Braden Pegan hauls in 2 TDs against former team as No. 17 Utah shuts out Utah State

SALT LAKE CITY — Morgan Scalley said Monday afternoon that Saturday's game wasn't about wide receiver Braden Pegan in his return against his former team.

But Kevin McGiven, the former Utah State offensive coordinator, didn't get the message.

Pegan scored the first touchdown of the game on a 28-yard catch of a nine-play, 75-yard drive that featured the former Aggies receiver three times. He then added to his first half total with a 36-yard catch over two Aggies defenders in the end zone for his second score of the day to lift Utah to a 29-0 lead going into the halftime break.

The veteran receiver finished the afternoon game with 122 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches as No. 17 Utah rolled to a 33-0 victory over Utah State in the final game of the nonconference slate for the Utes (3-0).

Scalley said he could see a "different type of focus" for Pegan coming into the game, and that he "really wanted to perform well."

"Great to see Braden Pegan have a good game against his old team," Scalley said. "The guy is so good at going up and getting the ball. Unbelievable hands, body control, so very pleased there."

"I knew this was a big game for BP going against some guys that he used to be with and things like that," Utah quarterback Devon Dampier said. "And he's a hard worker during practice. I mean, the same plays we ran out there is the same plays we called during practice, and we were efficient all week. So, I mean, if you're going to play them one-on-one, that's kind of what's going to happen. The ball's going to find him, and plays are going to be made."

Utah's offense had much of its way against the Utah State defense in the first half, building a double-digit lead, but struggled at times against a tough defensive front that later forced Dampier into a fumble deep in Utah's territory in what Scalley called a "disjointed" second half of football.

But on third down of Utah State's ensuing possession after the fumble, starting quarterback Grady Brosterhous threw an interception to safety Rabbit Evans in the back of the end zone, ending any chances of a score on a promising drive.

On Utah's ensuing possession, backup running back Daniel Bray took the handoff and went 63 yards to the end zone for a career high run to give the Utes a 33-0 lead.

Bray led the team in rushing yards with 82 yards and one touchdown on three carries, while starting running back Wayshawn Parker struggled to get much push against the Aggies. Parker had a 94-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but the play was called back for a holding penalty on Utah.

It was a tougher showing for Utah's offense at times in the run game, but Scalley said nearly 200 rushing yards isn't nothing.

"When you rush for 194, I think you're doing a pretty good job," he said. "I think those numbers, too, you get a holding penalty on one of Wayshawn's runs, and that jacks that up, too. So there's some really good things that we're doing. We'll have to look at the film and see where we're missing stuff, but, yeah, I knew that there was going to be things to clean up."

Dampier finished the game throwing for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 22-of-32 passing, while adding 34 rushing yards on 10 carries as Utah put together 480 total yards of offense.

The veteran QB who was previously coached by Utah State (0-3) head coach Bronco Mendenhall at New Mexico showed out well but had the fumble and two sacks taken in three quarters of action.

"I felt very confident with the way our receivers were playing, the play calls being made, the way our offense was blocking," Dampier said. "Just as a pass game, I feel like the game is slowing down a little bit for me mentally, and I'm just able to make better decisions as I'm out there."

But Dampier felt there was "a lot we can learn from this game."

"Utah State came prepared; they played the whole entire game, and that was great feedback for us to start running plays and knowing what we need to get better at," he said. "I think there's a lot of stuff we need to improve on."

The Aggies' best chance of a score Saturday afternoon came late in the third quarter, as Brosterhous led the team down the field to Utah's 7-yard line. Facing a fourth-and-1 situation, Utah defensive end Lance Holtzclaw blew up the play in the backfield to claim a 1-yard tackle for loss to preserve the clean sheet on the scoreboard.

Brosterhous, who started his second straight game for the Aggies, finished throwing for 130 yards and an interception on 15-of-29 passing, while adding 17 rushing yards on 17 carries as the team's second-leading rusher.

The Aggies finished with 188 total yards of offense and were held to five three-and-out series against a Utah defense that didn't allow much all day. Utah linebacker Trey Reynolds led the team with 10 tackles, with Nate Ritchie adding six tackles, a sack and one tackle for loss.

"Anytime you can hold an offense to zero points, I don't care what offense it is, you're doing a really good job," Scalley said. "And they were put in tough situations a couple times."

Utah State linebacker Harrison Taggart suffered a serious injury midway through the second quarter, stopping game play for several minutes as medical staff attended to him. Taggart was eventually taken out of the stadium on a stretcher in an ambulance, waving his hand to a cheering stadium as he was loaded into the vehicle.

"Talking to coach Mendenhall and getting some updates, it sounds like he's got feeling back in legs, but I don't have official word on that," Scalley said. "Harrison's a kid that we recruited at Utah. ... That's not something that you want to see ever, and that's the unfortunate thing about this game, so prayers go out to Harrison."

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