Devon Dampier found Creed Whittemore for a 70-yard touchdown with 2:25 remaining, and No. 2 Utah stayed unbeaten by outlasting No. 22 Arizona 40-39 early Sunday in Tucson.
The Utes improved to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big 12, keeping their No. 2 College Football Playoff ranking intact. Daniel Bray powered the offense with 197 rushing yards, while Dampier threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns and added 100 yards and two more scores on the ground.
Utah’s trip was unusual from the start. The Utes did not reach Tucson until just after noon because of a Friday FAA ground stop, and the game was pushed back three hours to 8:30 p.m. Utah looked sluggish early and fell behind by 11 points before the wild, back-and-forth second half took over.
Arizona, now 7-3 and 4-3 in the Big 12, was playing another late-night game after its comeback win over TCU last week. The Wildcats were hosting their highest-ranked opponent in Tucson since No. 2 Oregon in 2007, and the game turned into a Big 12 version of “Pac-12 After Dark.”
The finish came down to the quarterbacks. Arizona’s Noah Fifita threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns, including two to Isaiah Mizell. His 10-yard scoring pass to Mizell put the Wildcats ahead 39-33 with just over three minutes left.
Dampier answered immediately with the 70-yard strike to Whittemore, and Utah’s defense closed it out with a fourth-down stop. The victory extended Utah’s winning streak to 16 games across two seasons and 12 straight in conference play, clearing a path toward the Big 12 title game and the CFP.
Utah had already survived a major test by beating rival BYU last week. The Utes passed another one Saturday night — or rather, early Sunday — to keep their perfect season alive. Arizona, meanwhile, saw its seven-game home winning streak end in a game that carried into the next day.