TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Devon Dampier hit Creed Whittemore on a 70-yard touchdown pass with 2:25 left, Daniel Bray ran for 197 yards and No. 2 Utah remained undefeated with a wild 40-39 victory over No. 22
Arizona early Sunday.
The Utes (10-0, 7-0 Big 12, No. 2 CFP) didn’t arrive in Tucson until just after noon due because of the FAA ground stop Friday and got off to a slow start, falling into an early 11-point hole in a game pushed back three hours to 8:30 p.m.
The Wildcats (7-3, 4-3, No. 23 CFP) pulled off a midnight miracle against TCU last week and found themselves in another late-night game against the highest-ranked opponent to play in Tucson since No. 2 Oregon in 2007.
A wild back-and-forth second half reminiscent of the Pac-12 After Dark days — Big 12 After Dark? — came down to which of the two star quarterbacks could come through.
Arizona's Noah Fifita did his part, throwing for 356 yards and three touchdowns. He hit Isaiah Mizell on two TDs, the second a 10-yarder that put Arizona up 39-33 with just over three minutes left.
Dampier answered with his 70-yard TD pass to Whittemore and Utah's defense sealed it with a fourth-down stop, stretching its winning streak to 16 games over two seasons. The Utes have won 12 straight conference games, clearing a path to reach the Big 12 title game and the College Football Playoff.
Dampier finished with 204 yards and two touchdowns passing. He also ran for 100 yards and two more scores.
Utah: The Utes survived one big test by beating rival BYU last week and pulled out another one to put themselves in position for a CFP bid.
Arizona: The Wildcats had won seven straight home games after the comeback against TCU last week, but came up just short in another game that carried over into the next day.
Utah: At TCU next Saturday.
Arizona: At Kansas State next Saturday.
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