Utah got encouraging news on Wayshawn Parker’s health Sunday, and it came with a clear sign of how much he means to the Utes even when he’s not at full strength.
Reports said Parker’s MRI after Utah’s 28-20 win over BYU showed a heel bruise, and head coach Morgan Scalley expects the star running back to be available Saturday at Arizona.
Parker has been dealing with injuries for much of the season. Before the heel bruise, Scalley said he had been playing through a quad contusion over the previous week, which helped explain why Utah held him out in the second half against Cincinnati.
“In terms of Wayshawn, that happened at the very beginning of the game,” Scalley said on Monday. “He is a guy that is tough as nails and has fought through stuff.
He’s going to be fine for the next game. That’s not going to be an issue.”
Against BYU, Parker was clearly limited. He had only two carries in the first half and finished with 14 carries for 36 yards.
Still, he found a way to leave a mark in the game, and it wasn’t with the ball in his hands.
Parker’s breakaway speed is one reason he’s viewed as an NFL running back prospect, but his pass protection has become just as important to his profile. That showed up in the third quarter when Devon Dampier hit Braden Pegan for a touchdown, and Parker flattened BYU corner Kevin Doe on a blitz pickup, knocking him to the turf.
With Parker banged up, Utah may need more from the rest of its backfield going forward. Steve Chavez-Soto, LaMarcus Bell and Daniel Bray could all be in line for larger roles against the Wildcats.
That would be a shift from what happened against BYU, when Dampier and Parker were the only Utes to log a rushing attempt.
The other backs have produced in spurts this season. Bray has 237 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with 16 catches for 100 receiving yards and another score. Bell has 10 carries for 109 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Chavez-Soto has 14 carries for 65 rushing yards and a touchdown.
“Do we need to get more backs involved? Yes, that’s something I also thought in the game that we didn’t do enough of - handing the ball to the running backs, so we can be better there,” Scalley said.
In Other News...
BYU Just Became Part Of A Brutal Utah Milestone
Utahs win over BYU did more than keep the Utes moving through the season, it pushed them into rare air in the latest AP Top 25 poll. The climb to No. 2 matches the highest ranking in program history, a notable marker for a program that has spent years trying to turn consistency into national respect. Morgan Scalley has tried to keep the focus from drifting too far beyond the next opponent, stressing the need to prepare for every game the same way and acknowledging there is still room for the Utes to sharpen things up.
Arizona is waiting next, and the schedule does not give Utah much time to linger on the milestone. The Utes head on the road to face No. 22 Arizona, another ranked test that should tell plenty about how sustainable this run really is. For a team sitting near the top of the poll, the challenge now is not just staying there, but handling the pressure that comes with every game carrying a little more weight. [Read more 🡒]
David Pollack Just Put Alabama In A Playoff Spotlight
Former ESPN analyst David Pollack stirred the pot on his podcast by ranking 12 teams by his confidence in a College Football Playoff berth, and he put Utah at the top of the list. It was a notable vote of confidence for a program that has stayed in the national conversation by pairing recent performance with a schedule that still leaves room to make a convincing case when the committee starts sorting through the field.
Pollacks list also included the usual heavyweight mix of Georgia, Alabama, Miami and UCLA, underscoring how crowded the race remains as the selection committee prepares to release its second rankings soon. For Utah, the attention is useful but not yet decisive, because the real test is whether the Utes can keep stacking wins while the committee weighs resumes that are still very much taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Devon Dampier Just Gave Utah Fans A New Big Game Debate
Devon Dampiers latest week only sharpened the conversation around what Utah has in its senior quarterback. After his performance against BYU, where he accounted for all four Utah touchdowns, Dampier was named the Paul Hornung Award National Player of the Week and shared Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, another sign that his impact has gone well beyond steady production. He has become one of the defining reasons the Utes have stayed unbeaten, giving the offense a clear identity in the biggest moments.
The recognition keeps piling up, too. Dampier is now one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award and has also moved into the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Top 10, putting him in the middle of a broader national awards discussion that should only intensify as the season goes on. For Utah, the bigger question is no longer whether Dampier belongs in the spotlight. It is how far he can carry that spotlight before the hardware conversation gets even louder. [Read more 🡒]