The Morgan Scalley era is officially underway as the Utah Utes defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 44-22, in the Las Vegas Bowl on Wednesday.
Scalley got his first reps in as a head coach a bit earlier than expected. Long-time head coach Kyle Whittingham, who stepped aside as head coach earlier this month, was supposed to lead the Utes (11-2) in the bowl game. But, after he took the job at the University of Michigan, both sides agreed to let Whittingham start his new job and Scalley to take the head-coaching headset full-time.
Utah finished the season on a six-game winning streak. Here are three takeaways from the game.
A Second-Quarter Surge
So, the hangover from Whittingham to Scalley lasted a quarter.
The Utes were down, 14-7, after the first quarter as Nebraska put together a couple of sharp scoring drives to take the lead. In between, quarterback Devon Dampier rushed for a score to avoid a first-quarter shutout.
After that, the Utes were in total control. It wasn’t just the offense, though Dampier had an incredible game, rushing for 148 yards, throwing for 310 yards and accounting for five total touchdowns. It was the defense, too. Even though the Utes were unable to force a turnover out of the Cornhuskers until early in the fourth quarter, they limited them to 343 total yards.
Utah got Nebraska off the field throughout the game on defense. The offense tightened their grip on the game like a vise and by early in the fourth quarter the game was basically over. The Utes racked up 535 total yards on offense and outscored the Cornhuskers 37-8 after the first quarter. That was dominant.
Upholding the Big 12 Banner
Depending upon how you feel about bowl games, you’re either impressed by what the Big 12 has done so far or you’re waiving it off. But, with Utah’s win, the Big 12 is now 4-1 in bowl games. BYU beat Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Houston beat LSU in the Texas Bowl and TCU beat USC in overtime in the Alamo Bowl. Arizona State fell to Utah in the Sun Bowl, but only by three points. That also means the Big 12 is 4-1 against teams from the other power conferences so far in bowl season.
One of the things that sticks out to me about those four teams is that, to this point, they haven’t been hit that hard by the transfer portal or opt-outs due to the NFL draft. Is that a function of wanting to finish out the season or a function of pushing back the portal window? I don’t think there is enough data to know for sure. But, if pushing back the portal window gives us better bowl games in the long run, I’m all for it.
Now, it’s up to Texas Tech to fly the banner in the Orange Bowl. The stakes, of course, are much higher than the Las Vegas Bowl. But Utah finished with 10 or more wins for the third time in five seasons and with 11 wins for the first time since 2019. That’s a good omen for the Utes in 2026.
What’s Next for Utah?
The next few weeks are going to be tumultuous, even though Scalley has worked at Utah for years and knows the terrain and the players. There’s the distinct possibility that offensive coordinator Jason Beck will follow Whittingham to Michigan. Would Dampier follow Beck, as he did an offseason ago from New Mexico? Much of that will have to do with what Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood does.
The transfer portal officially opens on Friday. These players who have declared for the transfer portal or have agreed to NIL deals to transfer? All of those become reality that day. It’s a new “Katie bar the door” moment for college football as there is only one portal window and it only last 14 days. By then, you have better have a dance partner.
How the Utes emerge from this is anyone’s guess. Does the head-coach-in-waiting situation help the Utes? Here’s hoping, because 2025 saw them flip the script on a 5-7 season and they have the potential to be annual Big 12 contenders.
