Hey, Utes. Aspen Mortensen here, boots clicked into my old race skis even though there's no snow yet, because it helps me think. I spent years racing gates down the Wasatch, and I still break down football the same way. Every defensive player is a slalom racer. Clean through the gate, you win. Hook a tip, you're tumbling into the fence. And right now, this Utah team is 6-0 and still standing at the bottom of the hill.
Send it, no fear.
Part 1: A Run With a Couple of Bobbles
No. 11 Utah won 27-24 at Colorado on Saturday night, in a game that ended early Sunday. I'll be honest, because honesty is what keeps you upright on an icy course. It wasn't our cleanest run. Our coach said as much afterward, and I agree.
The top of the course was perfect. Devon Dampier hit tight end Hunter Andrews for an 8-yard touchdown on our opening drive. AP says we've now scored a touchdown on our opening drive in every game this season, and we've outscored opponents 75-3 in the first quarter. Dillon Curtis added field goals of 27 and 29 yards, the second one as time ran out in the first half, and we led 13-0 at the break. Colorado had more penalty yards (82) than yards of offense (70) by halftime.
Then we hooked a tip. Colorado scored 17 straight points in the third quarter, including a 68-yard touchdown pass, and led 17-13. That's when you find out who can recover on a steep pitch. Dampier found Braden Pegan for a 16-yard touchdown with 1:06 left in the third quarter, then again for 6 yards with 3:43 to go. That made it 27-17.
Colorado scored with 1:21 left, and we recovered the onside kick. In the final minute, the Buffs completed a long play to our 38, but a review ruled it an illegal forward pass. Our defense knocked down one last throw, and that was the race.
Dampier threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. Pegan caught eight passes for 86 yards and two scores. Wayshawn Parker ran 23 times for 98 yards. Creed Whittemore had three catches for 88 yards. James Chenault Jr. and Rabbit Evans each had an interception. And we're 6-0 for the first time since 2015.
Even better: Utah has won 12 straight games dating to last season, and AP says that's now the longest active winning streak in FBS.
Part 2: The Cougars Come to the Mountains
Saturday, 10:15 p.m. Eastern on ESPN, which is 8:15 p.m. here. No. 14 Houston (6-1) at No. 10 Utah (6-0) at Rice-Eccles Stadium. A Saturday night under the lights at altitude. My most beloved kind of course: steep, fast and a little cold.
Gate-by-Gate: What Houston Brings
I'm going to tip my helmet first. Houston is good. The Cougars have won four straight, including a 35-32 win over then-No. 18 Oklahoma State last week. Conner Weigman threw for 343 yards and five touchdowns in that one. He has 20 touchdown passes and just two interceptions this season. Houston converts 61.4% on third down, first in FBS, and its run defense allows only 82.6 yards a game, sixth.
Now the rest of the course report.
Houston's pass defense allows 265 yards a game. That ranks 129th in FBS. In ski terms, that's a gate somebody forgot to plant. Oklahoma State threw for 365 yards against the Cougars last week and gained 499 yards. Houston also lost at Texas Tech, 28-26, in September.
And Houston gives up 21 points a game, 45th. We give up 14.8, 12th. Our run defense allows 88.7 yards a game, 12th. Houston will want to run, and our front will be waiting at the gate like a course worker with a clipboard.
Gate-by-Gate: What Utah Brings
Our offense gains 486.5 yards a game, ninth in FBS, and scores 40.2 points a game, eighth. We run for 220.2 yards a game. Dampier has 1,412 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions. Parker has 597 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. Pegan has 32 catches for 422 yards and six touchdowns. Linebacker Trey Reynolds leads us with 35 tackles, and Karson Kaufusi has two sacks.
We convert 53.2% on third down, eighth in FBS. We're plus-4 in turnover margin. And our red zone defense ranks 15th, while Houston's red zone offense is 75th.
The Honest Avalanche Report
Every good skier checks conditions. Here's mine. We threw two interceptions last week and let Colorado back into it. Houston leads the all-time series 5-0, according to CollegeFootballData, and the last meeting, in 2024, went to the Cougars 17-14 in Houston. Weigman can throw it, and the Cougars hold the ball about as long as we do.
But that 2024 game was in Houston, at about 50 feet above sea level. Saturday's field sits at 4,637 feet. Let's see how those Cougar lungs feel in the fourth quarter.
Red Rocks Report: Salt Lake City vs. Houston
Salt Lake City. We're the capital and most populous city in Utah, tucked under the Wasatch. Rice-Eccles Stadium was built to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Olympics, and Salt Lake City is set to host the Winter Games again in 2034. The stadium is expected to play that role again. The playing field sits 4,637 feet above sea level, and 400 feet above downtown. Our stadium is literally above the city. And just west of town is the Great Salt Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere. It's so salty that swimming in it feels like floating. Even our lake refuses to let you go under.
Houston. Houston is big. Fourth-most populous city in America. Big airports, big highways, big everything. But it's also flat. Really flat. Downtown sits about 50 feet above sea level, and the highest point in the whole city is about 150 feet. Our field is higher than Houston's highest point by roughly 4,487 feet. I've seen bunny hills with more personality.
Houston is also the largest city in the United States without formal zoning regulations. So in Houston, you can build pretty much anything, pretty much anywhere. Up here, the mountains decide where things go. In Houston, there are no mountains to argue with.
And here's my most beloved bit of Houston history. The city was founded in 1836 by land investors, and they ran newspaper advertisements for a town that, at that point, was still mostly an idea. Houston was marketed before it was built. It's the most Houston thing ever, and honestly, I respect the hustle. I just don't respect the elevation.
The Bottom of the Hill
Here's my course report. Houston has a great third-down offense, a strong run defense and a quarterback who's playing as well as anyone in the conference. Utah has the longest active winning streak in FBS, a top-10 offense, a stingy defense and a crowd that's ready to stay up late. If our defense hits every gate and Dampier keeps the ball safe, we're 7-0 by the time the snow cats start their engines.
Drop in, Utes. Send it, no fear.
My call: Utah Utes 34, Houston Cougars 25.