Tony Finau didn’t need a box score to know Utah’s offense has his attention. A golf-course conversation with Steve Smith Sr. made that pretty clear, and the PGA Tour golfer sounded genuinely locked in on what Morgan Scalley’s team is doing with the ball.
In a video shared on Smith’s Instagram account, the two talked Utah football, and Finau kept coming back to the same idea: the Utes have options. After Utah rolled past Idaho 66-14 and then beat Arkansas 43-10, the offense has stacked up 109 points in two games, and Finau likes the direction it’s heading.
“We look all right this year,” Finau said optimistically.
That “we” says plenty about where his loyalty sits. What really caught his eye, though, was Utah’s use of two quarterbacks - Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin - and the way that setup forces defenses to sort out more than one problem at a time.
“The options seem unlimited,” he said.
Smith, the former Utah receiver, delivered the sharpest line of the exchange when the topic turned to the head coach.
“The head coach now actually wants to win,” Smith said.
Finau laughed, then steered the conversation right back to the offense.
“He wants to score points,” Finau said.
The jokes aside, Utah’s early scoring surge has real substance behind it. Against Arkansas, the Utes scored touchdowns on all six of their red-zone possessions, and that kind of finish is part of what has made the offense look so dangerous through two games.
“We saw that the first two games,” Finau said.
The setup around Dampier and Ficklin is a big reason for the buzz. Dampier is the starter, while Ficklin has been used all over the formation - at quarterback, in the backfield and in other spots - giving Utah a chance to keep the same personnel on the field while changing the picture for the defense.
Against Arkansas, Utah even lined up Dampier, Ficklin, Wayshawn Parker and Daniel Bray together in the backfield. On the opening snap, Ficklin hit Parker, who was isolated against a linebacker, for a 36-yard completion. It was the kind of play that shows exactly why this offense has people talking: the Utes can move pieces around, create mismatches and keep defenses guessing without changing the cast.
For Finau, that flexibility is the story. The offense can shift who takes the snap, who runs the ball and who becomes the target, and it all looks built to keep the pressure on.
In Other News...
Jireh Moe Is Giving Utah A Defensive Lift Fans Had To See
Jireh Moe has given Utahs defensive front a timely spark, and it comes in the kind of way coaches love most: with disruption at the line of scrimmage and steady work against the run. The defensive lineman has helped the Utes generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks while also holding up in the trenches, giving the defense a lift that has been hard to miss as the season has unfolded.
Moes rise also fits the culture Utah has built, one rooted in toughness and the expectation that every player earns his place. He has talked about his recruitment path, his admiration for Aaron Donald and how being viewed as undersized has fueled him, and he pointed to the chance to prove himself against a strong SEC opponent as part of that motivation. For Utah, the bigger picture is a lineman who believes in the standard around him and seems to be matching it. [Read more 🡒]