Postgame Notes: No. 21 Utah vs. Idaho
9/4/2026 12:04 AM | Football
Postgame Notes
(at) No. 21 Utah 66, Idaho 14
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026
Kick: 7:02 p.m. MT | End: 10:27 p.m.
Attendance: 51,444 (sellout)
General
Offense
Defense
Special Teams
(at) No. 21 Utah 66, Idaho 14
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026
Kick: 7:02 p.m. MT | End: 10:27 p.m.
Attendance: 51,444 (sellout)
General
- Head coach Morgan Scalley is now 2-0 at the helm of Utah Football, following his debut victory over Nebraska in the Las Vegas Bowl along with tonight's game. He is the sixth straight Utah head coach to win the first game of their first full season, dating back to Chuck Stobart (1982 vs. Montana State).
- Not including the pandemic-altered 2020 season, the Utes have won 18 straight home openers at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
- Utah now leads the all-time series with Idaho, 15-12-2. It was the first meeting of the teams since an Idaho victory on Oct. 2, 1993; Utah won the matchup prior to last on Oct. 3, 1964.
- Tonight's game was the 96th straight sellout of Rice-Eccles Stadium, excluding the pandemic-altered season of 2020. With the exception of that, every game here since 2010 has been sold out.
- This was the second straight home opener for Utah that a member of the Bennee family scored a touchdown. Jackson Bennee had a pick-six in last year's opener vs. Cal Poly and Noah Bennee caught a 35-yard strike from Byrd Ficklin in the third quarter tonight.
- Though it negated a touchdown, Utah committed just one penalty all night. It was the first time since Sept. 14, 2024 at Utah State that the Utes had only one penalty.
- Utah won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. The Utes defended the North goal to begin the game.
Offense
- Utah finished with 633 total yards of offense, the seventh-highest total for a game in team history and most since the Colorado game during the 2022 season (662). It is also the third straight season opener that Utah eclipsed 400 total yards of offense. The team had 513 yards against Southern Utah in the 2024 opener and 492 yards at UCLA in last season's lid-lifter.
- Utah both passed (269) and rushed (364) for more yardage than Idaho had in total offense (225).
- Utah's 66 points were the most for the team since the Southern Utah game (73) during the 2022 season.
- The Utes had 33 first downs, tying for sixth-most in a game all-time at Utah and the most since last year's game at West Virginia.
- The Utes totaled 38 plays on first down and 327 yards on those plays (average 8.6 yards).
- Quarterback Devon Dampier made his 13th start as a Utah Ute and is 11-2 as a starter with the Utes. He finished 13-for-18 passing with 176 yards three touchdowns, with no interceptions. It marked Dampier's seventh straight game with multiple touchdown passes.
- Fellow quarterbacks Byrd Ficklin and Brandon Rose also saw action as the game went on. Ficklin tied his career-best with two passing touchdowns.
- Despite Utah replacing all five offensive line starters from last year's team (four went to the NFL), the Utes did not allow a sack tonight.
- Utah's 364 rushing yards marked the team's first 300-yard rushing game since the Baylor win last season. Overall, five different running backs earned at least one carry as the team combined for four rushing touchdowns.
- Making his collegiate debut, LaMarcus Bell turned in a game-high 87 yards on seven carries along with his first collegiate touchdown. Both he and Steve Chavez-Soto scored their first touchdowns as Utah Utes.
- Running back Wayshawn Parker caught two touchdowns, including a nine-yard grab from Dampier on Utah's opening drive of the game. It marked the fifth straight season-opening drive that Utah scored a touchdown and sixth straight season that the Utes' season-opening drive has produced points. Parker also scored Utah's first touchdown in last year's season opener at UCLA.
- Parker added a 21-yard rushing touchdown late in the first quarter. It marked his first three-touchdown game.
- Wide receiver Braden Pegan made four catches on five targets for a team-leading 81 yards and a touchdown, adding a 12-yard rushing touchdown as well. His first catch was a a 31-yard reception.
- Utah scored 31 points in the first half, marking the team's first 30-point first half since the Cal Poly game (35) last season.
- Pegan took a handoff for a 12-yard touchdown during the third quarter. It was his second collegiate rushing touchdown.
- Returning from an injury-shortened 2025 season, tight end Hunter Andrews scored his first collegiate receiving touchdown. He previously notched a rushing touchdown last season.
Defense
- Linebacker Trey Reynolds ended Idaho's game-opening drive with an interception. It was Reynolds' third career interception.
- The interception from Reynolds also extended Utah's active streak to seven straight games with an interception. During that seven-game stretch, the Utes have combined for 10 interceptions as a team.
- On the following drive, safety Rabbit Evans picked up an Idaho fumble for his first career recovery.
- It marked the fourth time in the last six games that Utah had multiple takeaways and the third straight game that the Utes won the turnover margin.
- Utah's two takeaways to begin the game marked the first time since the 2015 Las Vegas Bowl that the Utes had takeaways on the first two drives of a game. Dating back to 1983, it was the first time it happened in a season opener.
- Defensive tackle Karson Kaufusi made a six-yard sack during the first quarter. It was his first career solo sack. Kaufusi also set a career-best with 1.5 TFLs.
- Defensive tackle Mike Tauteoli had his first pass breakup.
Special Teams
- Utah punted once tonight and Orion Phillips booted one 47-yard punt on the night.
- Kicker Dillon Curtis made a 24-yard field goal along with seven PATs. Fellow kicker Tanner Cragun came on for the final two PATs of the night for the Utes.
- Mana Carvalho had two punt returns for 33 yards.
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