MORGANTOWN W.Va. — The chemistry between Utah quarterback Devon Dampier and receiver Ryan Davis has been apparent all season long.
Davis has been the only Ute wideout to consistently produce this season, and he continued his stellar play on Saturday in Utah’s 48-14 win at West Virginia. Davis had his first 100-yard game as a Ute — the third of his career — after catching seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Davis and Dampier have played together since the 2023 season, when a freshman Dampier arrived in Albuquerque to play for New Mexico. The two formed a quick connection in practice, and it’s carried throughout the pair’s careers.
“My freshman year when I came in, I was actually, just the way the alignment went, I was third quarterback up and I was throwing with Ryan since my freshman year, so just kind of that build that we’ve had coming into this, our trust level was really high,” Dampier said Saturday.
In Dampier’s first year as a full-time starter for the Lobos, he found Davis 54 times for 747 yards and three scores. That connection has carried over to the Utes, where the duo are playing in former New Mexico offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s offense.
“I think they trust me. I know Dev trusts me and I trust him, and then Coach Beck just giving me the opportunity. I’m grateful and I’m going to keep making the most of my opportunities,” Davis told the Deseret News earlier this month.
Entering the season with an entirely new receiver room, there was speculation about who was going to be the Utes’ WR1 with Zacharyus Williams transferring to USC.
Davis was certainly going to be in the mix to contribute, but a lot of the conversation centered on Tobias Merriweather or Larry Simmons.
Through five games, there’s no doubt about it — Davis is Utah’s WR1.
“Yeah, I think so. That’s fair to say,” Whittingham said. “Ryan’s got a great feel for finding the open space. He’s a very crafty receiver with great hands and toughness and courage.”
In front of a large group of his family in Morgantown, Davis had one of the best games of his six-year college career. His routes were clean and crisp, and he found himself open multiple times throughout Saturday’s blowout victory, catching passes of 32, 21, 17 and 14 yards.
His most impressive play of the day was the 32-yard touchdown reception.
Beck put an extra offensive lineman — Solatoa Moea’i — in for protection, giving the Utes six offensive linemen, which provided Dampier with plenty of time to survey the field on second-and-11 with 11:34 remaining in the second quarter.
That protection also gave Davis enough time to run a deep crossing route to the other side of the field, and as Utah’s quarterback went through his progressions, he saw Davis spring open.
Dampier placed the ball on the money for Davis, who hauled it in for a touchdown to give the Utes a 21-0 lead.
Davis has proven throughout the season that he can be counted on time and time again, and Dampier will keep throwing the ball his way.
That’s a good thing for the Utes.
“He’s a guy that works during practice and it very much translates to the game, so he’s a hard worker for sure,” Dampier said.