Dampier, Ficklin aim for college football's top QB room at Utah
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The 21st-ranked Utah Utes opened the 2026 football season with a bang against FCS opponent Idaho. When it comes to the level of expectations, Morgan Scalley's crew matched them with an offensive masterclass.
The Utes beat the Vandals 66-14 in front of a sellout crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday night. Over 600 yards of total offense, which ranks among the top 10 best games for yardage in Utah history.
They accomplished what they needed to in a $600,000 win. That's what Idaho goes home with after the defeat.
The Utes got to use this game as a warm-up, looking great on both offense and defense. Utah offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven gave everyone a taste of what he was cooking and there's no vanilla in his recipe. Utah put its quarterback room on display and showed proof of why it's one of the best in the nation.
Both Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin got time under center, racking up nearly 300 passing yards combined. “We did what we needed to do, and you don’t always do that,” said Utes head coach Morgan Scalley, who won his first home game.
First games can be tricky from an execution standpoint. But Utah didn't skip a beat with Scalley and his new staff. There was no sloppy play with the Utes doing what they needed to do for a victory. This came with McGiven’s creativity on full display. He was reaching to the back pages of the playbook to dial up Byrd Ficklin as a runner and receiver. At one point, Ficklin was on the line as a "Rhino" tight end blocking on a run play.
This was said before the season, but Ficklin is a true wild card in this offense. He's one of the best quarterbacks on the roster. However, his athleticism is not matched by any players on the other side of the line. There were questions coming into the season about how Ficklin would be used in McGiven's offense. It's pretty clear he's going to be one of the Utes' most valuable assets outside of Dampier. This will be fun to watch throughout the season.
Mac G (McGiven) is playing the role of puppeteer with the talent Utah has right now. Outside Dampier and Ficklin, Wayshawn Parker could have a career-best season ahead of him. He's going to be fed a lot in this offense. Utah ran the ball 49 times on Thursday against a weakened Idaho defense. Even half of that total in carries is still healthy production against a Big 12 opponent.
Braden Pegan's Utah debut went as expected. He's going to be one of Dampier's go-to targets throughout the season. Pegan could easily have a 1,000-yard season on deck. Dampier had three complete passes of 15 or more yards, including two 30-yard connections with Pegan, who racked up 81 yards and a touchdown.
Dampier went 13 of 18 through the air for 176 yards and three touchdowns and added 31 yards on the ground. This was before Ficklin entered the game to go 4 for 8 for 93 yards and two more scores.
Pegan led the way ahead of seven other pass-catchers who recorded a reception, showing the depth of Utah’s receiver room as well. Utah might air it out more this season. The majority of the production came on the ground, which is a good sign of things to come in Salt Lake City.
It’s hard not to appreciate a 52-point win, but Scalley knows this won't be every week for the Utes. It's time to breakdown film as the Utes prepare for a big showdown with Arkansas.
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