Five takeaways from Utah's 31-17 win over Iowa State

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The No. 15 Utah Utes went into Ames, jumped out early, and then had to respond when Iowa State finally made its run.

The Cyclones cut a 24-3 halftime lead to seven in the fourth quarter, Jack Trice Stadium came alive, and for the first time this season, Utah really had its back against the wall.

The Utes answered. Here are my biggest takeaways from Utah’s 31-17 win over Iowa State.

The Utes showed grit

We already knew Utah could score. We already knew this defense was good.

What we did not really know was how this team would respond when everything started going against it.

Iowa State had all the momentum after cutting the lead to 24-17. Utah punted it back, the crowd was going crazy, and the Cyclones had the ball with a chance to tie the game.

Utah’s defense responded with a three-and-out, capped by an Elijah Elliss sack. Then the offense took over and finished it.

Wayshawn Parker ran for 8, 15 and 4 yards on the first three plays of the drive, and Utah eventually went 61 yards in seven plays, eating 4:28 off the clock before Parker caught the game-sealing touchdown.

That might have been the most important sequence of the entire game.

Morgan Scalley said afterward, “Man, did we need to face some adversity. We handled the adversity really well.”

He was right.

Wayshawn Parker was the answer

This felt like the Wayshawn Parker game from the first snap.

Parker took his first carry 54 yards for a touchdown and never really slowed down from there. He finished with 174 rushing yards, 65 receiving yards and three total touchdowns, accounting for 239 yards from scrimmage.

But the biggest part of his performance came when Utah needed him most.

With Iowa State making its push in the fourth quarter, Utah went back to Parker. He put the offense on his back and helped bleed the clock before finishing the drive with the 13-yard touchdown reception.

When Utah needed an answer, No. 1 was it.

Utah didn’t let the officiating become the story

There were plenty of moments where Utah probably felt like calls were going against them.

Late hits, pass interference, spots and other questionable moments could have easily become a distraction, especially once Iowa State started building momentum.

Utah never let it happen.

The Utes did not lose their composure or allow the officiating to become an excuse. They kept playing, and when the game tightened up late, they responded with their best football of the fourth quarter.

That matters, especially on the road in conference play.

Dev kept everyone involved

Devon Dampier did not need to completely take over this game.

He just kept distributing the football.

Seven different Utes caught a pass, with Wayshawn Parker, Creed Whittemore, Braden Pegan, Daniel Bray, Noah Bennee, Ricky Johnson and Hunter Andrews all getting involved. Dampier finished 18-of-27 for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

That is what makes this offense difficult to defend.

You cannot just take away one receiver and expect Utah to stall out. Dampier spread it around, took what Iowa State gave him and still made some big-time throws, including the 24-yard touchdown to Pegan in the first quarter.

Utah made Iowa State one-dimensional

Utah did a really good job taking away what Iowa State wanted to do on the ground.

The Cyclones finished with 111 rushing yards on 33 attempts, just 3.4 yards per carry. Aiden Flora finished with 54 rushing yards, and Utah never allowed him to completely take over the game on the ground.

That put more of the game on Jaylen Raynor.

Raynor finished 21-of-40 for 205 yards, and Utah picked him off twice. The secondary held up, the pass rush made him uncomfortable at important moments, and Iowa State had to consistently earn everything through the air.

That is exactly where Utah wanted the game.

Make Iowa State one-dimensional, get Raynor into obvious passing situations, and let the defense go to work.

It was not perfect, especially during Iowa State’s second-half run, but when Utah absolutely needed a stop, the defense delivered.