Wayshawn Parker made sure Utah’s first Big 12 road trip under Morgan Scalley started with a bang, and the league noticed.
The Utah running back was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after torching Iowa State for 239 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns in the Utes’ 31-17 win in Ames. He shared the honor with Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
Parker’s afternoon opened with a statement play that set the tone immediately. On Utah’s first carry, he took a direct snap, faked a toss to quarterback Devon Dampier and cut left behind his blockers before bursting into the open field for a 54-yard touchdown. That score put the Utes ahead 7-0 before the offense had even run a second play.
The rest of the game asked more of him, and he kept answering. Parker finished with a career-high 174 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries, good for 9.7 yards per attempt.
He also caught five passes for 65 yards and another score. Even if you strip out the long opening run, he still averaged 7.1 yards on his other carries against an Iowa State defense that came in allowing 3.6 yards per rush.
He also did a lot of damage after first contact. Parker piled up 137 yards after contact, which accounted for nearly 79% of his rushing total, and he was credited with six missed tackles forced. He added eight rushing first downs and four runs of at least 10 yards.
Utah built a 24-3 halftime lead, then watched Iowa State claw back to 24-17 after a scoreless third quarter. Parker helped slam the door on the next possession, carrying three times for 27 yards, including a 15-yard run into Cyclones territory. He finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown catch from Dampier with 2:58 left to seal it.
“Really proud of Wayshawn Parker,” Morgan Scalley said in his post-game press conference. “This is a guy, all he does is everything you ask.
You watch this kid when he doesn’t have the ball. He runs, he blocks, he picks up his teammates and celebrates with his teammates, so he deserves everything good that comes his way.
Really proud of him.”
Parker said the work up front made his day possible.
“The offensive line, I have to give props to the line first. They were making gaps for me to go through,” Parker said afterward.
He also noted Dampier’s legs, which forced Iowa State to account for another threat.
The award fits the run Parker has been on lately. He has scored three touchdowns in three of Utah’s four games this season, and his 239 yards from scrimmage were the most by a Utah player since Britain Covey’s 252 in the Rose Bowl after the 2021 season.
Utah heads into its bye week at 4-0 and will host Kansas on Oct. 10.
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