Here’s 4 players and 1 coach to watch in the Las Vegas Bowl

The Las Vegas Bowl is upon us yet again, and if you believe bookmakers, it might not be that close of a game.

Utah (10-2) and Nebraska (7-5) square off Wednesday at Allegiant Stadium, with the Utes 14-point favorites.

A win would give Utah an 11-win season for the fourth time in school history.

Nebraska is coming off blowout losses to Penn State (37-10) and Iowa (40-16).

“I don’t really deal with underdogs or point differences or any of that,” Nebraska defensive back Ceyair Wright said. “We’re a team full of men; they’re a team full of men. We’ve been practicing; they’ve been practicing. It’s not about what somebody did in the past or might do in the future. It’s about what you do in the moment.

“We could say who’s the underdog and who’s not. I don’t think that has any bearing about how we feel. I’m confident in my team and respect who we’re playing. At the end of the day, it’s just about who shows up to play.”

Here are four players and one coach to keep an eye on Wednesday:

Devon Dampier, QB, Utah

The 5-foot-11-inch junior and former New Mexico Lobo has thrown for 2,180 yards and 22 touchdowns with a completion rate of 64 percent. He also ran for 687 yards and seven scores en route to being named the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. Alex Smith in 2004-05 is the last Utes quarterback to have thrown for more than 2,000 yards and rushed for more than 600. Dampier led an offense that averaged 41 points and nearly 480 yards. Whether his success with the Utes is enough to keep him around Salt Lake City is yet to be determined with coach Kyle Whittingham’s departure to Michigan.

Lander Barton, LB, Utah

The senior will be playing his final game with the Utes. He has 51 total tackles and 1½ sacks this season. He’s tall (6-5) for a linebacker, but is known for his quickness and power against smaller blockers. He’s a former three-sport athlete and accomplished high school receiver. He thrived this season after an inconsistent 2024 because of injury. “I feel like an all-around different player compared to when I first got here,” Barton told reporters before the season. “It’s been a long time. Four years, it’s flown by, kind of crazy. But, yeah, I feel like I’ve changed a lot.”

TJ Lateef, QB, Nebraska

This is the chance for the true freshman to secure himself a starting gig for 2026. Or at least put himself in position for one. He took over when Dylan Raiola broke his fibula against USC. Lateef has battled his own injury (hamstring). Coach Matt Rhule said this week Lateef is healthy, and he expects the quarterback to play well against the Utes. In six games, Lateef has passed for 722 yards and four scores while rushing for 98 and three touchdowns.

Justyn Rhett, DB, Nebraska

He is a former prep All-American at Bishop Gorman High who began his college career at Georgia before transferring to the Cornhuskers. With the Gaels, Rhett was ranked one of the nation’s top 70 players by PrepStar Magazine and among the top 200 by ESPN. He was rated the seventh-best cornerback in his class by PrepStar. In seven games this season, he has seven tackles. Nebraska practiced this week at Bishop Gorman.

Morgan Scalley, coach, Utah

It will be Scalley’s first go-round as the head coach of Utah with Whittingham off to Ann Arbor. How the Utes look under Scalley will be something to watch. Probably not much different from what has earned them a No. 15 national ranking. They were a top 10 Football Bowl Subdivision offense this season. Defensively, they limited opponents to 15 or fewer points seven times. Here’s guessing Scalley will stick to the script as a two-touchdown favorite.

Contact Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.