When Utah has emptied the bench in each of its last two blowout victories, it’s been freshman quarterback Byrd Ficklin leading the second unit out onto the field.
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham named sophomore Isaac Wilson the team’s backup quarterback at the conclusion of fall camp, but Wilson hasn’t seen time in that role — so far. Utah’s coaches want to see what they have with freshman Ficklin in game situations and are also wanting to preserve Wilson’s redshirt after he played in nine games and started seven last season.
“That’s part of the equation right now, absolutely,” Whittingham said of preserving Wilson’s redshirt.
“That plus getting a look at Byrd, who we’ve never seen in live action. So the combination of not squandering games, at least right now, with Isaac and needing to get a good look at Byrd and see what he can do led to what you saw today, Byrd getting all the reps when Devon exited.”
In a scenario where a backup quarterback is needed if Dampier misses time due to an injury, Wilson would likely be the selection, as of now. His game experience last season gave him an advantage in the QB2 race and was one of the main reasons why Whittingham named him the backup to Dampier.
“Really all those game reps he had last year are paying dividends now and there’s really no substitute for game reps,” Whittingham said in August.
However, offensive coordinator Jason Beck called the two quarterbacks 2a and 2b ahead of the season, noting that Ficklin has a more similar skillset to Dampier than Wilson.
“If something were to happen, Byrd has done a nice job. He’s come in here, he’s made plays and he’s done a nice job, so if we needed to, he can fill in and help us play,” Beck said at the end of fall camp.
“So I kind of look at it like we have a 2a and a 2b versus a two and a three, so Byrd’s kind of played himself where he’s a 2b and he could do things at a high level where if we needed to, we can call on him to get that done.”
So far, Ficklin has been poised during his action at the college level.
Ficklin got his first collegiate action during Utah’s 43-10 blowout of UCLA, entering the game with 4:32 left, but was mostly limited to handing the ball off, attempting no passes as Utah milked the clock.
He ran two keepers, converting a third-and-1 on the read option and jetting through the middle of the field for a 16-yard gain, keeping his legs moving and dragging multiple Bruin defenders for a few extra yards. Ficklin followed that up with a four-yard gain on another read option.
In Saturday’s 63-9 win over Cal Poly, Ficklin got a much more extended run at quarterback, entering the game with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter after Dampier threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallen Bentley on the drive prior to end his night with 192 passing yards and three touchdowns through the air.
Utah would get its first extended look at Ficklin in the remainder of the game.
Ficklin had limited passing opportunities with Utah holding a commanding 42-6 lead when he entered, but was a perfect 4-for-4 on his pass attempts. His first pass of the day went for 32 yards, as he was able to dump it off to NaQuari Rogers while being hit. He followed that up with a 11-yard completion to Ryan Davis on a play-action rollout that he delivered on-target with a Cal Poly defender in Ficklin’s face.
Ficklin again connected with Davis later in the drive on a play-action screen. Once again, the ball was placed pretty much perfectly.
Ficklin finished off the drive with a 38-yard rushing touchdown, faking the handoff to Davis and breaking down the right sideline. Ficklin broke one tackle, and with one man to beat to the end zone, he hit Mustang cornerback Brayden Breedlove with a mean stiff arm, sending Breedlove to the turf and Ficklin through to the end zone for his first collegiate touchdown.
“He’s also a terrific athlete. You saw some of the runs he made out there tonight and he’s a good decision maker,” Whittingham said.
In about one-and-a-half quarters of play, Ficklin did everything asked of him and more. Yes, it was again FCS Cal Poly, but Ficklin’s pose, decision-making and speed stood out, especially considering that it was his first extended appearance in a college football game.
“Well, just watching him from the sidelines, really good,” Whittingham said. “We’ll watch the tape and see how he did detail-wise, but he’s a kid that has got the right demeanor to play the position. Nothing bothers him. He’s very cool and calm.”
Depending on how things shake out in the coming years, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Ficklin could potentially be the program’s future starting quarterback, but there’s a ways to go until then.
“He’s got all the basics. We just got to continue to see more of him. He passed the test this afternoon, but there’ll be bigger ones down the road,” Whittingham said.