Utah is still perfect. The No. 3 Utes held off No. 9 BYU 28-20 on Saturday at Rice-Eccles Stadium, improving to 9-0 on the season and keeping their College Football Playoff hopes squarely on track despite a shaky finish against their oldest rival.

Quarterback Devon Dampier was the difference-maker, completing 14 of 26 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns while adding 87 yards and two more scores on 20 carries, according to ESPN's game recap. Receiver Braden Pegan hauled in five catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns, giving Utah's offense just enough firepower to survive a game that was far closer than the final score suggested.

BYU actually outgained Utah, 391 yards to 328, and held the ball for nearly 32 minutes. But the Cougars' offense imploded in the turnover column, throwing four interceptions that repeatedly bailed out a Utah defense that otherwise struggled to get off the field. Utah had its own giveaway problems — two lost fumbles — but Dampier didn't throw a single interception, the difference in a game decided as much by mistakes as execution.

A rivalry that still matters

Utah led 14-0 after the first quarter before BYU clawed back within single digits in the third. The Cougars' fourth interception of the night, however, snuffed out their best comeback bid and preserved Utah's perfect record.

The win keeps Utah undefeated at home (6-0) and on the road (3-0) this season and extends the Utes' control of the all-time series with BYU, long one of college football's more bitter rivalries despite the two programs now playing in different conferences. BYU drops to 7-2 on the season but remains bowl-eligible and ranked, with its playoff path now considerably narrower.

Utah will look to carry its unbeaten record into the season's final stretch as the playoff picture comes into focus, while BYU tries to regroup with two games left on its schedule.