points in the fourth, including a 48-yard touchdown reception from Larry Simmons with 3 minutes left, to beat Kansas, 31-21, and maintain eligibility for the Big 12 championship game.

Utah held on to win by double-digits while struggling to defend the run for the second straight week. Hishaw and Williams combined for 211 rushing yards, while Daniels added a few big runs to finish with 34 yards and a touchdown.

The Jayhawks managed to move the ball effectively but couldn't capitalize with points on four drives that either stalled or ended with a turnover inside the Utes' 25-yard line. Daniels threw 3 interceptions inside Utah's 30-yard line, with his last one resulting in a pick-six for Scooby Davis, putting Utah up 24-14 with just under 8 minutes left.

The Jayhawks quickly responded on their ensuing drive to make it a 3-point game, putting the pressure on the Utes offense to finish things off with over 5 minutes left.

Utah's run game delivered down the stretch, setting up quite the play call from offensive coordinator Jason Beck on third-and-5 from the Kansas 48-yard line.

Dampier took the snap, acted like he was going to run up the middle but then stopped just before reaching the offensive line to hit Simmons on a deep shot down the field, delivering the final dagger in what turned out to be a slugfest in Lawrence, Kansas.

A similar type of play design got Utah its first touchdown of the day, only it was JJ Buchanan who was on the receiving end of Dampier's pass that made it 10-7 early in the second quarter.

Dampier finished with 253 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 11 rushes for 50 yards. Wayshawn Parker led the way on the ground with 12 carries for 95 yards. Simmons nearly set a career-high with 97 receiving yards (he had 100 yards in a game while at Southern Mississippi) on top of two fourth quarter touchdowns.

Key Storylines

Here were the key storylines developing over the course of Utah's Black Friday game against Kansas.

How Utah's defense responded from last week

Kyle Whittingham's halftime speech, which made it rounds on social media following Utah's comeback win over Kansas State, was inspiring and goosebump-inducing, and apparently exactly the fire the Utes needed to spark their second half rally.

If a similar pep-talk was needed on Friday, though, it'd be cause for concern.

Jalon Daniels enjoyed some success through the air and on the ground during the Jayhawks' opening drive but couldn't capitalize with points, as Smith Snowden jumped in front of a pass and earned his second interception of the season.

The Jayhawks managed to get into the red zone on their second drive by exclusively running the ball. They ran 10 straight run plays to get from their own 25-yard line to Utah's 13-yard line, but couldn't put points on the board after Daniels missed an open receiver in the end zone.

Kansas averaged 6.6 yards per carry on 14 rush attempts in the first quarter.

It was more of the same in the second, as the Jayhawks scored the game's first touchdown to go up, 7-3, after calling eight run plays. A couple of self-inflicted mistakes from Utah, including a pass interference on a flee-flicker and late hit penalty on Daniels, helped the Jayhawks get into scoring position.

When they weren't getting in their own way, the Utes had the Jayhawks' passing game stifled in the first half, forcing incompletions on six of Daniels' first seven throws of over 15 yards and giving up just one completion out of four third down tries.

The Utes' secondary did crack early on in the third quarter, though, as Daniels completed a 34-yard completion to Emmanuel Henderson Jr. to set up the Jayhawks' second touchdown of the day. That was Daniels' first positive pass play since the first quarter.

Utes dominate trenches on both sides

Utah set the tone in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The defensive line forced Daniels to move in the pocket and make quick decisions, resulting in a turnover on the Jayhawks' first drive, while the Utes offensive line paved the way for runs of 34 and 15 yards on Utah's first possession.

Utah's second drive wasn't as sustainable, though the lack of a passing game probably didn't help keep the Jayhawks defense honest.

Daniels wasn't effective throwing the ball early on, but Kansas' offensive line was able to push around Utah's front seven in the run game. It wasn't until the Jayhawks tried to move the ball through the air more often in the second quarter that the Utes looked more like themselves on defense.

After allowing 127 total yards of offense in the first quarter, Utah yielded less than 50 in the second, and held strong on Kansas' two third down attempts.

Kansas wasn't keen on running the ball out of halftime, but it was still able to move down the field via the air with a 34-yard catch from Emmanuel Henderson Jr., which set up the Jayhawks' second touchdown of the day after Daniels gained 16 on a keeper, followed by a quarterback sneak on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

Kansas had an opportunity to extend its lead late going into the fourth quarter but Utah capitalized off an errant throw from Daniels, who didn't sail a throw away far enough out of the back of the end zone for Jackson Bennee to make a play on the ball.

How Utah's passing game operated without Ryan Davis

Ryan Davis' 659 receiving yards through 11 games ranked No. 11 in the Big 12. His 57 receptions were 19 more than the next pass catcher (Dallen Bentley) on Utah's roster.

Without its top receiver, Utah didn't attempt a pass on its first drive and leaned exclusively on the run. The Utes' second, and much shorter, possession played out in a similar manner, but Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin didn't have much room to work with in the quarterback run game.

Leaning on the the run game helped set up Utah's first big play of the day through the air, as Dampier faked a quarterback draw before hitting JJ Buchanan over the middle for a 58-yard catch-and-run score. Dampier had 14 passing yards prior to that score with 9:32 left in the second quarter.

Dampier was in more of a rhythm after that scoring drive, but the Utes' overall execution was less than sharp in the first half. There were a couple of mishaps snapping the ball, including one on third down in the red zone that forced Utah to settle for three points on its opening drive, followed by another late in the second quarter as Dampier and company tried to extend their lead before halftime.

Still, Dampier had a 165.3 quarterback rating at halftime with 9 completions for 129 yards and a touchdown. Five different Utah players recorded a catch, led by Dallen Bentley's three for 25 yards. Buchanan led in yardage with 65.

Where Kansas was able to disrupt Utah's passing game was at the line of scrimmage. A few of Dampier's shorter pass attempts were batted down or at the very least tipped at the line of scrimmage.

Larry Simmons stepped up in the fourth quarter with a 28-yard touchdown reception, putting the Utes back in front, 17-14, with just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation. The 6-foot-1 junior has a knack for making big plays when Utah needs it most.

Simmons' trend of coming through in clutch was evident late in the fourth as the Utes looked to close out the Jayhawks, getting behind Kansas' secondary for a 48-yard touchdown to make it 31-21 with just over 3 minutes left to play.