10/25/2026 1:35 AM | Football
Postgame Quotes
(at) No. 10 Utah 21, No. 14 Houston 13
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
Kick: 8:30 p.m. MT | End: 11:53 a.m. MT
Attendance: 51,864 (sellout)
Utah Quotes
Head Coach Morgan Scalley
Opening Statement…
"So grateful for our guys, their fight. That's what you need. I don't really care about the stats. I'm so proud of these guys, just their fight. Devon Dampier, he's our guy. So proud of his fight in the second half and the defense came up with stop after stop. Colton Swan, great game plan. On the offensive side of the ball, they were doing a really nice job, stopping the interior run, and we weren't doing a good enough job ID'ing things and communicating, so McGiven and Jordan Gross and the entire offensive staff, credit to them for being able to move the ball in the second half, having a good discussion about what we needed to do. 100 straight sellouts since 2010, my gosh, unbelievable. Our fans were awesome. They showed up in a big way. ESPN College Gameday was fantastic and their crew and that composed a lot of challenges at times, with potential distractions and our guys handled it great. We're going to enjoy this for sure. I can't say enough great things about the University of Houston, Coach Fritz, and they're a bunch of fighters too. We knew coming in that this was going to be a big time matchup. I think they're a classy outfit. It got chippy out there at times and when it gets competitive like that, sometimes that's how it is. Very impressed with his team and that quarterback's a tough one too. We got Cincinnati next week. We're going to enjoy this win tonight, but we have to go 1-0 next week. This is a great one, but it's one and we can only celebrate for so long. So grateful for our fans, for everyone involved in this."
On what Devon Dampier and his leadership meant to the team when they fell behind…
"I just remember last year, times where things weren't going great and he didn't necessarily show the leadership. He was always competitive, but in terms of body language and stuff like that and you could not tell today in the locker room. Just all the confidence in the world, came up to me, I got you, coach. That's what you want. You're going to make mistakes and the two turnovers, we have to learn from that. We can't turn the ball over like that. We got one, they got two. Our one was pretty big. Jackson Bennee, on a zone pressure and Jireh Moe. I thought he got robbed last week. It was a correct call, robbed of the fumble recovery, so I'm happy he got this one. But Devon, he's a fighter and he's such a great human. He's our guy."
On what changed for the defense late in the game the defense's performance in the red zone…
"They've been playing really good red zone defense all season long and it didn't stop. I thought they were very stout when Houston wanted to run the ball. They got some things on us in some combo beaters, in man coverage, got some chunk yardage plays, but our guys just kept fighting. We got to the quarterback. I know he's hobbled. You could tell he was kind of hobbled, but what a competitor that kid is. Great job by our guys of fighting to the finish.
On what the defense showed…
"Well, really well against the run. This was a really good rushing offense. The quarterback was efficient, and we held him well below his passer rating. We got some really good pressure on the quarterback, some good hits on the quarterback. I thought Coach Swan was really timely with his pressures and switching up zone pressure to man pressure. It's tough on DBs when you're just bringing zero pressure, zero pressure, seven man, but the thing I love about Coach Shah is he doesn't bat an eye. It's like, let's go. Do it. We believe in our guys and they came up big."
Senior Quarterback Devon Dampier
On if him running the ball so frequently was part of Utah's original game plan…
"We always take what the defense gives us. Just watching film, there's a lot of run lanes, quarterback lanes during drop back passing and it just emphasizes, Devon, if you see it, go take it. That's just kind of the mentality out there and it's kind of what we went with."
On his mentality and leadership during Utah's first touchdown drive after falling behind 10–0…
"Again, I feed off love. I allow our team to feed off love. That's how I operate as a quarterback. I think love's the biggest factor when it comes to this game, and you know I just go up to those guys, I give them a hug, look in my eyes. We got this, like simple as that. And I got y'all no matter what situation I'm put into. You know I'm not afraid to take a hit either. So whatever it's called, let's go run it, and let's expect good things to happen."
Junior Safety Jackson Bennee
On his sack and forced fumble, along with the defensive call and what he saw as he approached the quarterback…
"Honestly, good play, but it was really the call. It was a great call. I can't really take too much credit for it. Things opened up how they should, and that's what you dream of. Honestly, I feel like every time you get a blitz and you're hitting the quarterback, you're like, man, it's too good to be true. He probably threw the ball, and that's usually how it happens, but I guess I got lucky, and he held on to it. It was a good feeling. That was a fun one for sure."
On the message Utah sent about its football program by remaining undefeated…
"Just had our backs against the wall. I think we have a lot to clean up on defensively. Honestly, I feel like we hurt ourselves a lot more than they did, but props to them. Good offense, and I guess they put us in those situations to make mistakes, but we just have to fix up a few communication things and just be confident with what we know and we'll be good."
Senior Linebacker Trey Reynolds
On what it meant for Utah's defense to put together a strong performance against Houston's offense…
"They're a great team, great offense, and we knew that going into it and we prepared the right way all week and it meant a lot to us as a defense. We have had holes, and we've been fixing them week by week, and we're able to show what we can really do on film tonight. I'm really proud of our guys, the way we battled in tough situations. We were in some pretty hard situations there and I'm really proud of our guys, the way they responded. And again, they're a great offense, and we're just lucky and we're really happy with the way our defense performed tonight."
On how Utah's defense was able to limit Houston's rushing attack…
"We had, first off, a great week of preparation. Great week. Coach Swan put us in a great position, and we just knew what they were going to do. We prepared like crazy and we knew it was coming and we played really sound football tonight. I'm really proud of our guys, the defensive tackles especially, guys in the box, and how we performed."
Senior Wide Receiver Creed Whittemore
On his ability to find openings in zone coverage
"I think that has a lot to do with Devon being a mobile quarterback. Teams have to put people in the box or spy him, so it gives us as receivers chances to get open. We're blessed to have him at QB, and then I think that just shows how much work we put in the offseason. We do our work during the week and that shows on the field, so we grind every week. I tell people all the time, I'm more scared of Jackson Bennee during the week than I am on Saturdays. We get our work in during the week, and it shows on Saturday."
On Devon Dampier's leadership when Utah was down 10–0…
"I think Devon leads with what he does. He's a great motivator when he talks. But I'm sure y'all saw when we came out in the second half, he just led us down the field by himself, basically. We rally around him. His plays encourage us and that fires us up. We knew he was going to come out and do something special. So that's what he does. I've never seen him not do that, so he leads by action, and y'all saw that tonight."
Houston Quotes
Head Coach Willie Fritz:
Opening Statement…
"Obviously very disappointing, but I want to give a bunch of credit to Utah. They played very well when they needed to. There's a bunch of plays we'd love to have back, but unfortunately that's not the way it works. Tipping the hat to them, they made plays when they needed to and did a very good job. There were times we played really well, especially in the first half defensively. Second half, we didn't play quite as well. Their quarterback really made a difference. The first team that's really ran the ball effectively against us, and he also made some plays with his arm. We had some snafus offensively with protection, the backs, offensive line, going to the right guy. Against a team like that, you got to be spot on, and we weren't. We just have to learn from our mistakes and get better. Can't repeat them. I thought, second half, we'd come right out and drive the field, get up 10-0, and we just didn't have that same momentum the rest of the second half."
Discussing missed tackles and defensive struggles…
"We missed way too many tackles. There were times we had an opportunity to vice tackle. We had an outside guy, an inside guy. We didn't make the tackle. We had a couple times to get him down and we didn't, which is uncharacteristic of us."
Amare Thomas #0 (WR):
How tough the loss was…
"You know, it's always tough when you lose. We knew what was on the line with this game, and it hurts."
Offensive execution in the second half…
"We just weren't executing. Plays were being called but we weren't executing them."
Conner Weigman #1 (QB):
Responding to the loss…
"It sucks. We left too many plays out there. We have to make some more plays to win a game against a team like that."
Talking to the guys in the locker room and moving forward…
"It's definitely tough. We were in that game, and we were in a really good position to win, and we didn't. So, it sucks, and we feel that in the locker room. We have to regroup and bounce back and get better over the bye week for Cincinnati."
(at) No. 10 Utah 21, No. 14 Houston 13
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
Kick: 8:30 p.m. MT | End: 11:53 a.m. MT
Attendance: 51,864 (sellout)
Utah Quotes
Head Coach Morgan Scalley
Opening Statement…
"So grateful for our guys, their fight. That's what you need. I don't really care about the stats. I'm so proud of these guys, just their fight. Devon Dampier, he's our guy. So proud of his fight in the second half and the defense came up with stop after stop. Colton Swan, great game plan. On the offensive side of the ball, they were doing a really nice job, stopping the interior run, and we weren't doing a good enough job ID'ing things and communicating, so McGiven and Jordan Gross and the entire offensive staff, credit to them for being able to move the ball in the second half, having a good discussion about what we needed to do. 100 straight sellouts since 2010, my gosh, unbelievable. Our fans were awesome. They showed up in a big way. ESPN College Gameday was fantastic and their crew and that composed a lot of challenges at times, with potential distractions and our guys handled it great. We're going to enjoy this for sure. I can't say enough great things about the University of Houston, Coach Fritz, and they're a bunch of fighters too. We knew coming in that this was going to be a big time matchup. I think they're a classy outfit. It got chippy out there at times and when it gets competitive like that, sometimes that's how it is. Very impressed with his team and that quarterback's a tough one too. We got Cincinnati next week. We're going to enjoy this win tonight, but we have to go 1-0 next week. This is a great one, but it's one and we can only celebrate for so long. So grateful for our fans, for everyone involved in this."
On what Devon Dampier and his leadership meant to the team when they fell behind…
"I just remember last year, times where things weren't going great and he didn't necessarily show the leadership. He was always competitive, but in terms of body language and stuff like that and you could not tell today in the locker room. Just all the confidence in the world, came up to me, I got you, coach. That's what you want. You're going to make mistakes and the two turnovers, we have to learn from that. We can't turn the ball over like that. We got one, they got two. Our one was pretty big. Jackson Bennee, on a zone pressure and Jireh Moe. I thought he got robbed last week. It was a correct call, robbed of the fumble recovery, so I'm happy he got this one. But Devon, he's a fighter and he's such a great human. He's our guy."
On what changed for the defense late in the game the defense's performance in the red zone…
"They've been playing really good red zone defense all season long and it didn't stop. I thought they were very stout when Houston wanted to run the ball. They got some things on us in some combo beaters, in man coverage, got some chunk yardage plays, but our guys just kept fighting. We got to the quarterback. I know he's hobbled. You could tell he was kind of hobbled, but what a competitor that kid is. Great job by our guys of fighting to the finish.
On what the defense showed…
"Well, really well against the run. This was a really good rushing offense. The quarterback was efficient, and we held him well below his passer rating. We got some really good pressure on the quarterback, some good hits on the quarterback. I thought Coach Swan was really timely with his pressures and switching up zone pressure to man pressure. It's tough on DBs when you're just bringing zero pressure, zero pressure, seven man, but the thing I love about Coach Shah is he doesn't bat an eye. It's like, let's go. Do it. We believe in our guys and they came up big."
Senior Quarterback Devon Dampier
On if him running the ball so frequently was part of Utah's original game plan…
"We always take what the defense gives us. Just watching film, there's a lot of run lanes, quarterback lanes during drop back passing and it just emphasizes, Devon, if you see it, go take it. That's just kind of the mentality out there and it's kind of what we went with."
On his mentality and leadership during Utah's first touchdown drive after falling behind 10–0…
"Again, I feed off love. I allow our team to feed off love. That's how I operate as a quarterback. I think love's the biggest factor when it comes to this game, and you know I just go up to those guys, I give them a hug, look in my eyes. We got this, like simple as that. And I got y'all no matter what situation I'm put into. You know I'm not afraid to take a hit either. So whatever it's called, let's go run it, and let's expect good things to happen."
Junior Safety Jackson Bennee
On his sack and forced fumble, along with the defensive call and what he saw as he approached the quarterback…
"Honestly, good play, but it was really the call. It was a great call. I can't really take too much credit for it. Things opened up how they should, and that's what you dream of. Honestly, I feel like every time you get a blitz and you're hitting the quarterback, you're like, man, it's too good to be true. He probably threw the ball, and that's usually how it happens, but I guess I got lucky, and he held on to it. It was a good feeling. That was a fun one for sure."
On the message Utah sent about its football program by remaining undefeated…
"Just had our backs against the wall. I think we have a lot to clean up on defensively. Honestly, I feel like we hurt ourselves a lot more than they did, but props to them. Good offense, and I guess they put us in those situations to make mistakes, but we just have to fix up a few communication things and just be confident with what we know and we'll be good."
Senior Linebacker Trey Reynolds
On what it meant for Utah's defense to put together a strong performance against Houston's offense…
"They're a great team, great offense, and we knew that going into it and we prepared the right way all week and it meant a lot to us as a defense. We have had holes, and we've been fixing them week by week, and we're able to show what we can really do on film tonight. I'm really proud of our guys, the way we battled in tough situations. We were in some pretty hard situations there and I'm really proud of our guys, the way they responded. And again, they're a great offense, and we're just lucky and we're really happy with the way our defense performed tonight."
On how Utah's defense was able to limit Houston's rushing attack…
"We had, first off, a great week of preparation. Great week. Coach Swan put us in a great position, and we just knew what they were going to do. We prepared like crazy and we knew it was coming and we played really sound football tonight. I'm really proud of our guys, the defensive tackles especially, guys in the box, and how we performed."
Senior Wide Receiver Creed Whittemore
On his ability to find openings in zone coverage
"I think that has a lot to do with Devon being a mobile quarterback. Teams have to put people in the box or spy him, so it gives us as receivers chances to get open. We're blessed to have him at QB, and then I think that just shows how much work we put in the offseason. We do our work during the week and that shows on the field, so we grind every week. I tell people all the time, I'm more scared of Jackson Bennee during the week than I am on Saturdays. We get our work in during the week, and it shows on Saturday."
On Devon Dampier's leadership when Utah was down 10–0…
"I think Devon leads with what he does. He's a great motivator when he talks. But I'm sure y'all saw when we came out in the second half, he just led us down the field by himself, basically. We rally around him. His plays encourage us and that fires us up. We knew he was going to come out and do something special. So that's what he does. I've never seen him not do that, so he leads by action, and y'all saw that tonight."
Houston Quotes
Head Coach Willie Fritz:
Opening Statement…
"Obviously very disappointing, but I want to give a bunch of credit to Utah. They played very well when they needed to. There's a bunch of plays we'd love to have back, but unfortunately that's not the way it works. Tipping the hat to them, they made plays when they needed to and did a very good job. There were times we played really well, especially in the first half defensively. Second half, we didn't play quite as well. Their quarterback really made a difference. The first team that's really ran the ball effectively against us, and he also made some plays with his arm. We had some snafus offensively with protection, the backs, offensive line, going to the right guy. Against a team like that, you got to be spot on, and we weren't. We just have to learn from our mistakes and get better. Can't repeat them. I thought, second half, we'd come right out and drive the field, get up 10-0, and we just didn't have that same momentum the rest of the second half."
Discussing missed tackles and defensive struggles…
"We missed way too many tackles. There were times we had an opportunity to vice tackle. We had an outside guy, an inside guy. We didn't make the tackle. We had a couple times to get him down and we didn't, which is uncharacteristic of us."
Amare Thomas #0 (WR):
How tough the loss was…
"You know, it's always tough when you lose. We knew what was on the line with this game, and it hurts."
Offensive execution in the second half…
"We just weren't executing. Plays were being called but we weren't executing them."
Conner Weigman #1 (QB):
Responding to the loss…
"It sucks. We left too many plays out there. We have to make some more plays to win a game against a team like that."
Talking to the guys in the locker room and moving forward…
"It's definitely tough. We were in that game, and we were in a really good position to win, and we didn't. So, it sucks, and we feel that in the locker room. We have to regroup and bounce back and get better over the bye week for Cincinnati."
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