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Byrd Ficklin passed for two touchdowns and ran for another in his first career start to lead Utah to a 53-7 win over Colorado on Saturday night. Ficklin, a true freshman, filled in for injured starter Devon Dampier and hit the ground running – literally. He piled up 163 yards and a touchdown on the ground by halftime and finished with 291 yards on offense. Wayshawn Parker added 145 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries to help the Utes (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) become bowl eligible after winning just two conference games a year ago. Utah ran for a season-high 422 yards – eclipsing 400 rushing yards for the first time this season. Kaidon Salter tallied 37 yards and an interception on 9-of-22 passing for Colorado. Salter was sacked five times before halftime while facing nonstop pressure.

The Buffaloes (3-5, 1-4) lost to Utah for the 12th time in the last 14 meetings in the series. Colorado finished with 140 total yards and averaged 2.1 yards per play.Long-distance runs helped the Utes quickly seize control. Utah racked up 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter while averaging 12.8 yards per carry. Ficklin cut upfield and raced 63 yards untouched for a touchdown on Utah’s second play. Then, Parker, opened the Utes’ fourth drive by hitting a hole, turning on the jets, and racing 58 yards to extend the lead to 17-0. Ficklin added a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter - a 22-yard pinpoint strike to JJ Buchanan and a 20-yard back shoulder throw to Larry Simmons - to help Utah take a 43-0 lead into halftime. - Utah/AP College Football

(DS#999 QB) Fr/2029

QB Byrd Ficklin, Utah
News Source: Utah/AP College Football
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10/13/25 - Spencer Fano, Jr/2027, Utah, 6-5, 308 (DS#2 OT) + More +

WEEK 7 BIG 12 OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: Utah,...Winning Offensive Line of the Week for a second time this season, Utah controlled the line of scrimmage to the tune of 276 yards and six touchdowns on the ground in a 42-10 win over then-No. 21 Arizona State. The Utes scored six rushing touchdowns for the fifth time in program history. The offensive line also did not allow a sack against the Sun Devils. - Big 12 Football

(DS#2 OT) Jr/2027

OT Spencer Fano, Utah
News Source: Big 12 Football
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10/12/25 - Devon Dampier, Jr/2027, Utah, 5-10, 210 (DS#20 QB) + More +

Devin Dampier ran for 120 yards and three touchdowns as Utah ran over No. 21 Arizona State 42-10 on Saturday night. Dampier, who has battled lower leg injuries this season, looked fresh after Utah's bye week and became the first Utes QB to rush for more than 100 yards since Travis Wilson against Oregon in 2015. "(The offensive line) gave me great space to make plays," Dampier said. "I felt my best for sure."

Severe thunderstorms soaked the field but didn't slow down Dampier, who avoided tacklers on just 10 carries. "You saw some of the moves he made tonight. He just wasn't capable of making those moves last few weeks," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "We're elated he's back to 100 percent." Dampier ran twice for touchdowns in the first half, from 12 yards and from 24 yards out, and then added a 9-yard score in the third quarter. Dampier was 7 for 12 for 104 yards passing as Utah (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) rarely felt the need to throw the ball. Arizona State starting QB Sam Leavitt missed the game with a right foot injury. Sixth-year senior Jeff Sims - one of the most experienced backups in the country with starts at Georgia Tech, Nebraska and ASU - was 18 for 38 for 124 yards passing. - AP College Football

(DS#20 QB) Jr/2027

QB Devon Dampier, Utah
News Source: AP College Football
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09/27/25 - Devon Dampier, Jr/2027, Utah, 5-10, 210 (DS#20 QB) + More +

Devon Dampier threw a career-high four touchdown passes and ran for another score to lead Utah to a 48-14 win over West Virginia on Saturday. Dampier bounced back from a lopsided home loss to Texas Tech last week in which he didn't thrown a touchdown pass, was intercepted twice, fumbled the ball away once and the Utes were held to 263 total yards. Utah (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) gained yards in chunks against the Mountaineers, scored on its first three drives and was never challenged by a West Virginia offense that was missing several key players, including quarterback Nicco Marchiol.

Dampier scored on a 7-yard run. He threw TD tosses of 7 yards to freshman tight end JJ Buchanan, 32 yards to Ryan Davis, 2 yards to tight end Dallen Bentley and 11 yards to running back Wayshawn Parker. By then, Utah led 35-0 early in the third quarter. Dampier completed 21 of 26 passes for 237 yards in three quarters of play. He was intercepted once. Jaylen Henderson got the start in Marchiol's place but was ineffective and replaced after halftime. The Mountaineers (2-3, 0-2) turned the ball over on downs twice in the first half and were outgained 532-346 for the game. Redshirt freshman Khalil Wilkins, one of five West Virginia quarterbacks, showed some promise in Henderson's place. He had runs of 17 and 10 yards before throwing a 39-yard TD pass to Cam Vaughn in the third quarter. It was West Virginia's worst home loss since a 41-point setback to Kansas State in 2012. - Utah/AP College Football

(DS#20 QB) Jr/2027

QB Devon Dampier, Utah
News Source: Utah/AP College Football
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09/14/25 - Devon Dampier, Jr/2027, Utah, 5-10, 210 (DS#20 QB) + More +

Devon Dampier led four consecutive touchdown drives in the second half, and No. 20 Utah beat Wyoming 31-6 on Saturday night in the rivals' first meeting since 2010. Dampier completed eight straight passes on Utah's third-quarter scoring drives, finishing 27 of 41 for 230 yards and two TDs while adding 86 yards rushing. The Utes (3-0) scored on every second-half possession and finished with 311 yards on the ground. "I wanted to see what our offense is built of. For us to not have a touchdown and then be able to come out after halftime and go 100 percent is awesome to see," Dampier said.

NaQuari Rogers ran for a 1-yard TD to cap a 10-play, 83-yard drive to begin the second half. On the next possession, Dampier engineered a 19-play, 80-yard march. On the final play, he dropped the ball after his dropback, picked it up and then threw a 8-yard scoring strike to Larry Simmons with 0:23 left in the third quarter. After an interception by Jackson Bennee, Dampier connected with JJ Buchanan for a 14-yard TD to make it 24-0 with 8:35 remaining. Terron Kellman rushed for a 15-yard TD on fourth-and-1 with 4:23 to play for Wyoming's only score. Utah answered with Hunter Andrews' 11-yard scoring rush. "Devon Dampier is really good...and they won both sides of the line of scrimmage, particularly in the second half," Wyoming coach Jay Sawvel said. - Utah/AP College Football

(DS#20 QB) Jr/2027

QB Devon Dampier, Utah
News Source: Utah/AP College Football
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09/07/25 - Devon Dampier, Jr/2027, Utah, 5-10, 210 (DS#20 QB) + More +

WEEK 1 ASSOCIATED PRESS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK RUNNER-UP: Devon Dampier, Utah. The transfer from New Mexico completed 21 of 25 passes for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 87 yards and a score on 16 carries in a 43-10 win over UCLA. The third-year player from Phoenix gave the Utes' offense, which ranked 115th last season, a desperately needed spark. He came in with strong credentials after leading the Mountain West Conference in total offense, rushing for 1,166 yards and a MWC-best 7.52 yards per carry and throwing for 2,768 yards and 19 touchdowns. - AP College football

(DS#20 QB) Jr/2027

QB Devon Dampier, Utah
News Source: AP College football
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09/06/25 - Devon Dampier, Jr/2027, Utah, 5-10, 210 (DS#20 QB) + More +

Devon Dampier matched his career best with three touchdown passes to lead No. 25 Utah to a 63-9 win over Cal Poly of the Football Championship Subdivision on Saturday. Dampier connected with Wayshawn Parker for a 52-yard touchdown to cap Utah's first drive. He then found Ryan Davis for a 4-yard TD in the second quarter. Dampier, who finished 17 of 23 for 192 yards, added an 11-yard scoring strike to Dallen Bentley in the third quarter before taking a seat. "It was awesome. Just being in the stadium, it was as electric as everyone had talked about it," Dampier, a New Mexico transfer, said about his first game at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

NaQuari Rogers added two 1-yard TD runs in the last 1:44 of the second quarter for a 35-6 lead at halftime. "It brings me joy, seeing everybody happy. Like, I know I scored, but it was like, the whole team scored," said Parker, who also had a 43-yard TD run. The Mustangs (1-1) got two field goals from Noah Serna and one from Gianluca Dimauro. Utah (2-0) moved to 17-1 in its last 18 home openers under coach Kyle Whittingham as plenty of reserves got playing time, including quarterback Byrd Ficklin, who rushed for two TDs. "Controlled the game, really, from start to finish and a lot of guys made good contributions," Whittingham said. - Utah/AP College Football

(DS#20 QB) Jr/2027

QB Devon Dampier, Utah
News Source: Utah/AP College Football
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09/02/25 - Devon Dampier, Jr/2027, Utah, 5-10, 210 (DS#20 QB) + More +

WEEK 1 BIG 12 C0-OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Devon Dampier, QB, Utah,...Dampier completed 84% of his 25 pass attempts for 206 yards and two touchdowns without an interception as the Utes won 43-10 at UCLA. The junior's completion percentage ranked fifth nationally for the week and fourth-best in program history. He also rushed for 87 yards and a score against the Bruins while guiding the Utah offense to points in seven of its first eight drives of the game. - Big 12 Football

(DS#20 QB) Jr/2027

QB Devon Dampier, Utah
News Source: Big 12 Football
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09/02/25 - Spencer Fano, Jr/2027, Utah, 6-5, 308 (DS#2 OT) + More +

WEEK 1 BIG 12 OFFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: Utah,...Utah's offensive line earned Conference accolades for the week for its 43-point performance at UCLA. The unit paved the way for 268 rushing yards and did not allow a sack while converting 14 of its 17 third down attempts. The Utes also scored on all six of their trips to the red zone. - Big 12 Football

(DS#2 OT) Jr/2027

OT Spencer Fano, Utah
News Source: Big 12 Football
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09/02/25 - Logan Fano, rJr/2027, Utah, 6-4, 260 (DS#36 DE) + More +

WEEK 1 BIG 12 DEFENSIVE LINE OF THE WEEK: Utah,...The Utes had the Defensive Line of the Week after shutting down UCLA and quarterback Nico Iamaleava. The 10 points surrendered came after limiting the Bruins' signal caller to just 11 completions on 22 attempts for 136 yards in the air. The Utah defense also held UCLA to just 84 rushing yards on 28 attempts in the win while allowing just two third-down conversions. - Big 12 Football

(DS#36 DE) rJr/2027

DE Logan Fano, Utah
News Source: Big 12 Football
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08/31/25 - Devon Dampier, Jr/2027, Utah, 5-10, 210 (DS#20 QB) + More +

Devon Dampier led Utah's attack in the air and on the ground in a 43-10 victory over touted transfer Nico Iamaleava and UCLA on Saturday night in the teams' season opener. The former Pac-12 rivals each sported new quarterbacks and new offensive coordinators. Iamaleava led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season and then abruptly left to head closer to home and play for the Bruins (0-1). He was 11 of 22 for 136 yards with one TD and one interception. Offensive coordinator and QB coach Tino Sunseri came to Westwood from Indiana, where the Hoosiers averaged 41.3 points - second-best in the nation - and reached the CFP.

Dampier followed offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico to Salt Lake City after the Lobos ranked fourth in the FBS with 484.3 yards per game a year ago. Dampier was 21 of 25 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Both quarterbacks were their teams' leading rushers. Dampier led the Utes (1-0) with 16 carries for 87 yards, while Iamaleava had 13 carries for 47 yards. The Utes led 20-0 on TD runs of 13 yards by Wayshawn Parker and 8 yards by two-way star Smith Snowden in the first quarter. The team piled up 256 yards of offense in the first half and finished with 492. The Bruins' lone TD came on Iamaleava's 19-yard pass to former Utah player Anthony Woods in the second quarter. - Utah/AP College Football

(DS#20 QB) Jr/2027

QB Devon Dampier, Utah
News Source: Utah/AP College Football
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08/30/24 - Cameron Rising, rSr/2025, Utah, 6-2, 220 (DS#28 QB) + More +

Cam Rising made his return with a career-high five touchdown passes - three to Brant Kuithe - to power No. 12 Utah to a 49-0 win over Southern Utah on Thursday night. Rising, a seventh-year senior quarterback, shined in his first game action since tearing multiple knee ligaments in the Utes' Rose Bowl loss to Penn State on Jan. 2, 2023, going 10 of 15 for 254 yards and 25 rushing yards as the 84th consecutive sellout crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium held its collective breath on each rush. He left the game in the second quarter with Utah up 35-0.

Kuithe, who also missed last season and most of the 2022 campaign, caught three touchdown passes - all in the second quarter. He caught a 29-yard toss for a score on the first play of the quarter before an 18-yarder three minutes later. With 1:08 to play in the half, Kuithe fought off three defenders on his way into the end zone on a 11-yard grab. Rising's barrage marked the first time Utah had five passing TDs in a half since Brian Johnson against San Diego State in 2008, the last season Utah went undefeated. In their first game as a member of the Big 12 Conference, the Utes churned 513 yards of total offense in their 15th straight win over FCS opponents. Utah only reached the 500-yard mark once in 2023, against Arizona State. Kuithe wrote his way into the Big 12 record book as the first tight end to ever have three touchdown receptions in a half. - AP College Football

(DS#28 QB) rSr/2025

QB Cameron Rising, Utah
News Source: AP College Football
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11/27/23 - Orion Phillips, rSo/2028, Utah, 6-2, 180 (DS#14 P) + More +

2023 ALL-MISSOURI VALLEY FOOTBALL HONORABLE MENTION: P Orion Phillips,...Joined the Racers as a freshman in the fall and became one of the best punters in all of FCS...Was fourth in MVFC with a per punt average of 43.1 yards...Was second in MVFC with 54 total punts in 2023...Led MVFC with total yards in punts at 2,328...Led MVFC with 17 punts placed inside the 20-yard line, which included nine punts at the 10-yard line or inside of it...Had four punts inside the five-yard line...Had 11 punts of 50+ yards including a 71-yard effort at Missouri State (Oct. 21)...It was the seventh longest punt at MSU since 1994 and the second-longest in the MVFC...Was fourth in MVFC Freshman of the Year voting. - Murray State Football

(DS#14 P) rSo/2028

P Orion Phillips, Utah
News Source: Murray State Football
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11/26/23 - Don Saunders, rJr/2027, Utah, 6-2, 195 (DS#999 CB) + More +

2023 ALL-BIG SKY CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM (COACHES): DB Donovan Saunders, Cal Poly,...Saunders finished third among Big Sky players with three interceptions, picking off passes against Lincoln (Sept. 16) and FCS playoff-bound sides Idaho (Oct. 7) and Sacramento State (Nov. 11). Appearing in 10 of 11 games, Saunders twice recorded a career high four tackles at Eastern Washington (Nov. 4) and Sacramento State. - Cal Poly Football

(DS#999 CB) rJr/2027

CB Don Saunders, Utah
News Source: Cal Poly Football
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03/02/23 - Cameron Rising, rSr/2025, Utah, 6-2, 220 (DS#28 QB) + More +

Kyle Whittingham expects that the next time you see Cam Rising, he will be starting for the University of Utah in the season-opener vs. the University of Florida. The Utes' head coach has been steadfast in that belief in the weeks since Rising exited the Rose Bowl in the third quarter on Jan. 2 with what was later revealed to be a torn left ACL. The opener will be played on either Aug. 31 or Sept. 2, roughly nine months since the injury, which falls in line with what is the general recovery timeline. Whittingham told The Salt Lake Tribune last week in a wide-ranging interview that Rising is on, if not ahead of schedule in his recovery, but there is another factor as far as the timeline goes that isn't being talked about enough.

Is Rising going to be ready for fall camp? If yes, will he be there for all of it? Some of it? Either way, how much of camp does Rising need to participate in for Whittingham to be comfortable putting him out there against the Gators? "To be ready for the opener, he has to get some reps in camp," Whittingham told The Tribune. "Maybe not necessarily the onset of camp, but by midway through camp, so we'll see how things progress. If he's not ready until a few days before the game, it's unlikely he would play in that game because he just wouldn't be completely sharp in all other areas." Utah has not announced a start date for fall camp, but FBS programs can practice 25 times over 29 days leading up to the opener, which would put the Utes' first practice on or about Aug. 2, eight months after the injury occurred. - Salt Lake Tribune

(DS#28 QB) rSr/2025

QB Cameron Rising, Utah
News Source: Salt Lake Tribune
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