Iowa State walks into its Big 12 opener with a tough assignment already on the board: No. 15 Utah, a team that has steamrolled every opponent it has seen so far. The Utes have won all three games by at least 33 points and have given up only 24 points total, which tells you plenty about the kind of test waiting at Jack Trice Stadium.
That challenge gets even trickier because Utah doesn’t just beat teams with talent. It does it with a system that keeps defenses guessing.
Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin both factor into the quarterback plan, and both have produced. Dampier has completed 71.6% of his passes for 690 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception, while adding 114 rushing yards and two more scores.
Ficklin has chipped in as the second-leading rusher with 117 yards and a touchdown, and he’s thrown for 166 yards and two touchdowns despite completing only 52.9% of his passes.
Head coach Jimmy Rogers knows exactly what kind of problem that creates.
“These guys are good. They’re really good.
And they don’t put up these numbers if they weren’t. And then they’re really good on defense, so they have more opportunities on offense.
So, we’ll have our hands full for sure. We’ve got to play hard, and we’ve got to take care of the football, and we’ve got to try to find a way to create explosives on defense and on special teams.
You’ve been vocal, I think, from the outset about your confidence that this team would be able to compete at a high level right away,” head coach Jimmy Rogers said, via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required).
What separates Utah from a lot of other two-quarterback setups is that the Utes don’t appear to be carving out one role for one passer and another role for the other. Both quarterbacks can operate the same offense, which forces a defense to stay alert on every snap. Rogers said that makes this look more like the Montana State style he dealt with in the FCS than what he saw from North Dakota State.
“Yeah, I would say this isn’t like North Dakota State’s. This is closer to Montana State’s because they’re both going to run the similar type plays and you don’t know who’s touching the ball or when they’re touching the ball.
At times they don’t even have a quarterback under center. They line up in six open formation and then they motion a guy back in.
"You’re not really sure who’s going to be at quarterback at times. And then the triple option stuff with tight end wrap, and you have to be, for one, counted outright.
You have to have the right coverage. And you’ve got to be able to win one-on-one on the perimeter at times, and you’ve got to be able to mix it up and play zone defense, and you’ve got to be in the right spot,” the Cyclones head coach said.
Even with the weather expected to be underwhelming, Jack Trice Stadium should still have plenty of energy for a whiteout against a ranked team. Iowa State will need that crowd behind it, because Utah arrives with a defense that smothers opponents and an offense that can attack from multiple directions.
Rogers’ familiarity with the look should help as he works with defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit to get the Cyclones ready for one of their biggest early-season tests.
In Other News...
Utah Defense Is Starting To Look Dangerous For One Clear Reason
Utahs defense is starting to feel much more like the group the program expected to see, and safety Nate Ritchie says the biggest difference is not some new wrinkle or sudden overhaul. It has been the basics, from cleaner tackling to the kind of steady practice habits that make a unit sharper as the season goes along. After the recent shutout, Ritchie pointed to the way the defense has worked together and leaned on its experience and chemistry to tighten things up.
Ritchie also said he appreciated coach Morgan Scalleys praise of his play, but the focus inside the room seems to be less on individual credit and more on what comes next. The Utes are already looking ahead to their next opponents and preparing for the possibility of tough weather, another test for a defense that is trying to keep building on the momentum it has already created. [Read more 🡒]
Utahs Big 12 Opener Just Got Trickier Than Anyone Expected
Iowa State arrives for Utahs Big 12 opener in a state of transition, but not one that looks especially fragile on defense. After Matt Campbell left for Penn State and took a number of players with him, new coach Jimmy Rogers has leaned on the transfer portal to help rebuild the roster, and early returns have been better than expected on that side of the ball. For Utah, that makes the matchup feel less like a straightforward conference debut and more like the kind of early test that can expose whether a team is ready for the grind.
The forecast adds another layer, with rainy conditions expected in Salt Lake City, but Morgan Scalley said the weather will not change Utahs plan. That matters because the Utes are heading into a game where they may need to be patient and precise against an Iowa State defense that has already shown it can be sturdier than the rebuilding label suggests. When the conference schedule starts with bad weather and an opponent that is already ahead of schedule defensively, the opening night pressure gets real in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
BYU May Have Found A Receiving Threat Big 12 Defenses Will Fear
Utahs defense has spent plenty of time measuring itself against the Big 12s best offenses, and one of the reasons the league has looked so dangerous early is the way receivers are stretching the field. Utah and BYU have both seen productive seasons from wideouts such as Legend Glasker and Braden Pegan, who rank among the conference leaders in receiving yards per game and have helped underscore just how much big-play potential the Big 12 has at the position.
For BYU, Glaskers rise has been especially notable because coach Kalani Sitake has already pointed to his development and the way he fits into the offense. The bigger picture for Utah fans is clear enough: the leagues top receivers are piling up yardage at a level that compares favorably with even the SECs best, and BYU appears to have found another threat that defenses will have to account for every week. [Read more 🡒]