Scalley Praises Utah's Composure After Chippy Big 12 Win at Iowa State

Utah kept its cool through repeated after-the-whistle scuffles to win its Big 12 opener at Iowa State, and Morgan Scalley wants the penalties cleaned up.

Utah opened Big 12 play with a road win over Iowa State on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Ames, and the aftermath was dominated by talk of what happened once plays were blown dead. Head coach Morgan Scalley credited his players for the restraint they showed when tempers flared.

Cyclones players pushed and shoved Utah players after the whistle on multiple occasions in the conference opener for both teams. Officials penalized Iowa State just once for a personal foul and once for roughing the passer, leaving the Utes frustrated with several no-calls.

Utes receiver Braden Pegan bore the brunt of the physicality. After one incomplete pass, Iowa State cornerback Jaheim Singletary grabbed Pegan's head and shoved it into the turf. The referee did not see the incident, and no flag was thrown.

Pegan still made his presence felt on both sides of the ball. He caught two passes for 29 yards and a touchdown, and he intercepted a Hail Mary from quarterback Jaylen Raynor on the final play of the first half after Utah put him in on defense.

Running back Wayshawn Parker, who added a first-half touchdown run, also found himself in the middle of several post-whistle exchanges — and he said he expected nothing less. Parker transferred from Washington State to Utah after the 2024 season, and first-year Iowa State coach Jimmy Rogers, who led the Cougars in 2025, brought a number of former Washington State players with him to Ames.

Parker did not hide his frustration with the officiating afterward. "Personally, I got old teammates on that team, so I already knew what their mindset was — come in and try to take me out, but that's not going to happen," Parker said. "Refs didn't make a couple calls that I didn't like. I talked to coach (Morgan) Scalley. He told me to calm down and just play the game, and that's what I did."

Scalley said the exchange with Parker paid off. "Well, it can be very easy to make it a personal battle and to get flags, and I'm really proud that he showed some self-constraint," Scalley said. "At the end of the day, people are going to be physical and we're no different. We're physical and you have to leave it up to the refs, but I don't want to be the one to get the flag. He understands it's a team game and I'm so proud of him (and) the way those guys handled that."

Utah avoided retaliation penalties of its own, though Scalley said his team was not as clean as it had been through the first three games of the season. "Nine penalties, I believe, on the night — pass interferences and false start, so we got to be cleaner there," Scalley said. "But in terms of the extracurricular stuff, that's up to the referees and it's just on us to make sure that we're not making it a personal battle and to do our talking with our pads."