What the analytics reveal about No. 13 Utah’s offense and its first-month returns

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For the second straight season, the Utah offense is operating under a new coordinator — and the early returns are promising for what Kevin McGiven has been cooking up.

Through one month of the 2026 season, the Utes rate high in several offensive categories, an encouraging sign as the calendar flips over to October.

The offense’s efficiency, along with a traditionally stout defense continuing to prove disruptive under new coordinator Colton Swan, sets No. 13 Utah up as a serious Big 12 contender with conference play now in full swing.

A look at the raw numbers

The Utes are tied for 12th nationally in scoring, averaging 43.2 points per game, and 15th in total offense, at 491.2 yards per game.

It’s a balanced attack, with Utah averaging 225.8 rushing yards (21st nationally) and 265.5 passing yards (41st) per game.

The Utes are also ninth in third-down conversion percentage, at 54.2%, and in the red zone, Utah has scored 16 touchdowns on 21 red-zone attempts — a 76.19% conversion percentage, 26th-best in the country.

Utah is also taking care of the ball: The Utes have just two turnovers (one fumble, one interception) through four games and have forced seven turnovers; they are tied for 13th nationally in turnover margin (1.25).

Utah cashing in with chunk plays

During the first four games, McGiven’s offense has produced chunk plays at a consistent rate.

According to CFBStats.com, which tracks several college football statistics beyond the traditional ones available through the NCAA, Utah is tied for eighth nationally in plays of 10-plus yards with 73, tied for 21st in plays of 20-plus yards with 24, and tied for 13th in plays of 30-plus yards with 13.

That includes being tied for 13th in runs of 20-plus yards with nine (or 2.25 per game), as well as tied for 14th in passes of 10-plus yards with 47, and tied for 19th in passes of 30-plus yards with nine (again, 2.25 per game).

One of the most memorable chunk plays of the young season came on the game’s opening play last Saturday, when running back Wayshawn Parker ran 54 yards for a touchdown to give Utah the early 7-0 lead against Iowa State.

That set the tone as the Utes built a 24-3 halftime lead before eventually beating the Cyclones 31-17.

Wayshawn Parker GOES 54-YARDS on the first play from SCRIMMAGE ‼️@Utah_Footballpic.twitter.com/1MKMRuaUhT

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026

Efficiency numbers are encouraging

ESPN’s Football Power Index measures efficiency, using a formula it defines as “based on the point contributions of each unit to the team’s scoring margin, on a per-play basis. The values are adjusted for strength of schedule and down-weighted for ‘garbage time’ (based on win probability).”

That ESPN metric is high on the Utes, both on offense and defense.

Utah is eighth nationally and best among Big 12 teams in overall efficiency at 88.1, as well as 11th on offense at 82.5 — second among three Big 12 teams in the top 25, with Houston one spot ahead at No. 10 and BYU one spot behind at No. 12 — and 18th in defensive efficiency at 80.7.

There are other encouraging takeaways from other analytics, in terms of key individual players and personnel groups.

PFN’s Week 4 College Football Team of the Week: Offense 🍿 pic.twitter.com/DbJWktF41B

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) September 28, 2026

Parker’s game against Iowa State, in particular, is one of the best individual performances for the Utes this season — and rated well on a national scale as well.

He ran for a career-high 174 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries (an average of 9.7 yards per carry), while adding a team-high five receptions for 65 yards and another touchdown.

Parker graded as the highest-rated running back in the country in Week 4 in Pro Football Network’s impact rankings, earning a 94.9 score. On the season, he ranks 12th nationally among running backs in Pro Football Network’s impact rankings.

Pro Football Network describes its running back impact grading as blending “rushing production (yards, TDs), efficiency (yards per carry, elusive rate, boom-vs-bust runs), workload share of the team’s carries, and receiving value into a single-number grade.”

At quarterback, Devon Dampier is off to a strong start as well — he’s increased his completion percentage to a career-best 70.3%, while throwing for 896 yards and nine touchdowns through four games, averaging 224 passing yards per contest.

Dampier has also run for 135 yards and two touchdowns — his 4.0 yards-per-carry average is down from the 5.7 he averaged a year ago, but his passing numbers are higher across the board.

Pro Football Network currently rates Dampier as the 18th-best quarterback in the country in impact ranking, with a score of 86.3, while ESPN’s QBR, a rating “which values the quarterback on all play types on a 0-100 scale adjusted for the strength of opposing defenses faced,” ranks Dampier No. 27 nationally with an 81.3 rating.

That’s currently sixth among Big 12 quarterbacks — last year, Damper led all Big 12 quarterbacks with an 82.0 QBR.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Bill Connelly released an updated ranking of all 68 Power Four college quarterbacks, with Dampier coming in at No. 14, down from 12th in the spring.

Connelly applauded the work Dampier has done under a new coordinator — it’s the first time Dampier hasn’t played for Jason Beck, the Utes’ offensive coordinator, during his college career.

“After thriving with Jason Beck (now at Michigan), I was curious how the super unique Dampier would fare with a new coordinator. The verdict: great so far!” Connelly wrote. “He remains part of a great Utah run game, and he has completed 70% of his passes (18th among power conference QBs) with only one interception (11th) and three sacks (ninth). Utah is now a slight Big 12 title favorite, per SP+, and Dampier is a big reason for it.”

One of the biggest question marks for Utah going into the season was how the Utes would perform on the offensive line after losing all five starters, including two — Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu — who were first-round NFL draft picks.

Utah has gone through some shuffling in the early portion of the year as it looks to find the best combo on the offensive line, but the returns there are promising as well through four games — and it hasn’t impacted the Utes’ offensive grading, as Utah is No. 8 nationally in Pro Football Network’s team offense impact rankings at 88.1.

On the offensive line specifically, Pro Football Network ranks the Utes’ O-line No. 4 in the country with an 88.8 impact score.

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