Utah's Devon Dampier continues to gain Heisman Trophy buzz

Coming off another efficient day through the air, the Utes' signal-caller continued to gain Heisman Trophy buzz from the national media and the sportsbooks, with On3's panel of analysts slotting Dampier in among the nation's top 10 contenders for the prestigious award.

Dampier came in at No. 4 in On3's most recent Heisman Trophy poll, which released roughly 48 hours after the junior from Tucson, Arizona, tied his career high of three touchdown passes in Utah's 63-9 victory over Cal Poly on Saturday.

"Dampier has rare dual-threat ability, though he relied much more on his arm than his legs this week," wrote On3's Thomas Goldkamp. "He’ll be a player to monitor in the Heisman Trophy watch all season given his potential to have truly breakout performances."

Another career day for Utah's QB

Dampier didn't even need three full quarters on Saturday to match his career-high in touchdown passes, which he previously set in a shootout against Arizona last season while with New Mexico. With the Utes up 42-6 on the Mustangs, Dampier handed the keys over to true freshman Byrd Ficklin, capping off Dampier's second straight game with two or more touchdowns without committing a turnover in the process.

"It's been awesome," Dampier said of his early experiences in Utah. "Just starting out from our team; especially with a lot of new guys, we took it very personal to come in here and be Utes."

Saturday also marked consecutive games in which Dampier either set or tied a career-best in a passing category; his 84% completion rate in the Utes' 43-10 victory over UCLA to start the season established a new personal benchmark.

Against the Mustangs, Dampier completed 17 of his 23 pass attempts (73.9% completion rate) for 192 yards, and had four carries for 25 rushing yards.

Tracking Dampier's Heisman Trophy odds

Sportsbooks took notice of Dampier's first two games in a Utes uniform and subsequently boosted his Heisman Trophy odds following his Week 1 performance.

As of Monday, Dampier, who started the season with 60-1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy on ESPN, soared to 18-1 odds in the latest update from FanDuel Sportsbook. Six other players in the country had more favorable odds after Week 2, including six quarterbacks from nationally-ranked teams.

Heisman Trophy odds [as of Sept. 8]

• Garret Nussmeier (LSU): +900
• Carson Beck (Miami): +1000
• John Mateer (Oklahoma): +1000
• Dante Moore (Oregon): +1100
• Arch Manning (Texas): +1300
• Gunner Stockton (Georgia): +1400
• LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina): +1800
• Drew Allar (Penn State): +1800
• Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State): +1800
• Devon Dampier (Utah): +1800

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.