Posted December 31, 2025 | lasvegasbowl
LAS VEGAS – After trailing by a touchdown at the end of the first quarter, No. 15 Utah (11-2/7-2) scored 37 straight points en route to a resounding 44-22 victory over Nebraska (7-6/4-5) in the 34th year of the SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl on Wednesday afternoon.
Watching this bowl being played on New Year’s Eve for the first time, the mostly-red-clad crowd of 38,879 fans was the biggest for this event since moving to its new home after the 2019 season and ninth-biggest in the bowl’s history.
The Utes, who were appearing in their record seventh Las Vegas Bowl (breaking a tie with BYU), are now the winningest program in the game’s history with a 5-2 mark, breaking a tie with Boise State (4-1). Utah head coach Morgan Scalley, leading the program for the first time after taking over the position five days earlier, became the first person to both play in a Las Vegas Bowl (defeated USC in 2001) and be a head coach in one.
Nebraska rolled down field on both of its first two possessions to build a 14-7 lead after the first quarter. The Utes, however, outscored the Huskers 17-0 in the second stanza and cruised to victory behind unanimous Rich Abajian Most Valuable Player Devon Dampier. The Utah quarterback dazzled through the air (310 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-31 passing) and on the ground (148 yards and three more scores on 19 carries). His 458 total yards of offense were a Las Vegas Bowl record as he became the first QB to even break 100 net yards rushing in the game.
Dampier’s favorite target was Dallen Bentley who turned his six receptions into 105 yards and one touchdown. Defensively, Moroni Anae led the Utes with nine total tackles while Rock Caldwell grabbed a late interception for the game’s only turnover.
For Nebraska, running back Mekhi Nelson opened the scoring with a nifty 38-yard run to the end zone and finished with 88 yards on just 12 carries. Freshman QB TJ Lateef threw for one score and ran in another but completed just 15 of 28 attempts for 182 yards. Husker DB Caleb Benning had a game-high 13 takedowns and LB Javin Wright added 1.5 of his team’s three total sacks.
GAME NOTES AND RECORDS:
-The crowd of 38,879 bested the 32,515 that attended the 2021 game played between Wisconsin and Arizona State for the biggest for a Las Vegas Bowl at Allegiant Stadium
-Utah’s 44 points were the most scored in a Las Vegas Bowl since these same Utes rolled up 45 vs. Colorado State in 2014
-The 14-7 Nebraska lead represented the highest-scoring first quarter in a Las Vegas Bowl since Utah led BYU 35-0 after the first in 2015. The Utes held on to win that one, 35-28, at Sam Boyd Stadium
-Devon Dampier broke BYU QB John Beck’s Las Vegas Bowl record for total offense with 458 yards. Beck had 401 vs. in 2005 vs. Cal
-Dampier’s rushing total of 148 yards ranked 11th overall in a Las Vegas Bowl
-Dampier’s passing total of 310 yards ranked 12th overall in a Las Vegas Bowl
-Dampier tied former Ute QB Travis Wilson for most rushing TDs by a QB in a Las Vegas Bowl with three. Wilson hit his trio vs. CSU in 2014 while setting the previous high for net rushing total at his position with 91 vs the Rams
-Utah improved to 18-9 in bowl games while Nebraska fell to 27-28 all-time
-With the Utes earning the bid to the game through an extension of the Pac-12 Conference partnership, current or former Pac-12 teams improved to 12-11 in Las Vegas Bowls
-The Big Ten suffered its first loss in three all-time Las Vegas Bowl appearances
-This was the latest-ever Las Vegas Bowl on the calendar and just the third staged post-Christmas
-This was the fifth Las Vegas Bowl played on a Wednesday
-Utah earned its first victory over Nebraska as the Huskers won all four previous meetings (all played in Lincoln), including the most-recent before today in 1992
RECORDS BROKEN OR TIED
Rushing TDs
-3 by Dampier – tied for 3rd all-time (4th with 3); Travis Wilson (Utah 2014) & Wasean Tait (Toledo 1995) only players with 4
Most Net Rush Yards by a QB
-148 by Dampier – 1st overall; surpassed Wilson’s 91 in 2014 for Utah
Most Rushing TDs by a QB
-3 by Dampier – tied for 1st overall with Wilson’s 3 in 2014 for Utah
Total Offense
-448 by Dampier – 1st overall; surpassed John Beck’s 401 in 2006 for BYU
100-Yard Rusher
-Dampier 148 yards – 11th most in LVB History
300-Yard Passer
-Dampier 310 yards – 12th most in LVB History
TEAM
Most Touchdowns
-4 by Utah; tied for 3rd all-time (3rd with 3); Toledo (6 in 1995) & Utah (5 in 2014) are 1-2
Fewest First Downs by Penalty
-0 by Nebraska – tied 1st overall (tied with 10 others)
LAST TIME SINCE …
-No Turnovers: Utah 2025; was Northwestern 2023 vs. Utah
