Devon Dampier dominates in Las Vegas as No. 15 Utah blasts Nebraska, 44-22, in Scalley era debut
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LAS VEGAS — Utah’s postseason stage became Devon Dampier’s personal showcase Wednesday night.
The junior quarterback produced one of the most electric bowl performances of the season, piling up 458 total yards and five touchdowns to power the No. 15 Utes to a 44-22 victory over Nebraska in the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium.
It marked Utah’s first bowl win since 2017 — and the first game of the Morgan Scalley era, though it arrived earlier than expected. Scalley was slated to take over as Utes head coach after the bowl, but Michigan’s hiring of longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham last Friday accelerated the transition.
“There have been so many distractions for these players,” Scalley said following the win. “The game is all about them, and they’re the ones who didn’t deserve the distractions. They worked their tails off.”
Despite the turbulence, Utah looked anything but distracted after the opening quarter.
Nebraska surged early, using a 38-yard touchdown run from freshman quarterback Mekhi Nelson and an 8-yard scoring pass from fellow freshman TJ Lateef to Jacory Barney Jr. to grab a 14-7 lead after the first 15 minutes.
Lateef, making his Las Vegas Bowl debut in what many viewed as an audition for Nebraska’s future, finished 15-of-27 passing for 182 yards, one touchdown and one rushing score. Nelson, meanwhile, rushed 12 times for 88 yards — but was bottled up after the first quarter, gaining just 16 yards the rest of the way.
That shift coincided with Utah’s defensive adjustments. The Utes unleashed a relentless zone-pressure scheme that flustered Nebraska’s offense and flipped the game in the second quarter.
Utah outscored the Huskers 17-0 in the period and outgained them 198-17. By halftime, momentum had hardened into control.
Dampier ensured the scoreboard followed suit.
He completed 19-of-31 passes for 310 yards and two touchdowns while adding 148 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. The 458 yards were the most by any Utah player in a bowl game. His 148 rushing yards were the most by a quarterback in this bowl’s history, and he became the first QB since the game moved to Allegiant Stadium to top 100 yards rushing in the Las Vegas Bowl.
“I get the last couple hours to hang out with these guys,” Dampier said when asked about his future. “That’s where my mind is going to be at for sure.”
His comments did little to quiet speculation over what comes next. Dampier declined to directly address whether he will return to Salt Lake City, enter the transfer portal, or potentially follow Whittingham to Michigan.
Regardless, his MVP performance etched his name into Utah’s postseason lore — and into Nebraska’s offseason uncertainty.
The loss pushed Nebraska’s streak against AP-ranked opponents to 30 straight defeats, the second-longest active skid behind Rutgers’ 43-game drought. The defeat also extended Rhule’s personal streak to 20 consecutive losses against ranked teams, including 0-11 while coaching Baylor.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule acknowledged Utah’s pressure scheme changed the game.
“They started zone-pressuring us,” Rhule said. “You have to win those plays, and we didn’t win quite enough of them.”
Utah finished with 535 total yards to Nebraska’s 343 and rushed for 225 yards, pushing its season total to a staggering 3,462 — a new school record. The Utes also reached 41 rushing touchdowns on the year, another program best.
The announced crowd of 38,879 was the largest to attend the Las Vegas Bowl since the event relocated to Allegiant Stadium in 2019, surpassing the previous stadium-era record of 32,515 set during Wisconsin’s 20-13 win over Arizona State in 2021. It ranks as the ninth-highest attended game in the bowl’s 33-year history, including its previous home at Sam Boyd Stadium.
The victory capped an 11-win season for Utah, just the fourth time in program history the Utes have reached that mark, and the first time since 2019. Utah also owns two Pac-12 championship victories in this same building — but Wednesday belonged entirely to Dampier.
Utah heads into the offseason with a new coach, renewed clarity, and a quarterback decision that now becomes the sport’s latest cliffhanger.
Nebraska leaves Las Vegas searching for answers. Utah leaves having delivered a statement.
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