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Game recap, analysis: Utah thumps UCLA, 43-10

Utes' starting quarterback picked apart Bruins' defense in dominant debut
Cole Forsman|
Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) throws against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at the Rose Bowl.
Aug 30, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Devon Dampier (4) throws against the UCLA Bruins during the first half at the Rose Bowl. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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The Utah football program opened the 2025 regular season with a statement win over UCLA from the Rose Bowl on Saturday.

The Utes jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first half and never relinquished control, cruising to a 43-10 victory behind an efficient debut from quarterback Devon Dampier and a lights-out performance from Morgan Scalley's defense.

Dampier led the Utes (1-0) through the air and on the ground, recording 206 passing yards and a team-high 87 rushing yards while accounting for three total touchdowns and throwing just five incompletions (21-of-26) in his first start as Utah's signal-caller.

UCLA couldn't manage to stop Utah's offense when it mattered most; the Utes were 14-of-16 on third down and didn't allow a single sack to the Bruins' defense.

Meanwhile, Nico Iamaleava and the Bruins' offense struggled to move the ball, finishing with just 220 total yards as the Tennessee transfer had 136 passing yards on 22 pass attempts.

Here's how Utah's season opener played out:

4TH QUARTER RECAP

UCLA three-and-out: Bruins give the Utes the ball back following three unproductive plays from inside their own territory.

Utes touchdown!: The boat race is on in Pasadena, California; NaQuari Rogers punches it in from 1-yard out, putting the Utes up 43-10 with 6:29 left in the fourth quarter.

Utah in striking distance again: Redshirt tight end Hunter Andrews takes the handoff from Dampier and runs 25 yards down to the UCLA 1-yard line. Utes have a chance to add to their lead with under 7 minutes remaining.

Utah interception!: Trey Reynolds has Utah's first turnover of the season, as the junior linebacker picks off Iamaleava and returns it to the UCLA 29-yard line.

Utes get to Iamaleava again: John Henry Daley records his second sack of the night following consecutive first downs for the Bruins.

Utes touchdown!: Chants of "Let's go Utah" have broken out at the Rose Bowl following a touchdown reception for Dallen Bentley, extending Utah's lead to 26 points and capping off a 9-play, 81-yard drive.

Big play through the air: Tobias Merriweather finally gets on the stat sheet with his first catch in a Utes uniform; a 35-yard catch-and-run for the Cal transfer sets the Utes up inside the 5-yard line.

Back-to-back quick hitters: A 10-yard reception from Ryan Davis is followed by an 18-yard gain through the air for JJ Buchanan, setting Utah up in UCLA territory with less than 11 minutes to play in regulation.

Utes keep chains moving: Wayshawn Parker comes in motion and takes the handoff from Dampier for a 6-yard rush up the middle, moving the chains after Utah faced a third-and-6.

Utes back to work: Utah will start its next drive on its own 19-yard line following a 46-yard punt from UCLA.

3RD QUARTER RECAP

Team meeting on Iamaleava: Utes' defensive line collapses the pocket on UCLA's quarterback, sacking him for a loss of 6 yards as the third quarter comes to an end. Freshman defensive tackle Karson Kaufusi and redshirt freshman Kash Dillon have been credited with the sack on that play.

Bruins pick up first down on fourth down: UCLA's quarterback picks up 7 yards on the ground on fourth-and-2 from his own 23-yard line, extending the Bruins' drive.

Holtzclaw with nice effort: The Washington transfer blows up UCLA's run play up the middle, creating a third-and-2 that the Bruins are unable to convert.

Dampier does it himself for a touchdown: Dampier follows his blockers on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, capping off a 21-play, 80-yard drive from the Utes out of the break. Utah leads 30-10 with 2:52 left in the third quarter.

First and goal: Utes' time-consuming drive has them inside the Bruins' 5-yard line following a key third-down conversion from NaQuari Rogers on the ground. Utah has eaten up over 8 minutes on this drive.

Utes cross into enemy territory: NaQuari Rogers' 4-yard gain on the ground on second-and-4 puts them on the UCLA 48-yard line.

Snowden again on third down: Dampier dumps it off to Snowden for an 11-yard gain on third-and-9, improving the Utes to 8-of-10 on third down.

Bruins add points to the board: UCLA junior kicker Mateen Bhaghani drills a 46-yard field goal to make it 23-10 in favor of the Utes.

Gilmer drops third down pass: Utes send pressure, and Iamaleava can't connect with Kwazi Gilmer on third-and-4.

Bruins get to work: Iamaleava floats a pass over the Utes' defense to Kwazi Gilmer for 14 yards to the UCLA 39-yard line, then runs 16 yards to keep the momentum going for UCLA out of the break.

HALFTIME RECAP

Battle of dual threats: Both Dampier and Iamaleava lead their respective teams in rushing yards at halftime, with Dampier sitting at 13 attempts for 78 yards while Iamaleava has 33 yards on eight carries for the Bruins.

Two-way weapons: Utah has utilized at least three defensive players on the offensive side of the ball so far, and two of them have scored touchdowns. Smith Snowden, who primarily lines up in the nickel, leads the Utes in receiving at the half (three catches, 26 yards) and has 12 yards and a touchdown on the ground as well. Linebacker/tight end Lander Barton also has a score, and safety/receiver Jackson Bennee has been deployed on the outside as well.

Utes efficient on offense: Utah is 3-for-3 in the redzone scoring touchdowns, 7-for-9 on third down and Dampier hasn't been sacked yet. The Utes are also averaging 6.3 yards per rush between Dampier, Wayshawn Parker, NaQuari Rogers and Smith Snowden. Dampier has completed 10-of-13 through the air and isn't afraid to lower his head for extra yards on the ground.

2ND QUARTER RECAP

Freshman kicker drills 54-yarder: Dillon Curtis is 1/1 in his college career after drilling a 54-yard kick to put the Utes up 23-7 at the half.

Dampier sets up Utah in field goal range: Utes are up to the UCLA 36-yard line following a 7-yard completion to Dallen Bentley.

Bennee down on the field: Utes burn their second timeout as safety/wide receiver Jackson Bennee is down on the field after stopping UCLA's quarterback on a scramble on third-and-9, forcing a fourth-and-2 punt from the Bruins from their own 25-yard line.

John Henry Daley collapses UCLA pocket: Iamaleava takes a sack on second down, setting up a third-and-9.

UCLA keeps the drive alive: After a shot to Mikey Matthews on second-and-8 falls incomplete, Anthony Woods takes a check-down pass from his quarterback 16 yards for a big first down with about 2 minutes left in the half.

Bruins stop Utes on third down: Dampier's tackle behind the line of scrimmage on third-and-4. Utah punts it back to UCLA with 3 minutes remaining in the first half.

Dampier loses helmet: Utes burn a timeout after Dampier lost his helmet on a 16-yard rush, forcing Utah's signal-caller to sit out for a play.

Merriweather draws pass interference: Dampier's first target to the Cal transfer results in a pass interference.

Dampier converts third down: Utes are 6-for-6 on third down after rushing for three years on third-and-1.

Snowden muffs kickoff: Perhaps Snowden's only hiccup of the first half comes on special teams, as the cornerback muffs UCLA's kickoff following its first touchdown, setting the Utes up on their own 5-yard line.

Former Ute scores: Ex-Utah running back Anthony Woods catches a pass from Iamaleava and takes it 19 yards for UCLA's first score of 2025. Utes lead 20-7 following a 10-play, 75-yard drive from the Bruins.

Bruins reach red zone: Jalen Berger gets just enough on fourth-and-1, putting UCLA into the Utes' red zone.

Iamaleava moves the chains on the ground: After converting a third down with his legs, Iamaleava scampers for 21 yards to the UCLA 49-yard line.

Barton scores!: Utah's defensive players are propelling the Utes on offense as well out of the gate; after Snowden's score, the Utes cap off their third drive of the game with a 14-yard touchdown reception for linebacker/tight end Lander Barton. Utah leads 20-0 after the successful point after attempt.

Mokofisi recovers fumble: Utah's experienced guard is there to recover a fumble from Wayshawn Parker, keeping the Utes' third drive of the game alive as they advance to UCLA's 14-yard line.

1ST QUARTER RECAP

Fano ends the quarter with a bang: Logan Fano bursts off the edge to get to UCLA's quarterback on third-and-11, forcing the Bruins' punt team onto the field as the first quarter comes to an end.

Snowden scores!: Utah's new two-way weapon has the Utes up 13-0 after making a few Bruins miss on his way to an 8-yard touchdown score. Snowden's up to 38 yards from scrimmage with three receptions and two carries.

Snowden moves the chains: Snowden takes a handoff four yards to the UCLA 19-yard line, moving the chains and improving Utah to 4-for-4 on third down.

Bennee first down: Dampier starts the drive with a 17-yard strike to Utah safety Jackson Bennee.

Utes get fourth down stop: Blake Cotton smothers Mikey Matthews on fourth-and-2 to give Utah the ball back with good starting field position.

Bruins convert fourth down: Utah's Nate Richie stops Hudson Habermehl just short of converting third down, though the Bruins are able to move the chains anyway behind Jalen Berger on fourth-and-1. UCLA has it on Utah's 44-yard line.

Former Ute moves the chains: Former Utah wide receiver Mikey Matthews takes a slant route 18 yards to UCLA's 41-yard line.

UCLA takes over: UCLA's Rodrick Pleasant returns the kickoff 17 yards to the Bruins' 23-yard line.

Utes strike first: Wayshawn Parker takes the inside handoff from Dampier 13 yards for Utah's first score of the 2025 season, capping off an 11-play, 75-yard drive in the process. Dillon Curtis' missed point after attempt keeps the game at 6-0.

Snowden converts on third down: Some misdirection from the Utes in the backfield creates space for Snowden to catch a dump-off pass from Dampier and pick up enough yards for a first down.

Snowden first down: Utah's first play from scrimmage in 2025 is a screen pass to do-it-all athlete Smith Snowden, leading to a first down. Whittingham said in the offseason that Utah would use Snowden on offense this season.

Kickoff: UCLA won the toss and deferred — Utah will start the 2025 season with the ball.

PREGAME

Weather: It's 84 degrees and clear in Pasadena, California, leading up to kickoff. Heat advisories were issued earlier in the week and even impacted the betting line.

Logan Fano leads the Utah Mili: As one of the Utes' captains on defense, Logan Fano led the team in the first Utah Mili of 2025. The Utah Mili takes inspiration from a war chant that South Pacific warriors used to prepare for war, letting their enemy know that they are ready for battle.

Specialists take the field: Utah's special teams unit took to the field for pregame warm-ups about 40 minutes before kickoff.

Utes have arrived at the Rose Bowl: Dampier warmed up with Utah's quarterbacks about an hour before kickoff from Pasadena, California.

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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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