No. 15 Utah Powers Past Nebraska in Las Vegas Bowl

Wednesday, December 31

Las Vegas, Nev. / Allegiant Stadium

1:30 p.m.

University of Utah

Nebraska

Photo by: Anna Fuder/Utah Athletics

No. 15 Utah Powers Past Nebraska in Las Vegas Bowl

12/31/2025 6:34 PM | Football

Box Score

Utes earn 11th win for the fourth time in program history

LAS VEGAS – The 15th-ranked Utah football team secured its 11th win of the season and first victory under head coach Morgan Scalley, defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 44-22, at the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl in front of 38,879 fans at Allegiant Stadium on Wednesday.

Utah finishes the 2025 season with an 11-2 record, the program's first 11-win season since 2019 and its fourth all-time. Utah also improves to 18-9 all-time in bowl games and 5-2 in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The Utes reeled off 37 unanswered points after falling behind 14-7 at the end of the first quarter to secure their first bowl game victory since 2017. It was Utah's largest margin of victory in a bowl since beating Colorado State, 45-10, in the 2014 Las Vegas Bowl. Utah gained 535 yards of total offense, including 310 on the ground, while holding Nebraska to 343 yards - 157 of which came in the opening 15 minutes.

Utah's 310 rushing yards pushed the season total to 3,462, the most in a single season in program history. The previous program record of 3,263 was set by the 1984 team. Utah's four rushing touchdowns also gave the Utes 41 on the season, breaking the single-year program record of 38 set by the 2022 squad.

Devon Dampier put together a stellar showing, rushing for 148 yards and three touchdowns while completing 19-of-31 passes for 310 yards and two more scores. It marks his second game this season with five total touchdowns as well as his second game with 200-plus passing yards and 100-plus rushing yards. He also became the first quarterback in the history of the Las Vegas Bowl to rush for more than 100 yards and tied the Utah program record for rushing scores in a bowl game.

Dampier's 458 yards of total offense are the most by a Ute in a bowl game. The previous record of 408 was set by Alex Smith in the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

Utah tight ends combined for 10 catches for 182 yards and two scores, led by Dallen Bentley, who capped his collegiate career with his best performance. Bentley nabbed six catches for a career-high 106 yards and a touchdown while freshman JJ Buchanan also hauled in four passes for 76 yards, both of which set new personal bests. Ryan Davis, Dampier's favorite target all season long, also added 66 yards on five catches.

Wayshawn Parker rushed 16 times for 50 yards and brought in three catches for 53 yards, his seventh game this season with over 100 all-purpose yards. NaQuari Rogers also rushed for his team-leading 11th touchdown of the season.

Utah scored points on all seven of its red zone drives, finding the end zone six times.

Defensively, the Utes tallied three sacks, six tackles for loss and the game's lone turnover. Moroni Anae led the Utes with nine tackles while Levani Damuni racked up seven stops. Trey Reynolds finished with five tackles, including a team-leading two TFL, and Rock Caldwell tallied the first interception of his collegiate career.

Utah's defense held the Cornhuskers to just 40 total yards between the second and third quarters while the Utes' offense reeled off 336 yards and put 31 points on the scoreboard. After Nebraska opened the game with a pair of touchdown drives, the Utes forced seven empty possessions in a row - five punts, an interception, and a turnover on downs.

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