SALT LAKE CITY — Utah sits at 3-0 and is getting ready to start conference play on Saturday as they hit the road to take on Iowa State. The 15th-ranked Utes are only a few weeks into the season, but the offense has already shown just how dynamic it can be.
“Because of the different threats that we have, you get one wide receiver that's a dude, or you get one running back that's a dude; you can really work your game plan around taking those guys out, but when you have multiple threats, it makes it a lot easier," said Utah head coach Morgan Scalley about how difficult it is to plan for Utah's offense. "(The) offensive line's doing a really good job in protection too.”
The team has two high-caliber quarterbacks in Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin. Dampier, the starter, advocates for Ficklin to get on the field as much as possible.
"I'm so blessed to have him," Scalley said of Ficklin. "He can run and catch, and he's a legit quarterback. He wants to be involved."
The team has five players with over 80 yards so far this season. Braden Pegan leads the crew with 235. He also has three receiving touchdowns, which ties running back Wayshawn Parker, who also has 3 rushing touchdowns.
“If you go down the game stats, who catches the ball, I mean, I think all of them get targets," Dampier explained what it's like to work with so many threats in the pass game. "All of them get catches just because defenses have to respect every single person out there. They're so versatile. They all have their own special things that they do.”
“For myself, for the room, for the quarterbacks, it just makes it easy, right?" Utah wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis said. "It keeps everybody on their toes. And again, like you said, the hot hand will play.”
Now the offense, and the team as a whole, looks to build on the foundation set in the non-conference when they take on Iowa State to start Big 12 play on Saturday.
“I'm happy we've had the learning curves from game one to game three, just to be able to see those things, to be able to go into conference play, already having games under your belt, already having situations on tape where we can learn from those in conference," Dampier said.
With aspirations to win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff, the Utes know how important each and every game remaining is.
“You really want to tell the rest of the league in the conference, like what you're all about," Utah offensive lineman Zereoue Williams said. "Proving yourself on a week-to-week basis is like really important.”