Devon Dampier leads Utah to 43-10 victory over Nico Iamaleava and UCLA in season opener
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Devon Dampier led Utah’s attack in the air and on the ground in a 43-10 victory over touted transfer Nico Iamaleava and UCLA on Saturday night in the teams’ season opener.
The former Pac-12 rivals each sported new quarterbacks and new offensive coordinators.
Iamaleava led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season and then abruptly left to head closer to home and play for the Bruins (0-1). He was 11 of 22 for 136 yards with one TD and one interception. Offensive coordinator and QB coach Tino Sunseri came to Westwood from Indiana, where the Hoosiers averaged 41.3 points — second-best in the nation — and reached the CFP.
“We know we can be better than that,” Iamaleava said. “It all came down to execution and we didn’t do that at a high level.”
Dampier followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico to Salt Lake City after the Lobos ranked fourth in the FBS with 484.3 yards per game a year ago. Dampier was 21 of 25 for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
“I felt like we were clicking on all cylinders,” Dampier said. “We played football at our best.”
Both quarterbacks were their teams’ leading rushers. Dampier led the Utes (1-0) with 16 carries for 87 yards, while Iamaleava had 13 carries for 47 yards.
“When the situation comes that I’ve got to run the ball, I’m going to run the ball,” Dampier said. “I’m doing what I got to do for my boys.”
The Utes led 20-0 on TD runs of 13 yards by Wayshawn Parker and 8 yards by two-way star Smith Snowden in the first quarter. The team piled up 256 yards of offense in the first half and finished with 492.
“That’s where most of my pregame butterflies came from, knowing I was going to go out there and play some offense,” Snowden said. “The offense went out there and took care of business. It was a great team win.”
The Bruins’ lone TD came on Iamaleava’s 19-yard pass to former Utah player Anthony Woods in the second quarter.
By The Numbers
Utah had 286 rushing yards to 84 for the Bruins, who also managed just 220 total yards. The Utes had 30 first downs to 14 for UCLA. Utah had the ball for 15 minutes more, too.
The Takeaway
Utah: Dampier and Beck picked up where they left off in New Mexico and that should bode well in curing last season’s offensive woes. Another New Mexico transfer, NaQuari Rogers, scored the Utes’ final TD.
UCLA: It’s going to take more than Iamaleava to create excitement. His debut drew just 35,032 to the Rose Bowl, and many Bruins fans left early while Utah fans made a strong showing.
Up Next
Utah hosts Cal Poly on Sept. 6.
UCLA visits UNLV on Sept. 6.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
