Utah Runs Past Cal Poly in Home Opener

Saturday, September 6

Salt Lake City, Utah

4 p.m.

University of Utah

2-0 , 0-0

Cal Poly

1-1 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Cal Poly	3	3	0	3	9
Utah	14	21	21	7	63

Photo by: Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics

9/6/2025 8:25 PM | Football

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Utes score 40-plus points in back-to-back games for the first time since 2022

SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah football team improved to 2-0 on the season with a dominant 63-9 win over Cal Poly in front of 51,463 fans in the Utes' home opener at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday.

The Utes' defense kept the Mustangs out of the end zone for the entire night, holding the visitors to just three field goals. Utah picked off a pair of passes and held the Cal Poly offense to 223 total yards, limiting the Mustangs to just 65 rushing yards and 2.3 yards per carry while holding Cal Poly quarterbacks to a combined 15-of-30 passing for 158 yards through the air.

Utah made a habit of getting into the Cal Poly backfield, recording 3.0 sacks and 9.0 tackles for loss. Paul Fitzgerald led the Utah defense with six tackles, 1.5 TFL and 0.5 sacks and John Henry Daley added 2.5 TFL and a sack.

Jackson Bennee tallied Utah's first interception of the year and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, extending Utah's streak of consecutive seasons with at least one pick-six to 22 years, the longest known streak in FBS history. Bennee ended the day with five tackles and three pass break-ups to go along with the interception. Johnathan Hall nabbed the Utes' other interception of the night, nearly taking it back for a score as well before being brought down at the 1-yard line.

Utah dominated the game on the ground, rushing 46 times for 273 yards and five touchdowns. Nate Johnson (11 carries, 59 yards), Byrd Ficklin (5 carries, 55 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Wayshawn Parker (6 carries, 50 yards, 1 touchdown) all rushed for 50 or more yards, while NaQuari Rogers added 31 yards and two scores on seven carries. The Utes averaged 5.9 yards per carry on the night.

The Utes were also lethal through the air as Devon Dampier and Ficklin combined to complete 21-of-27 passes for 245 yards and no interceptions. Dampier threw for three touchdowns, matching his career high, and added 25 rushing yards on four carries.

Ryan Davis led the wide receiver room with six catches for 58 yards and his first Utah touchdown. Tobias Merriweather tallied three catches for 37 yards, all of which came in the first half, while Rogers and Dallen Bentley each added a touchdown reception.

Utah had more passing yards and rushing yards than Cal Poly had total yards of offense, while also limiting the Mustangs to 3-of-13 on third down. Utah's rushing attack has outgained opponents total offensive output in both games to start the season.

Utah scored a touchdown on all of its trips to the red zone for the second straight week. The Utes punched it in on all five trips Saturday against the Mustangs after going 6-for-6 a week ago at UCLA.

The Utes have scored 40-plus points in both games in 2025 for the first time since doing so in back-to-back outings during the 2022 campaign. It also marks the first time since 2013 that Utah has put up 40 or more points on the scoreboard in each of the first two games of the season since 2014.

UP NEXT
Utah wraps up its nonconference schedule next week at Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 13. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. MT on the CBS Sports Network.

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