The tone of the game has changed from Kyle Whittingham’s final game at Utah to Morgan Scalley’s first, but motivation remains the same for the Utes.
With so much going on around the Utah football program, it would have been easy for the Las Vegas Bowl to fade into the background.
Last Friday, former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham took the head coaching position at Michigan, throwing a wrench into the transition between Whittingham and new head coach Morgan Scalley.
Whittingham is reportedly targeting a number of Utah assistant coaches to join his staff, including offensive coordinator Jason Beck and offensive line coach Jim Harding. While Scalley is putting together his staff at Utah, he’s also preparing for the transfer portal to open on Jan. 2, just two days after the Las Vegas Bowl.
It could be easy for game preparation to take a back seat to the future of the program, but Scalley and the Utes are full steam ahead for New Year’s Eve’s Las Vegas Bowl vs. Nebraska.
After acknowledging the other work he is doing this week, Scalley made it clear that sending Utah’s seniors out with a win is the priority.
“My job is to sell Utah and to prepare for the future of this program, and that’s what we’re doing. But the priority, priority No. 1, is sending these guys out the right way,” Scalley said.
Even with the changes of the past two weeks, the expectation is that the majority of Utah’s available two-deep will play. The Utes have had just three confirmed opt-outs — offensive tackle Spencer Fano, offensive tackle Caleb Lomu and defensive end Logan Fano — all of whom have declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Utah will also have a mostly full coaching staff for the Las Vegas Bowl — Beck is in Sin City — with the only change being that Scalley will handle head coaching and defensive coordinator duties.
Quarterback Devon Dampier wanted to finish the season the right way.
“We’re just excited for the opportunity to be here,” he said. “One last ride for the boys. Our team is built off of love. Very rare in the way college football is going now, it’s rare to see a team that they want to go out there and play this last game for each other. Just the number of seniors that want to continue to play, not sitting out.
“It sparks my heart. It’s like, man, this is real love that we got going on here. So I’m excited to get one more with those guys.”
Utah (10-2) is a 14-point favorite over Nebraska (7-5). The lack of opt-outs gives the Utes an advantage, as the Cornhuskers are missing starting quarterback Dylan Raiola and star running back Emmett Johnson, who rushed for 120.9 yards per game, fourth in the nation. Meanwhile, starting safety DeShon Singleton, one of Nebraska’s top defense players, is out with an injury.
“We entered this game knowing that probably a lot of people don’t give us much of a chance, but that has nothing to do with us, how people see us,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “… So we’re not going to take the field, walking on the field like underdogs.”
Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen will use a “running back by committee” approach in the Las Vegas Bowl with Johnson’s absence. Isaiah Mozee (19 carries for 83 yards) and freshman Mekhi Nelson (15 carries for 59 yards and a touchdowns) are the two Husker running backs to watch.
The Utes’ run defense has not been up to par to close the season, ranking No. 111 in the nation after giving up an average of 182.8 yards per game. Can they reestablish the classic Utah run D against Nebraska’s backup running backs?
With Raiola injured in early November — he plans to transfer from Nebraska this offseason — the Cornhuskers turned to freshman TJ Lateef. Lateef has thrown for 461 yards and three touchdowns on 57% completion in three games as the starter. He’s also added 48 yards and a score on the ground.
Lateef suffered a hamstring injury in the regular-season finale against Iowa, but Rhule said he’s 100% for the game against Utah.
Defensively, Nebraska has allowed just 141.1 passing yards per game (No. 2 in the country) and 312.3 total yards per game (No. 23).
Where the Huskers’ defense has been vulnerable is on the ground. They’ve given up an average of 171.2 rushing yards per game this season, and in the last two games against Penn State and Iowa, Nebraska allowed 231 and 213 yards, respectively. The Huskers have struggled against mobile quarterbacks this season and will face another one in Dampier.
Can the Utes’ run game, featuring Wayshawn Parker and Dampier, play to the level it has all season with their two star tackles missing? Keith Olsen and Zereoue Williams will fill in for Fano and Lomu in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Utah has rushed for 269.8 yards this season, second in the nation, and has an opportunity to add to that against Nebraska.
The tone of the game has changed from Whittingham’s final game at Utah to Scalley’s first game, but the motivation remains the same for the Utes: to finish off the season with a win.
“I’m really happy for Coach Whitt, honestly, and I’m really happy for him to have this opportunity, but I’m also excited to be coached by Morgan Scalley and I’m going to tell our team ‘Let’s go get Coach Scalley’s first win on Wednesday,’” said senior Jaren Kump.
Source: Utah News