Devon Dampier totals 4 TDs, leads No. 3 Utah to win over No. 9 BYU in Holy War as Bear Bachmeier throws 4 INTs

Utah quarterback Devon Dampier threw two touchdowns and ran for two more in a 28-20 victory over rival BYU at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, Utah, on Nov. 7.AP Photo/Tyler TateNo. 3 Utah ended one streak while extending another on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. The Utes snapped their three-game skid to No. 9 BYU with a 28-20 victory that gave them their 15th win in a row, dating back to the middle of the 2025 season. That's good for the longest active win streak in the FBS.Utah quarterback Devon Dampier totaled four touchdowns, whereas BYU signal-caller Bear Bachmeier was picked off four times in what was the 104th meeting in the Holy War's history but the first where both programs were ranked inside the top 10.At the time of their win, the Utes (9-0, 6-0 Big 12) remained one of the three unbeaten teams in college football. As for the Cougars (7-2, 4-2), their Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes took a hit.Dampier went 14 of 26 with 177 passing yards, two touchdowns through the air and two more on the ground, where he piled up a team-leading 87 yards.On the other hand, Bachmeier — who entered with just four interceptions all season — doubled that number while logging one touchdown and 272 yards on 21-of-35 passing.Utah opened the scoring gates at home. Morgan Scalley's team notched a pair of touchdowns in the first 4 1/2 minutes of action.On the second play from scrimmage, a 47-yard catch and run from tight end Noah Bennee slingshotted the Utes to the doorstep of the red zone. From there, a Dampier keeper did the job. He went 22 yards, finding pay dirt to deliver an early lead.It grew when Dampier moved up the pocket and fired a strike to wide receiver Braden Pegan, who caught the pass over the middle and galloped for a crowd-raising 46-yard touchdown. That was the first of two times Dampier and Pegan hooked up for a TD.Pegan clocked out with five receptions, 86 receiving yards and those two scores.#GoUtes | #RSNB | 📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/F6YaKHTkW6— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) November 7, 2026 At that point, Kalani Sitake's squad desperately needed a spark in hostile territory. That arrived, thanks to some timely trickery. Near midfield, Bachmeier handed a jet sweep to wide receiver Legend Glasker, who pitched the ball to wideout Jojo Phillips on a reverse. Then Phillips tossed the rock back to Bachmeier on a play that was a more complicated variation of the traditional flea-flicker.Bachmeier unleashed a 35-yard pass to tight end Walker Lyons. That set the stage for the first of two consecutive Cougars field goals, which made it a 14-6 game.BYU breaking out the trick plays 👀 pic.twitter.com/fuBh5thSyF— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 7, 2026 On an afternoon when BYU stacked 11 tackles for loss, its defense strung together some impressive stretches, notably forcing four first-half three-and-outs.After the second of those, Bachmeier uncorked a beauty. With excellent protection, a perfectly placed deep ball and the speed of Glasker, the Cougars authored a 75-yard touchdown.Glasker blazed past Utes safety Jackson Bennee, Bachmeier hit him in stride and the one-play scoring drive was soon part of the box score.BEAR TO LEGEND. 75-YARD TD PASS‼️🔥All-time name combo. All-time connection. pic.twitter.com/GgNoZqllO9— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 7, 2026 Suddenly down by only a point, BYU kept riding its momentum. Safety Tommy Prassas jarred the ball loose from Pegan, and the Cougars recovered. The takeaway spurred another TD drive. This one was capped by running back LJ Martin.Martin, making his return from an ankle injury that sidelined him for four games, received a shotgun handoff, faked a reverse and weaved inside for a 4-yard score that put BYU up 20-14.The reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year carried the ball just seven times on Saturday, recording 19 rushing yards, along with that touchdown.BYU recovered another Utah fumble before intermission; however, Bachmeier then flung the first of his four picks.BYU forces the fumble. Utah gets the pick.CHAOS in the Holy War heading into halftime‼️ pic.twitter.com/uSCu6HzhjZ— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 7, 2026 Bachmeier's second interception occurred on BYU's opening series of the second half. With pressure in his face, Bachmeier hurled the ball right to Utes defensive end Lance Holtzclaw.That was a bad omen for Bachmeier, as duress really started to get to him as the game wore on.Although Utah missed a subsequent chip-shot field goal — Dillon Curtis pushed a 29-yard attempt wide right — it wasn't long before the Utes were back in front.Dampier began to take over, resuming the spectacle he was showcasing in the game's infancy. A nine-play, 53-yard go-ahead touchdown drive saw him scramble for chunks of yards and, ultimately, loft a 14-yard pass to Pegan toward the back of the end zone for six.A second straight BYU three-and-out put the ball back in the hands of Dampier. His mobility, plus a couple costly Cougars penalties — including a boneheaded unnecessary roughness infraction — helped carry another momentous Utah drive. Flash forward to third-and-goal, and Dampier surveyed for a running lane, detected one and surged for a 3-yard score.Facing a 28-20 deficit, Bachmeier orchestrated a potential game-tying drive that spanned 13 plays, 65 yards and more than seven minutes. But it ended with him being picked off on the Utah goal line. Linebacker Trey Reynolds leaped to snag the ball before it could reach the end zone.Bachmeier's final interception came on a last-ditch heave. It was underthrown, and the Utes made him pay.They won this edition of the Holy War, improving to 9-0 for the first time since 2008 and, in turn, putting themselves in marvelous position to make their first-ever CFP.