Before Utah even settled into the game against Arkansas, Wayshawn Parker had already cashed in on a promise he made to Byrd Ficklin.
The play had been repped all week, and Parker told Ficklin exactly how he wanted the ball delivered.
“We practiced it,” Parker said. “I told him, ‘Throw the ball up to me, just know I’m coming down with it.’
And that’s what he did. And I kept my promise.”
Utah ran it on the first offensive snap of the night, and the result was a big early strike that showed off another wrinkle in an offense that keeps finding new ways to stress defenses.
Ficklin liked the matchup immediately.
“Who’s gonna take Way on the backside?” Ficklin said. “They kind of forget how fast Way is, how Way can catch.”
With Parker isolated on the backside of the formation against a linebacker, Ficklin put up a throw that traveled an estimated 51.5 yards, and Parker finished the play.
That one snap said a lot about where Utah is offensively right now: more versatile, more unpredictable, and more willing to use every tool it has.
Parker, in particular, is becoming a bigger piece of that puzzle. His role has grown beyond the standard running-back job, and Utah has clearly made it a point to get him involved as a receiver too.
Against Arkansas, that expansion paid off in a major way. He ended the night with 129 total yards and three total touchdowns.
Across two games, Parker has piled up 212 total yards and six touchdowns. He leads the Big 12 in touchdowns and sits seventh in total yards from scrimmage.
Kevin McGiven has been intentional about finding ways to use Parker in space and in the passing game, and Parker said the added responsibility fits what he has believed about his own game for a long time.
“My dad always told me that I got good hands,” Parker said. “I told Coach McGiven, we had a long talk and he told me that he was gonna put me in that pass game, and he’s doing that.”
Parker’s journey to this point has not been simple. He has had to learn three different offensive systems in three seasons, and each one asked him to lean on different parts of his skill set. Utah’s current offense is finally giving him a chance to put all of it together.
The numbers have followed quickly. He has scored three touchdowns in each of Utah’s first two games, but he doesn’t sound satisfied yet.
“I feel like I can still put more on the table,” Parker said. “I feel like I could have had a fourth touchdown, but it’s OK. I’m still aiming for more.”
Ficklin’s role has taken shape in a different lane. Devon Dampier is still Utah’s starter at quarterback, but the Utes have found plenty of ways to get Ficklin on the field with him.
Sometimes Ficklin is at quarterback. Sometimes he’s in the backfield.
Sometimes he’s moved around the formation to create mismatches. Against Arkansas, Utah even showed a package with Ficklin, Dampier, Parker and Daniel Bray lined up next to each other in the backfield.
“It might look crazy to y’all and like, ‘What’s going on?’” Ficklin said. “But to us it’s kind of like, all right, let’s go.”
Utah has built that comfort through repetition. Ficklin said the Utes worked through the formations and assignments during spring practice and fall camp, and now the looks are familiar enough that he can often pick up his job as soon as Dampier relays the formation.
That has turned Ficklin into more than a backup waiting on the sideline.
It also depends on the trust between the two quarterbacks. Ficklin said his relationship with Dampier has grown over the past year as Utah has kept experimenting with ways to get both of them involved.
They stay in constant communication about what each package is trying to accomplish and where each player fits best. In some looks, Dampier stays at quarterback while Ficklin becomes another threat defenses have to track. In others, Ficklin takes the snap while Dampier shifts elsewhere.
“We always try to help each other be in the best position,” Ficklin said. “People don’t see what me and Dev do behind the scenes, what we do at practice.”
Ficklin also said he and Dampier help shape the two-quarterback packages themselves, talking through adjustments, alignments and how they can work together. That partnership has given Utah a layer of offense that is hard to ignore.
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Utah knew exactly what it was getting when it brought in Jireh Moe from San Jose State after the 2025 season, even if the fit looked a little unconventional at first glance. Listed at 6-foot and 280 pounds, the defensive tackle is shorter and lighter than the prototype many teams look for inside, but Morgan Scalleys staff saw a player whose production and underlying numbers matched the film.
Moe has since shown why the Utes were willing to bet on him, turning himself into a steady, technically refined presence up front and earning a starting job in Salt Lake City. For Utah, it is another reminder that size is only part of the evaluation process, especially when a player keeps stacking consistent snaps and brings enough skill to hold his own against bigger bodies. [Read more 🡒]
Scalley Just Framed Utahs Arkansas Win As A Bigger Statement
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Scalley also made clear there is still room for refinement, especially when it comes to penalties, even as the tackling has taken a visible step forward. Beyond the on-field details, he took time to recognize Eric Weddles induction into the Ring of Honor, a reminder that the programs recent momentum is being measured alongside the standard set by its decorated former stars. [Read more 🡒]
Utah's New-Look Offense Just Gave Fans Plenty To Dream On
Utahs season opener offered plenty of proof that Kevin McGivens new-look offense can be more than just a talking point. The Utes rolled past Arkansas 43-10, mixing in creative play-calling with efficient execution, and the result was a performance that felt far more explosive and unpredictable than what fans had grown used to seeing.
Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin helped spring one of the days most memorable trick plays, while Wayshawn Parker powered the ground game with three touchdowns. Utahs defense did its part, too, piling up 13 pass breakups, its most since 1998, and the combination gave the Utes a glimpse of a team that may have more ways to win than expected. [Read more 🡒]