What Utah's Kyle Whittingham said after win over Wyoming

Utes recovered from shaky first half to knock off Cowboys, 31-6

Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham before the game against the Wyoming Cowboys at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It might not have gone the way Kyle Whittingham and his staff envisioned it playing out, but Utah was able to shake off some early miscues to leave Laramie, Wyoming, with a win on Saturday night.

Despite out-gaining the Cowboys (2-1) by nearly 200 yards and running 20 more plays from scrimmage, the Utes (3-0) had just 3 points on the scoreboard at halftime due to poorly-timed penalties and three missed field goals.

Utah’s offense came out much sharper in the second half and the defense remained stout against a Wyoming team that didn’t reach the rezone until about the 5-minute mark in the fourth quarter, as Devon Dampier and company scored on four consecutive drives in the second half to power the Utes past the Cowboys, 31-6, from War Memorial Stadium.

"Kind of a weird game," Whittingham said after the game. "Very similar yardage total first half and second half, but very different results; just weren't finishing drives in the first half. And I'll tell you what, I got a lot of respect for that Wyoming team. They're tough players, well coached and they gave us everything they had."

Here's more from Whittingham following his 170th career victory, tying him with Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy for the fourth-most among active head coaches.

On Utah's penalties

"I watched the replays, some of them were legit. Some of them I was just not sure about, but I just know that they were called so we got to be better. I never complain about referees or anything like that. We just got to be better. And that really was another reason why we were unable to finish drives in the first half. I think we had 70 of the 95 penalty yards in the first half — that doesn't usually yield very good results."

On his message to the team at halftime

Sep 13, 2025; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Utah Utes tight end JJ Buchanan (81) pulls in a touchdown reception in front of Wyoming Cowboys safety Desman Hearns (12) in the fourth quarter at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"Finish drives. Very simple. Defense was playing well, like you said, tackling well, defending the rush well; I think they only had like 20 or 30 yards of rushing at halftime. The whole issue was finishing drives on offense, and fortunately, we got that corrected. Our O-line did a really good job in that second half, took charge and really controlled the line of scrimmage."

On Utah's three missed field goals

"I'll have to talk to [Dillon Curtis]. The one that came out really funky, I think the hold was not clean. But he's got a strong leg. You saw what he does for us on kickoffs. He'll be back. He's just a freshman, and he'll learn from this. And I think he's tough enough mentally to get himself right. Hopefully he makes some big kicks for us down the road."

On Dallen Bentley's emergence in the passing game

Sep 13, 2025; Laramie, Wyoming, USA; Members of the Utah Utes and the Wyoming Cowboys during a fourth and one in the fourth quarter at Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

"I saw it coming. We saw it coming in spring ball. The light switch went on for Dallen in spring ball, and he was finally able to stay healthy. That's what hampered him the last couple of years, is he kept having nagging injuries, and he's been healthy — knock on wood — and carried a really good spring right into fall camp, and has been just consistent and steady, dependable, and not only with pass catching and his blocking is well-improved. So he's a valuable weapon for us."

On Rabbit Evans' injury

"It's a lower leg injury that looks like it could be season-ending. So that's unfortunate. I feel so bad for him. He's worked so hard, just can't seem to get a break. And it's like I said, it's something pretty, pretty serious, but we'll have to look at what his redshirt situation is and hopefully get him back for another year, maybe two years, depending on what the circumstances are."