Shut Out for a Half, Utah Rallies Past No. 14 Houston and Stays Unbeaten

By The Arena Staff

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 24, 2026 — By the time No. 10 Utah kicked off Saturday night, BYU and Texas Tech had already lost. The Utes spent the first half looking like they might join them.

Devon Dampier made sure they didn't. The Utah quarterback ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 10 Utah came back from a 10-0 deficit to beat No. 14 Houston 21-13 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, with ESPN's College GameDay in town, according to AP.

The win keeps Utah (7-0, 4-0 Big 12) among the last three unbeaten teams in FBS, KSL.com and Field Level Media reported, and stretches the longest active winning streak in the country to 13 games.

It took a while. Houston drove inside the Utah 10 twice before halftime and came away with three points, Field Level Media reported, once when James Chenault Jr. broke up Conner Weigman's fourth-down pass in the end zone. Utah couldn't take advantage. Kentrell Webb picked off Dampier at the goal line, and the Utes went into the break scoreless for the first time since a 13-7 loss to TCU in 2024.

Houston opened the third quarter with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took 8:14 off the clock, and Makhi Hughes' 2-yard run made it 10-0. Utah answered right away. Dampier ran for 16 and 12 yards on the next drive and then scrambled 22 yards for the Utes' first points with 4:25 left in the third.

"Today was one of those games where I think my legs were needed, just the way they play defense," Dampier said, per KSL.com.

Wayshawn Parker gave Utah its first lead, 14-13, on a 5-yard run off a direct snap with 11:57 to play. The game stayed there until Houston, backed up in its own territory, dropped back with 2:15 left. Jackson Bennee came free, stripped Weigman, and defensive tackle Jireh Moe fell on the ball at the Houston 9. Dampier ran it in on the next play.

"Honestly, good play, but it was really the call; it was a great call," Bennee told KSL.com.

Houston (6-2, 3-2) still had one more push. Weigman got the Cougars to the Utah 23 in the final two minutes before the defense held, KSL.com reported. He finished 19 of 35 for 282 yards without a touchdown pass, and Amare Thomas caught five passes for 133 yards. A Houston team that came in averaging 220.3 rushing yards a game was held to 86.

Dampier wasn't perfect. He completed 18 of 26 passes for 204 yards and threw two interceptions, AP reported. But coach Morgan Scalley didn't want to talk about that part. "I don't really care about the stats," he said. "Devon Dampier, he's our guy."

Utah plays Cincinnati next, fresh off the Bearcats' win that handed Texas Tech its first loss.

Share-card photo: Rice-Eccles Stadium in 2017, by Ben P L via Wikimedia Commons.jpg), CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped.