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Game recap, analysis: Utah cruises by Cal Poly, 63-9

Utes improve to 2-0 with second-straight wire-to-wire victory to start the 2025 season
Cole Forsman|
Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) runs the ball against the Cal Poly Mustangs during the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) runs the ball against the Cal Poly Mustangs during the first quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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Coming off an impressive win at UCLA, Utah kept its momentum rolling Saturday in a dominant victory over Cal Poly.

While Devon Dampier and the offense looked sharp again, Morgan Scalley's defense imposed its will on the opposition and never backed off, propelling the Utes to a 63-9 win over the Mustangs in their home opener from Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Utah extended some key streaks in the win, including its NCAA-record 22 consecutive seasons with a pick six — courtesy of a 46-yard return from Jackson Bennee early in the first half. The Utes also won their 17th straight home opener.

Here are the live updates recap and highlights from Rice-Eccles Stadium:

4TH QUARTER RECAP

Touchdown Utes!: Ficklin capped off a 15-play, 75-yard drive with his second rushing touchdown of the game, extending the Utes' lead and adding another cherry on top of their home opener.

Smart read from Ficklin: Utah's second-string quarterback made the correct read on a run option play, gaining 7 yards on third-and-3 and putting the Utes on the Mustangs' 11-yard line.

Utes keep it moving: Nate Johnson took a handoff from Ficklin up the left side of the field for a 16-yard gain on third-and-7, setting Utah up on Cal Poly's 34-yard line.

Cal Poly back on the board: Despite a false start from the Mustangs' left guard which moved Cal Poly back into a fourth-and-8 situation, and a delay of game penalty after that, Noah Serna drilled a 51-yard field goal attempt for Cal Poly's first points since the 7:04 mark in the second quarter.

3RD QUARTER RECAP

Dominant third quarter from Utah: An explosive start to the second half from the Utes saw them nearly match their first half yardage total (229) in one quarter, as Utah racked up 215 total yards of offense out of the break (with its backup quarterback in for the latter half of the quarter, notably). Utes led 56-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

It's a Byrd!: Byrd Ficklin took a keeper up the right side of the field for a 38-yard touchdown, the first of the freshman's collegiate career and the Utes' eighth of the day. That one capped off a 6-play, 95-yard drive from Utah, putting Whittingham's squad up 56-6 with under 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

Big gain for Rogers: NaQuari Rogers got the Utes out from deep into their own territory with a 32-yard catch-and-run to move his team up to the 37-yard line.

Utah back to work on offense: Ficklin took the field following a 41-yard punt from Cal Poly which put the Utes on their own 5-yard line.

Utes' penalty wipes away stop: Grigsby's pass attempt on third down fell incomplete, but a pass interference call on Nate Tilmon gave the Mustangs new life.

Cal Poly QB change: Grigsby re-entered the game for the Mustangs' third drive of the second half.

Utah touchdown!: Wayshawn Parker broke loose up the middle for his second touchdown of the afternoon, a 43-yard scamper to put his squad up 49-6 with 7:12 left in the third quarter. Parker had just 7 yards on five carries prior to that long run.

Utah QB change: Dampier's day ended with his team up 36 points, as Byrd Ficklin checked into the game with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter.

Another Mustangs' three-and-out: John Henry Dalley brought Akins down for a loss of 7 yards on third-and-6, resulting in back-to-back three-and-outs for Cal Poly out of the halftime break. Utah started its ensuing drive at midfield following a 28-yard punt from the Mustangs.

Utah touchdown!: Dallen Bentley recorded his second touchdown of the season after holding onto a perfectly thrown ball from Dampier, dropping an 11-yard dime into the tight end's hands to put the Utes up 42-6 after a successful point after attempt. Utah improved to 10-for-10 inside the redzone on the season.

Utes in the redzone: Ryan Davis came across the middle of the field and made a nice adjustment to haul in a bullet from Dampier, setting the Utes up on the Mustangs' 15-yard line following a 27-yard gain.

Three-and-out for Cal Poly: The Mustangs' first drive of the second half didn't last long after Akins threw two incompletions on his first two pass attempts. Utah started on its own 30-yard line following a 45-yard punt.

Cal Poly with possession: Paul Wuff trotted out his third quarterback of the night to start the second half, as redshirt sophomore Jackson Akins led the Mustangs out of the break. Akins played in four games last season.

HALFTIME RECAP

A little sloppy: The Utes quickly outpaced their penalty total from their opener against the Bruins (three for 15 yards) in their matchup against the Mustangs, with six penalties for 50 yards going against them in the first half.

Utes getting everyone involved: Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck showed some of his creativity in the first half as he found ways to get the ball into the hands of several Utes, including some of their new two-way athletes. Seven different pass-catchers recorded at least one reception for Utah in the half, with Tobias Merriweather, Ryan Davis and Smith Snowden recording three apiece. Six different players recorded a rush as well, including H-back Hunter Andrews and "athlete" (as he's listed on the official roster) Nate Johnson.

Utes defense making plays: From John Henry Daley's relentless pressure up front to Jackson Bennee's ball-hawking in the secondary, the Utes received big plays from their most impactful players on defense, limiting Cal Poly to just 4.0 yards per play and forcing two turnovers in the first half. Johnathan Hall had the play of the half with a pass deflection leading to an interception, setting the Utes up on the Mustangs' 1-yard line in the final seconds of the half. That was the Utes' second defensive score of the half after Benneee returned an interception 46 yards in the first quarter, extending Utah's streak of seasons with at least one pick-six to an NCAA-record 22 seasons.

2ND QUARTER RECAP

Utah touchdown!: Utes added to their lead just before the first half came to a close, as NaQuari Rogers squeezed his way through traffic on fourth down to make it 35-6 following a successful point-after attempt. Utah put up 21 points in the second quarter, 14 of which came in the final 2 minutes, to lead 35-6 at the break.

Dampier stuffed: Cal Poly's Mikey D'Amato and Victory Johnson combined to bring Dampier down at the 2-yard line with under 10 seconds left, prompting a timeout from the Utes.

Big gain Bentley: Dampier found his tight end Dallen Bentley for a 24-yard gain to put the Utes on the Mustangs' 6-yard line with 34 seconds left.

Big punt return: Utah's Rayshawn Glover set the Utes up with an opportunity to put points on the board before the half with a 50-yard part return, setting his team up on the Cal Poly 30-yard with 39 seconds left in the half.

Utes touchdown!: NaQuari Rogers crossed the goal line and put the Utes up 28-6 with 1:44 remaining in the half — courtesy of Hall's hustle play on defense.

Give me that!: Johnathan Hall hauled in his own pass deflection, batting an attempt from Grigsby into the air and maintaining concentration to set the Utes up on the Mustangs' 1-yard line with an incredible individual effort from the Utah linebacker.

Mustangs convert third down: Still rocking with Grigsby, the Mustangs got out of the danger zone with a 13-yard gain from Michael Briscoe, setting up Cal Poly with a first down from its own 17-yard line heading into the 2-minute timeout. Grigsby and company started the drive with two timeouts.

Cal Poly sniffs out screen pass: Utah's fifth drive of the game ended in a punt after the Mustangs brought down Snowden for a loss of five on third-and-5, resulting in a 37-yard punt from the Utes on fourth down. Mustangs got to work on their own 5-yard line.

Mustangs add three to the board: Cal Poly's Gianluca Dimauro knocked through a 47-yard field goal after the Mustangs couldn't capitalize off the pass interference call, making it 21-6 in favor of the Utes with 7:04 left in the first half.

Sloppy half for Utes continued: Utah's advantage on the scoreboard wasn't because the Utes were playing clean football; five penalties for 45 yards were called against Utah in the first half, including a 15-yard pass interference call on Elijah "Scooby" Davis, which set the Mustangs up on the Utes' 26-yard line.

Mustangs make QB change: Starting from their own 32-yard line and down 18 points, the Mustangs trotted out redshirt junior Anthony Grigsby Jr. to lead their fifth drive of the game. Grigsby gained 18 yards on his first play under center, moving the chains and putting Cal Poly near midfield.

Utes punt after three plays: Dampier was brought down on first down, threw a short pass to Snowden for minimal gain on second down and missed Merriweather on a deep ball on third-and-13, bringing the Utes' punt team on for the second time.

Three-and-out for Mustangs: Cal Poly gained nine yards on its first play of the drive but couldn't move the ball on second and third down, resulting in the Mustangs' second punt of the game. Utah began its fourth drive from its own 24-yard line with 12:52 left in the second quarter.

Touchdown Utes!: Ryan Davis hauled in a 4-yard reception on a slant route to extend the Utes' lead. Dampier with his second touchdown toss of the afternoon to put his team up 21-3.

1ST QUARTER RECAP

Spreading the wealth: Dampier's eight completions in the first quarter went to six different pass-catchers, including a couple of two-way athletes in Barton and Snowden. Five different Utah players also recorded a rush attempt during the first quarter, as the Utes led 14-3 heading into the second.

Utes inside the 10-yard line: Some quick hitters from Dampier set the Utes up in the green zone, before a 10-yard gain from Andrews put the Utes inside the Mustangs' 10-yard line.

Dampier moves the chains: Dampier scrambled for 12 yards on second-and-10, setting the Utes up with a new set of downs from their own 47-yard line. A false start from Michael Mokofisi pushed Utah back five yards. Utes had four penalties for 30 yards at that point in the first quarter.

Utes contain Dieffenbach: Cal Poly's signal-caller was brought down for a loss of two on third down, setting up a 30-yard field goal attempt for the Mustangs. Utah led 14-3 following a good kick from Noah Serna.

Timeout Cal Poly: Mustangs head coach Paul Wuff called timeout on a critical third-and-2 from the Utes' 10-yard line.

Cal Poly responds: Dieffenbach shook off his interception with a 42-yard strike to Kian Salehi, putting the Mustangs on the Utah 30-yard line.

Utes touchdown!: Utah’s streak of pick-sixes was extended to an NCAA-record 22 seasons thanks to a 46-yard return from Jackson Bennee, putting his team up 14-0 with just over 7 minutes left in the first quarter.

Dampier misfired on third down: Utah punted on its second drive after Dampier missed Tobias Merriweather on a slant route on third-and-4. The Mustangs started their next drive from their own 31-yard line.

Dampier scramble called back: Utah's signal-caller had an 18-yard rush called back due to a holding call on left tackle Caleb Lomu, making it second-and-16 for the Utes.

Mustangs have to punt: Despite moving the chains on its first play from scrimmage, Cal Poly was forced to punt a few plays later after Kash Dillon brought Dieffenbach down on third-and-6. Utah started its next drive on its own 16-yard line following a 51-yard punt.

Cal Poly with the ball: Mustangs quarterback Ty Dieffenbach hit his receiver Jordan Garrison for a 10-yard gain on first down, putting Cal Poly on its own 34-yard line.

Touchdown Utes!: Dampier made Cal Poly pay for forgetting Wayshawn Parker out of the backfield, as the Washington State transfer took a short pass 52 yards to the endzone to put the Utes on the board first. Utah's first drive of the game lasted six plays and went 75 yards.

First down Utes: Hunter Andrews sat down in the zone defense and picked up five yards on third-and-4 to move the chains for the Utes.

Coin toss: Cal Poly won the coin toss and deferred to the second half, giving Utah the ball to start.

PREGAME

Utah Mili: Logan Fano leads the Utes through their pregame ritual ahead of their first home game of the 2025 regular season.

MORE UTAH NEWS & ANALYSIS

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman has been a contributor with On SI for the past three years, covering college athletics. He holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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