Parker’s Big Day Leads No. 15 Utah Past Iowa State

Saturday, September 26

Ames, Iowa / Jack Trice Stadium

1:30 p.m.

University of Utah

4-0 , 1-0

Iowa State

2-2 , 0-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
#15 Utah	14	10	0	7	31
Iowa State	0	3	7	7	17

Parker’s Big Day Leads No. 15 Utah Past Iowa State

9/26/2026 6:04 PM | Football

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Utes build 21-point halftime advantage on the way to 31-17 win

AMES, Iowa – The 15th-ranked Utah football team got a 54-yard rushing touchdown from Wayshawn Parker on the first play from scrimmage and didn't look back in a 31-17 road victory in front of 52,150 fans at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Utes (4-0, 1-0 Big 12) have now scored 30-plus points in 10 straight games dating back to the 2025 season, the longest streak in the nation. Iowa State fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 action with the defeat.

Parker's 152 rushing yards were the most by a Utah running back so far in 2026 and his 239 yards from scrimmage were the most by a Ute since Britain Covey's 252 yards in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2021 season. Parker has recorded three scores in three of Utah's first four games.

Utah's offense wasted no time putting points on the scoreboard when Parker dashed to the end zone on the first offensive play for his seventh touchdown of the year. Parker would add another touchdown before the opening half was over, totaling 144 yards (92 rushing, 52 receiving) on 13 touches in the first 30 minutes. He also scored Utah's final touchdown, hauling in a 13-yard strike from Devon Dampier.

Dampier helped spark the offense as well, hitting on 12-of-15 first half throws for 160 yards with a first quarter score to Braden Pegan. That touchdown concluded a 90-yard march that stands as the team's longest of 2026. The Utes' first half offensive numbers included 272 yards of total offense and an average of 8.5 yards per play.

Dampier's final stat line saw him accumulate 203 passing yards and another 21 rushing yards. Parker's five catches and 65 receiving yards were both team bests while Daniel Bray and Creed Whittemore hauled in three passes each. The Utes final yardage totals consisted of 206 yards passing and 205 yards rushing, putting them over 400 total yards for the fourth time in as many games.

Defensively Utah held Iowa State without a conversion on their first seven third downs and stuffed the Cyclones on a fourth and one in the second quarter. That stop helped set up a Dillon Curtis field goal. Two of the third down stops were made by Cyrus Polu, who added a 36-yard kickoff return on special teams, currently Utah's longest of the year. The Utes permitted only three conversions on 14 third down attempts for the game.

Elijah Elliss contributed his second sack of the year while Trey Reynolds and Johnathan Hall tied for the team lead with eight tackles apiece. Reynolds was credited with two TFLs and Jireh Moe registered 1.5 TFLs. Jackson Bennee picked off his second pass of the year and Pegan pulled in an interception on the final play of the first half. Lance Holtzclaw added two PBUs for the Utes.

UP NEXT
Utah enters its bye week before returning to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, when Kansas visits Rice-Eccles Stadium.

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