No. 3 Utah beat No. 9 BYU 28-20 on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium to stay unbeaten at 9-0. The Utes scored first and last, and BYU kept handing them the ball in between.

4 Interceptions Outweighed Every BYU Advantage

BYU won several of the categories that usually decide games. The Cougars outgained Utah 391 to 330 and converted 8 of 15 third downs against Utah's 7 of 15. They also held the ball longer than Utah did.

None of that survived 4 interceptions. Utah lost 2 fumbles of its own, so BYU gave the ball away twice as often. In a game decided by one score, that is the margin.

The passing games were equally efficient on a per-throw basis, with both teams averaging 7.6 yards per pass. BYU threw for 272 yards, well ahead of Utah through the air. The difference was what happened on the throws that went the other way.

Devon Dampier Was the Utah Offense

Every Utah touchdown went through Devon Dampier. He ran for scores of 22 and 3 yards and threw touchdowns of 46 and 14 yards to Braden Pegan.

He bookended the game. His 22-yard run and 46-yard strike to Pegan built the first-quarter lead. With Utah trailing, he hit Pegan from 14 yards out late in the third quarter to retake the lead, then ran in from 3 yards early in the fourth to stretch it.

That mattered because the rest of Utah's offense did not carry the day. The Utes ran 35 times for 124 yards, just 3.5 a carry, and finished with fewer total yards than BYU. When Utah needed points, Dampier produced them.

BYU's Road Problem Followed It to Salt Lake City

BYU is now 5-0 at home and 2-2 on the road. This loss fits that split, and the Cougars did plenty to hurt themselves away from home.

They were flagged 11 times for 80 yards. Utah was flagged 4 times for 19 yards. Add the interceptions, and BYU spent the afternoon working against itself as much as against Utah.

The frustrating part for BYU is how well the middle of the game went. Matthias Dunn hit field goals from 31 and 38 yards, Bear Bachmeier found Legend Glasker for a 75-yard touchdown and LJ Martin ran in from 4 yards. BYU led at halftime, then did not score again after 7:35 of the second quarter.

What It Means

Utah is 9-0, perfect at home at 6-0 and on the road at 3-0. Beating a ranked opponent while losing the yardage battle is the kind of result that says the Utes can win more than one way, and Dampier is the reason.

BYU falls to 7-2. A loss to the No. 3 team on its field is no disgrace, but the Cougars outplayed Utah in enough areas to have won. Until they win away from home cleanly, the road split will define how far they can go.