LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Devon Dampier threw for 253 yards and three touchdowns, Elijah Davis returned an interception 97 yards for another score, and No. 14 Utah came from behind to beat Kansas 31-21 on Friday and keep its slim Big 12 championship hopes alive.
Wayshon Parker added 95 yards rushing, and Utah (10-2, 7-2, No. 13 CFP) picked off Jalon Daniels three times in the final game of his college career, moving the Utes to the 10-win mark for the third time in the last five years.
More importantly, the Utes can still play for a conference title. They need Arizona State to beat Arizona on Friday night, then Texas Tech to lose to West Virginia and BYU to beat UCF on Saturday — a long-shot scenario, to be sure, but a reason to turn on the TVs.
Daniels finished with 187 yards passing and a touchdown, and also rushed for a TD, though his turnovers led to a smattering of boos from fans of Kansas (5-7, 3-6), many of whom have endured the QB’s highs and lows over the past six seasons.
Daniel Hishaw Jr. had 107 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Jayhawks. Leshon Williams ran for 104 yards.
Utah looked as if it might turn Senior Day into a rout in the opening minutes, but the Kansas defense — which let Lance Leipold’s team down so often this season — found its fight. The Jayhawks bottled up the Utes, who had been averaging 279.6 yards rushing, and early on Dampier had little success through the air, twice misfiring on fourth-down attempts.
Utah led just 10-7 at halftime in a game it desperately needed to win.
Kansas took advantage after Utes coach Kyle Whittingham went for it on fourth down early in the second half, rather than attempt a field goal on a cold, blustery day. The Jayhawks marched 67 yards, and Daniels’ third-down sneak gave them a 14-10 lead.
But the momentum swung for good on two red-zone blunders early in the fourth quarter.
First, Daniels was picked off while trying to throw the ball out of the end zone, and Utah needed just four plays to go 80 yards for the go-ahead touchdown. Then, after Kansas marched downfield again, Daniels was picked off by Davis near the goal line, and the junior cornerback returned it 97 yards to give the Utes a 24-14 lead with 7:52 remaining.
The takeaway
Utah only ran for 164 yards but finished with 417 in total offense, and that was enough to capitalize on the Jayhawks’ mistakes.
Kansas started the season 4-2 before a loss to Texas Tech. It wound up losing five of its last six games.
Up next
Utah watches how the Big 12 race plays out on Saturday.
Kansas watches bowl season on TV for the second straight year.
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Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
