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Football
at Kansas
The University of Utah Athletics
Postgame Notes: No. 12 Utah vs. Kansas State
11/22/2025 7:19 PM | Football
Postgame Notes
(at) No. 12 Utah 51, Kansas State 47
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025
Kick: 2:06 p.m. MT | End: 5:54 p.m.
Attendance: 51,444 (sellout)
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General
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
(at) No. 12 Utah 51, Kansas State 47
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025
Kick: 2:06 p.m. MT | End: 5:54 p.m.
Attendance: 51,444 (sellout)
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General
- Tonight was the first football meeting between Utah and Kansas State.
- Devon Dampier's go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds remaining marked Utah's 27th game-winning score in the final minute since 1966. The last was in 2023 when Cole Becker hit a field goal as time expired in a road win over USC. The last inside Rice-Eccles Stadium was in 2022, when Cameron Rising rushed one yard for a touchdown against USC.
- Head coach Kyle Whittingham, the winningest leader in program history, is now 176-88 in his 21 seasons at the helm of the Utes. Including Whittingham's 11 prior seasons as an assistant coach (1994-2004), he has been on the sideline 261 wins and 390 games.
- Utah has won nine or more games in 12 of Whittingham's 21 seasons as head coach.
- Today's game marked the 95th consecutive sellout of Rice-Eccles Stadium with fans in the stands. It includes every game with fans in the stands since the 2010 season (excluding 2020, when fans were not in attendance).
- K-State's touchdown to open the game marked the first time Utah has trailed since the end of the BYU game on Oct. 18. A total of 126:31 of game time had elapsed since then.
- K-State won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Utah defended the North goal to begin the game.
Offense
- Utah has rushed for five-plus touchdowns in four games this season. The team has totaled 37 rushing touchdowns on the year, tying the 2021 season for second-most in program history (the record is 38 during the 2022 season).
- With 551 total yards of offense, Utah has now eclipsed 500 yards in five games this season.
- Starting quarterback Devon Dampier accounted for 353 total yards (259 passing, 94 rushing) and four touchdowns (two each passing and rushing).
- Running back Wayshawn Parker rushed 19 times for 100 yards. It is Parker's fourth straight 100-yard performance; Zack Moss was the last Utah player to accomplish that feat, doing so in 2019.
- Quarterback Byrd Ficklin rushed for a career-best three touchdowns—one in each of the first three quarters. Ficklin now has 10 touchdowns on the season, tying for the team lead. He has rushed for a score in four straight games—a first for a Utah freshman since at least 1995.
- Tight end JJ Buchanan reeled in a career-long 60-yard catch during the second quarter. The play pushed Dampier over 5,000 career passing yards.
- Wide receiver Creed Whittemore set a new career-best with six receptions.
- Fellow wideout Larry Simmons caught a 20-yard strike for a touchdown as the fourth-quarter comeback effort continued for Utah. It was Simmons' fourth receiving score of the season.
- Nate Johnson pulled in a 16-yard catch, it was Johnson's first catch of the season.
- Utah went three-and-out on its game-opening drive, ending a six-game streak with at least one first down to begin the game.
Defense
- Linebacker Lander Barton put the exclamation point on tonight's win with his fifth collegiate interception and first of the season. Barton, a senior, is the fourth member of his family to play football at Utah following his brothers, Cody and Jackson, as well as his father, Paul. Barton's sister, Dani Drews, also played volleyball at the U while his mother, Mikki, is a member of the Utah Athletics Hall of Fame as a basketball and volleyball alumna.
- Linebacker Levani Damuni made his second start of the season and had 11 tackles, leading all players in the game. It was one short of tying Damuni's career-high.
- Cornerback Smith Snowden had a career-best with seven tackles on the night.
- Cornerback Blake Cotton had his first collegiate game with multiple pass breakups.
- Defensive end John Henry Daley totaled four tackles (3.5 TFL, 2.0 sacks) before exiting the game in the first quarter due to injury. Daley's TFL total is a career-high while his 2.0 sacks tie a personal best.
- With his 14 sack yards today, Daley now has 91 on the season—tying him for fifth in Utah history alongside Bradlee Anae (91 sack yards in 2019).
- Safety Tao Johnson intercepted a two-point conversion attempt by Kansas State and returned it for a defensive two-point PAT.
- Though K-State rushed for 472 yards on the night, the Utes locked down after halftime and held the visitors to 124 yards on the ground in the second half (K-State had 348 rushing yards in the first half).
- Utah forced K-State to a three-and-out on the Wildcats' opening drive; it was the fourth time this season that the Utes' defense accomplished that feat.
Special Teams
- Dillon Curtis was a perfect 7-for-7 on PAT attempts, giving Curtis 59 made PATs for the year and setting a new program record for a single-season. Previously, the record of 56 was shared by Louie Sakoda (in 2008) and Jadon Redding (in 2019).
- Daniel Bray recorded three kick returns—the first three of his collegiate career—totaling 64 yards with a long return of 30 yards.
- Orion Phillips pinned two of his four punts inside the 20-yard line and had a long punt of 54 yards.
Players Mentioned
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