Dampier pushed for Ficklin to be on the field with him this season, then his backup’s pass went viral

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All offseason long, Utah tried to keep the specifics of Byrd Ficklin’s role in the offense under wraps. Last Thursday, offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven was like a kid unwrapping a Christmas present.

Despite playing overmatched Idaho, McGiven’s offense wasn’t vanilla, featuring a variety of sets that incorporated tight end Hunter Andrews in a running back role and plays with “rhino” tight ends Semi Taulanga and Sione Motuapuaka.

McGiven also used Ficklin in different ways in the season opener, giving fans a preview of how the talented sophomore could be involved in the offense this year.

In Week 1, Ficklin and Dampier shared the field plenty of times, with Ficklin lining up in the backfield six times.

Dampier pitched it to Ficklin for a gain of nine, and Ficklin also ran a quarterback keeper in the first half.

Ficklin’s offensive involvement wasn’t limited to just the backfield; he also ran three routes with Dampier at quarterback. On one play, Utah switched it up by having Ficklin take the snap at quarterback and Dampier ran a route.

“It’s been building ever since winter, spring, fall. They just put me on different routes, trying different things, seeing what I can and can’t do,” Ficklin said. “So I love it because at some point one of them is going to break.”

There was even a double pass featuring Dampier and Ficklin, though Ficklin’s pass was off target.

“I feel like we have two starting quarterbacks. They’re both great leaders, unselfish, and you saw the efficiency tonight. Both can run the ball and when they’re in there at the same time as a defensive coordinator — a former defensive coordinator — that scares me.”

Utah coach Morgan Scalley on having dangerous weapons at QB

“It’s like, OK, well, who’s going to be the dude throwing the ball?” said Utah coach Morgan Scalley. “I think we saw one double pass. There was a miscommunication there, but teams are going to continue to see more of that because we are going to continue to be creative and innovative and find ways to give defensive coordinators headaches.”

During Ficklin’s freshman year, it was evident that coaches needed to get the backup quarterback on the field in any way possible. Ficklin started his first-ever game against Colorado in late October after Dampier was unable to play due to injury and threw for 140 yards and two scores and rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown. That performance gave coaches the green light, and Ficklin played a pivotal part in two of Utah’s next three wins.

In a 55-28 win over Baylor, Ficklin rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, and against Kansas State, he played a key part in a wild comeback victory with three rushing touchdowns.

Hit the ground running

This year, McGiven isn’t waiting until late October to fully incorporate Ficklin into the offense; he’s doing it from Game 1.

“I feel like we have two starting quarterbacks. They’re both great leaders, unselfish, and you saw the efficiency tonight. Both can run the ball and when they’re in there at the same time as a defensive coordinator — a former defensive coordinator — that scares me,” Scalley said.

The sets when Dampier and Ficklin were both in the game were the most intriguing. That was something that Dampier pushed for in early meetings with McGiven.

“I love it. Two really great athletes on the field and I think Dev is the main reason for that,” Ficklin said. “He came in and said, ‘We need Byrd on the field. We need Byrd for this. We need Byrd for that.’ Without him saying that, I don’t know if I’d be in the same position I am.”

The dynamic between Dampier and Ficklin is unique in college football. It’s rare for the starting and backup quarterback to be best friends and even more rare to have the starting quarterback push for more playing time for the backup, but it’s exactly what’s happening at Utah.

“Byrd is like my little brother, my quarterback that I’m preparing to hopefully be better than me,” Dampier said. “He’s a crazy guy. Byrd’s the guy though. He’s earned his spot to be on the leadership council in his second year, so that speaks a lot of his characteristics. But honestly, I love the kid. That’s my guy.”

Staying healthy

Ficklin’s versatile skill set and speed allows for him to be featured in the offense in ways that a typical backup quarterback can’t. It was part of Utah’s pitch for him to come back to Salt Lake City instead of going elsewhere and starting, but at the same time, the Utes have to be careful to keep their No. 2 quarterback healthy.

“I mean dangerous to the defense, but also dangerous on our part. We got two of our guys out there and so we don’t want necessarily Byrd getting too many hits,” Scalley said.

While managing Ficklin’s hits is a factor, his contribution to the offense can flip games.

“At the same time, man, does he have an unreal skill set. He can catch the ball like a wide receiver, got really good hands. You can fly sweep the guy because he’s got pretty good speed,” Scalley said. “And then same thing, Devon’s like a running back, so Byrd can be taking snaps and it gives you a lot of different options, but you really got to be safe with it. You got to pick your times when you use them.”

Ficklin’s creative first-half usage was one of the takeaways from Utah’s win, but it wasn’t the moment that stood out most — that would be Ficklin’s jaw-dropping 23-yard pass to Mana Carvalho.

Yo, this is a SEEEED from Byrd Ficklin 😳 pic.twitter.com/o8QZzWK9Nt

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) September 4, 2026

In the third quarter, the lefty Ficklin rolled to his right before jumping and throwing it across his body on a rope to Carvalho.

The sophomore signal-caller downplayed the throw when asked about it on Monday.

“I mean, it’s kind of our traditional play that we run every week in practice. I didn’t see too much that was crazy about it. Mana created separation at his break and me getting him the ball, getting the ball to my athletes, letting him play. So that’s kind of how I see that. I didn’t know it would be this big thing, but I mean, it’s amazing,” Ficklin said.

Football analyst Dan Casey posted an end zone view of the impressive throw, and it went viral, racking up 1.7 million views.

“Yeah, I seen it,” Ficklin said of the social media reaction to his throw.

“I mean, kind of don’t want to let it blow up my head. I still got to play the same game every week, throw the same ball. I can’t let nothing change. Attack practice the same, attack every game the same. But I mean, it feels good, especially for Mana as well,” Ficklin said.

While Ficklin is going to continue to be used in creative ways on offense this season, during the week, he is still progressing as a quarterback during practice. That was on display Thursday night, and though Ficklin needed a bit more touch of a few of the red-zone balls he fired into his receivers, his growth was evident.

“I’m developing really well. (Quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson) and McGiven, all of them are developing me really well. Like I said in the spring and fall, they’re helping me with my full-field progressions, slowing down the game, playing ball, delivering passes, being accurate. It’s something I could see myself developing, getting better every week, every game. It’s just a building process,” Ficklin said.

Whether it’s as a running back, a receiver or throwing the ball, Utah fans are going to see a lot more of Ficklin on the field this season, and that should be a good thing for the team’s success.

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