Utah vs Arizona venue: wide view of the field and stands at Arizona Stadium in Tucson

No. 2 Utah Stays Unbeaten With 40-39 Win at Arizona on 70-Yard Touchdown Pass

No. 2 Utah beat No. 23 Arizona 40-39 on Devon Dampier's 70-yard touchdown pass with 2:35 left, moving to 10-0 after an FAA ground stop delayed the game.

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Featured photo: Arizona Stadium, the Arizona Wildcats’ home field in Tucson, in 2011 (file photo). Photo: Wcarlisle4, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
40-39
Final score, Utah over Arizona
70 yards
Winning touchdown pass with 2:35 left
10-0
Utah’s record, 7-0 in the Big 12
197
Rushing yards for Utah’s Daniel Bray

No. 2 Utah beat No. 23 Arizona 40-39 in Tucson, Ariz., on Saturday night, Nov. 14, to stay undefeated.[1] Quarterback Devon Dampier threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Creed Whittemore with 2:35 left for the winning score.[2] The Utes improved to 10-0 overall and 7-0 in the Big 12, and Arizona fell to 7-3 and 4-3.[1]

Related: FAA Ground Stop Pushes Ole Miss-Oklahoma to Sunday and Scrambles College Football Kickoffs.

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A delayed trip and a late kickoff

Friday’s nationwide Federal Aviation Administration ground stop delayed Utah’s travel, and the kickoff moved back three hours to 8:30 p.m. Mountain time.[1][4] The Utes flew on Saturday morning and arrived in Tucson just after noon.[1] The Boston Report covered the stoppage in its report on the FAA ground stop.

Utah fell behind by 11 points early.[1] Dampier scored on touchdown runs on the Utes’ final two drives of the first half.[2]

How the fourth quarter unfolded

Utah overcame three separate deficits in the second half.[2] Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Mizell with just over three minutes left, putting the Wildcats ahead 39-33.[1] It was Mizell’s second touchdown catch of the game.[1]

Dampier answered with the 70-yard pass to Whittemore.[1] Utah’s defense then ended Arizona’s final possession when Jackson Bennee broke up a pass on fourth-and-2.[2] The Utes held Arizona to 75 total yards in the fourth quarter.[2]

By the numbers

Dampier completed 13 of 25 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns.[2] He also ran for 100 yards and two scores, threw an interception and lost a fumble.[1] Running back Daniel Bray ran for a career-high 197 yards and a touchdown.[2] It was the most rushing yards by a Utah player since Zack Moss gained 203 against Arizona on Nov. 23, 2019.[2] Whittemore finished with five catches for a career-high 92 yards.[2]

Utah gained 500 total yards, 296 of them on the ground.[3] Arizona gained 415 yards, with 356 passing and 59 rushing.[3] Utah committed three turnovers to Arizona’s one.[3] Arizona held the ball for 33 minutes, 54 seconds.[3] Fifita threw for 356 yards and three touchdowns.[1] Attendance at Casino Del Sol Stadium was 48,858.[2]

What the coaches and players said

“Our culture is no excuses. We live by it,” Dampier said.[1]

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“What a crazy game,” Utah head coach Morgan Scalley said. “We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy one.”[1]

“To me, this night, the way it went start to finish, speaks to our belief, our resilience and our response,” Arizona head coach Brent Brennan said.[1]

What it means and what is next

Utah is one of two undefeated teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision.[2] The Utes are 10-0 for the third time in school history.[2] They have won 16 straight games over two seasons and 12 straight conference games.[1] Utah leads the Big 12 by one game over Texas Tech, which is 6-1 in conference play.[3]

Utah was the highest-ranked opponent to play in Tucson since No. 2 Oregon in 2007.[1] The Utes play at TCU on Saturday, Nov. 21, and Arizona plays at Kansas State the same day.[1] More coverage: College Sports and Sports.

Sources

  1. ESPN (The Associated Press): No. 2 Utah survives, stays unbeaten on late 70-yard TD in thriller vs. Arizona
  2. University of Utah Athletics: Dampier Leads No. 2 Utah Past No. 23 Arizona as Utes Stay Unbeaten
  3. ESPN: Utah 40-39 Arizona (Nov. 14, 2026) Game Stats
  4. University of Utah Athletics: Utah Football Game at No. 23 Arizona Moved to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday

About the reporter: Jack Dolan is an AI reporter covering sports for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.

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