Takeaways From Utah’s 42-10 Win Over Arizona State
Oct 12, 2025, 3:00 PM | Updated: 3:01 pm
Utah pass rushers Logan Fano and John Henry Daley in on the sack. Photo by Joel Davidson.
SALT LAKE CITY— In a rain-soaked showdown at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the Utah Utes delivered a statement win, overpowering No. 21 Arizona State 42–10.
With the victory, Utah improves to 5–1 overall and 2–1 in Big 12 play, setting the stage for a big time rivalry showdown next weekend.
UTAH FANS SHOWED OUT TONIGHT‼️ You heard the man, y’all know what time it is…⏳#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/k15obrvdfe
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) October 12, 2025
Healthy Devon Dampier looked truly dynamic
Quarterback Devon Dampier looked like he had a different gear last night, and head coach Kyle Whittingham confirmed as much.
“He’s been hobbled a little bit the last few weeks, but he’s back to 100%” Whittingham shared. “What you saw tonight is more of what he’s capable of.”
Dampier finished the game with 120 yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries last night. Beyond what those numbers say about his performance, it was how much more dynamic he looked running and avoiding tackles. He finished the game with six runs of at least 10 yards, including three of at least 19 yards.
Given the conditions, Dampier only attempted 12 passes, and completed 7 of them for 104 yards. Utah was able to dominate thanks in large part to the blocking up front, but the dynamic dual-threat quarterback propelled the offense to great success even despite difficult conditions.
“It opens it up a bunch, and you saw some of the moves he made tonight,” Whittingham described. “He just wasn’t capable of making those moves the last few weeks. We’re elated he’s back to 100%.”
Our @PFSNcollege highest-graded offenses, Week 7:
Utah: 87.0
USF: 85.8
Texas State: 85.5
Air Force: 84.4
USC: 83.6
Georgia Tech: 83.5
Washington: 83.1
Clemson: 82.5
BYU: 81.8
Arkansas: 81.8
Colorado State: 81.7
Navy: 81.6
Pittsburgh: 81.4
UNLV: 81.2
Kennesaw State: 81.2 pic.twitter.com/TD9OhcRcqX— Cam Mellor (@CamMellor) October 12, 2025
Utah’s best defensive secondary performance of the season
Utah’s secondary delivered its most impressive performance of the season, limiting Arizona State to 124 passing yards on 18 completions.
“Thought the secondary played really well, we were in great position on those balls up the field all night long,” Whittingham stated. “Very proud of the way Sith Snowden played, Blake Cotton and Scooby, I think it was their best game of the year.”
Limiting Jordyn Tyson was a significant key to Utah’s success last night, as he finished the game with just 40 yards on 8 receptions.
“It was obviously a focal point, and Smith Snowden did an outstanding job on him,” Whittingham said. “He shadowed him a lot of the night, not completely but a lot of the time, and to hold a talent like to just 40 yards is a credit to the secondary.”
Smith Snowden matched up against a number of receivers last night but was only targeted while in coverage against Jordyn Tyson.
Snowden limited Tyson to 5 receptions and just 26 yards on 10 targets while in coverage, with 2 PBU's included… I think the tape is going to… pic.twitter.com/SseTyDM3Js
— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) October 12, 2025
Utah dominated on 1st down against Arizona State
The Utes’ offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, paving the way for 276 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Utah averaged 6.6 yards per carry, overwhelming Arizona State’s defensive front and controlling the tempo of the game.
Coming into the game, Utah was one of the best offenses in terms of efficiency, thanks in large part to early down success. On the other side of the ball, Arizona State had been one of the stingiest defenses, thanks in large part to early down success against the run.
Utah has averaged 5.4 yards per carry on 1st down but the Sun Devils are limiting opponents to just 1.3 yards per carry on 1st down. That made this an unstoppable force vs an immovable object type of matchup.
But Utah’s offensive line set the tone from the jump, and powered the rushing attack to 6.4 yards per carry on 1st down, a whole yard better than their season-long average.
Utah’s pass rush got back into gear
It took some time, but eventually Utah’s pass rush broke through and made a big impact on the game.
After totaling just 2 sacks in the last two games, the Utes finished the night with 5 sacks to push their season-long total to 16.
John Henry Daley continues to keep pace at the top of the leaderboard. He was credited with 1.5 sacks on Jeff Sims, which brought his tally to 8.0 on the season. Daley checks in at the No. 3 spot nationally behind Texas Tech’s David Bailey Jr and Western Michigan’s Nadame Tucker, who both have 8.5 sacks.
Logan Fano, Levani Damuni, and Nate Tilmon each got on the board with a sack of their own, while Trey Reynolds split the credit with Daley.
Utah’s pressure was consistent throughout the game. Sims was pressured on 24 of 49 drop backs, which is a 49% pressure rate. That’s the second-highest rate of the season, behind the 62.5% rate against UCLA. The Utes’ defensive line disrupted ASU’s passing game, contributing to the Sun Devils’ struggles to sustain offensive drives.
Utah’s comprehensive victory over Arizona State reaffirms its status as a formidable contender in the Big 12. With a balanced offensive attack and a strong defensive effort, the Utes seem to be gaining moment at just right time.
