Devon Dampier made all the right moves in No. 3 Utah’s 28-20 rivalry win over No. 9 BYU in front of the seventh-largest crowd in Rice-Eccles Stadium history on Saturday afternoon.

Bear Bachmeier only made some of the right moves in a loss that pushed the Cougars’ Big 12 title and College Football Playoff hopes to the brink.

It’s not DEFCON-1 for BYU (7-2, 4-2 Big 12), but the Cougars will need some help to accomplish the type of season that brought last year’s stars, like LJ Martin and linebacker Isaiah Glasker, to “run it back” for their final season of college football.

Bachmeier completed 21 of 35 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown and ran for a team-high 59 yards.

But the sophomore signal-caller also threw four interceptions — and had a couple close calls.

Fitting, then, that Bachmeier’s final touch found the hands of Nate Ritchie, the senior safety from Cedar Hills whose father, Brad, played football at BYU, to seal the Utes’ first win in the rivalry series since 2019.

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) runs the offense for the Cougars, in football action between the BYU Cougars and the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium, on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.

Bachmeier made “some really good plays with the ball,” head coach Kalani Sitake said, dropping dimes to Kyler Kasper and finding Legend Glasker over the top and Walker Lyons in the middle of the field, who combined for 215 yards.

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But he also threw those four costly interceptions, giving Utah a 4-2 advantage in the turnover margin in a rivalry series that has been decided by a single score in nine of the last 11 meetings.

“Bear’s being really hard on himself, and I think it’s OK,” Sitake said. “You know, this defense is one of the best defenses in the country, and the scheme and the system works really well.

“It’s the foundation of what we do, too.”

BYU’s own defense certainly did enough to come back from a 14-0 deficit, racking up 11 tackles for loss, including three sacks.

But Dampier bounced back each time, running for 87 yards and two touchdowns to go with 177 passing yards and two more scores to move the Utes to 9-0 for the first time in nearly two decades.

Bachmeier wasn’t available to the media, but his teammates painted a picture of the solemn quarterback in the postgame locker room, and the sophomore’s emotions as Sitake tried to keep the Cougars positive with plenty of their goals still in front of them.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) Utah hosts BYU, NCAA football at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.

“I think he’s hurt. You know, his heart’s broken. He lays his heart on the line for this team,” said Keanu Tanuvasa, the former Utah defensive tackle who had five tackles and three tackles for loss in his first game at Rice-Eccles Stadium wearing a blue jersey.

“He loves Cougar Nation,” he added, “and he feels like he let them down. It’s not his fault — but he’s definitely hurt.”

Sitake, for his part, took accountability for BYU’s slow start even in the return of Martin for the first time in a month while also giving credit to longtime friend Morgan Scalley and the Utes for a fast start.

“Give Utah a lot of credit for making plays,” Sitake said, “and we didn’t make enough. That’s my job as head coach … It’s my responsibility to get these guys playing at a higher level.”

The Utes started fast, as they are prone to do, jumping out to a 14-3 lead on just seven plays in the first two drives. Utah has outscored its opponents 103-9 in the first quarter through its first nine starts, a 94-point differential that is best in the nation.

But games aren’t won in the first quarter — especially not this rivalry game.

Bachmeier dazzled in the second quarter, completing 8-of-11 passes and helping the Cougars out-gain the hosts 149 yards to 42 en route to a 17-0 spurt to take a 20-14 halftime advantage.

“We thought we had it,” said Glasker, who caught seven of his 10 targets for 107 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown in the second quarter that spiraled around 55 yards in the air. “But there’s nothing we can do; just work hard, and work on the next week.”

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) BYU Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier (47) Utah hosts BYU, NCAA football at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.

Plenty of players stepped up to the moment, like Legend Glasker and Lyons, who caught seven passes for 97 yards, taking on a larger role with tight end Roger Salepaga out.

“He stepped in a very big way for us,” Legend Glasker said of the pass catcher. “Having [Salepaga] down isn’t really good for us, but Walker stepped up.

“Every time the ball came to him, he made something happen.”

BYU’s second loss puts it two games behind the Utes in conference play, but only one behind Texas Tech in a mass of four teams at 4-2 in the league.

That group includes Baylor, which improved to 6-3 with a 42-31 home win over Iowa State ahead of next week’s road trip to LaVell Edwards Stadium.

That was Sitake’s message in the locker room: losing the rivalry game hurts — and it should. But BYU still has goals that can be accomplished the remainder of the season.

And one other thing.

“Just keep loving each other,” said running back Sione Moa, who totaled 10 carries for 37 yards. “Tough game, but we’ve just got to stay more connected (now) than ever, and get at it this week and get ready for the next game.”

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