Devon Dampier threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns and ran for the go-ahead touchdown with 56 seconds remaining to rally No. 12 Utah to a 51-47 victory over Kansas State on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Dampier also ran for 94 yards and two scores to help the Utes (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) stay in the College Football Playoff picture.
Joe Jackson ran for a career-high 293 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Wildcats (5-6, 4-4). Avery Johnson totaled 174 yards on offense, passing for a touchdown and running for another.
Utah cut a 10-point deficit to three on a 20-yard catch by Larry Simmons. The Utes quickly forced a 3-and-out and got the ball back with 2:25 left. Dampier raced 59 yards on 4th-and-1 to set up his own 1-yard go-ahead run three plays later.
Lander Barton intercepted Johnson with 39 seconds remaining to seal the comeback win.
Utah scored on back-to-back drives to open the second half and erase a 10-point halftime deficit. Dampier threw a 38-yard pass to Dallen Bentley to cut Kansas State’s lead to three. Then, Byrd Ficklin flew out of an arm tackle for a 10-yard scoring run to give Utah its first lead at 35-31.
The Wildcats went back ahead when Johnson hit uncovered tight end Garrett Oakley on a 2-yard slant in the end zone on fourth down. Jackson’s third touchdown run from 24 yards out made it 47-37 with 7:00 left.
Jackson had runs of 44 yards and 33 yards to set up the Wildcats’ first two touchdowns. He followed with runs of 66 yards and 80 yards to score Kansas State’s next two touchdowns himself.
By halftime, the Wildcats had piled up 348 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while averaging 18.3 yards per carry.
Utah equalized on the first three scores with quarterback runs. Ficklin scored twice on runs of 10 yards and 6 yards, while Devon Dampier made it 21-21 on an 8-yard QB keeper.
It wasn’t enough to combat Jackson. His second touchdown gave Kansas State a 31-21 halftime lead. The Wildcats scored on five of their seven first half drives.
