Two of the biggest figures when Utah took the Rice-Eccles Stadium field Thursday night for its 2026 season opener were starting quarterback Devon Dampier and head coach Morgan Scalley — for obvious reasons.
Dampier is back for his senior year, and after dealing with injury during a successful 2025 campaign, he has his sights set on a memorable season. And more importantly, he's healthy.
Scalley, meanwhile, became the sixth straight Utah head coach to win the first game of his first full season as coach, as the No. 21 Utes rolled to a 66-14 victory over FCS opponent Idaho.
There were plenty of smiles from Utah fans, coaches and players throughout the night, as the Utes kicked off the new era in style.
"He was like, 'Y'all, we've been doing this for months now, so just go out there, do what you do. We're all going to make mistakes, but at the end of the day, forget it, move on to the next play,'" Dampier said of Scalley. "Just the way he carried himself definitely brought a different impact to us."
#utes #head #rice
Dampier is back for his senior year, and after dealing with injury during a successful 2025 campaign, he has his sights set on a memorable season. And more importantly, he's healthy.
Scalley, meanwhile, became the sixth straight Utah head coach to win the first game of his first full season as coach, as the No. 21 Utes rolled to a 66-14 victory over FCS opponent Idaho.
There were plenty of smiles from Utah fans, coaches and players throughout the night, as the Utes kicked off the new era in style.
"He was like, 'Y'all, we've been doing this for months now, so just go out there, do what you do. We're all going to make mistakes, but at the end of the day, forget it, move on to the next play,'" Dampier said of Scalley. "Just the way he carried himself definitely brought a different impact to us."
#utes #head #rice
8 days ago
