Does Utah football have something ‘special’ with quarterback Byrd Ficklin? Here’s why Kyle Whittingham thinks so.

Kyle Whittingham said he saw it immediately at the dawn of Utah’s spring camp.

The left-handed freshman quarterback had a swagger to him. He was more mature than the average first-year player. He had a confidence that separated him from the pack, Utah’s head coach said.

“From day one ... his demeanor was different than a typical freshman,” Whittingham said. “It was very evident back in spring ball that we may have something special here.”

That player was Byrd Ficklin, the underrated three-star recruit from the small, country town of Muskogee, Okla. Originally committed to Texas State, he later flipped to the Utes on Dec. 2, which was his only Power Four offer.

Less than a year later, Ficklin has made his mark in Salt Lake City. Making the first start of his career on Saturday night, Ficklin finished with 140 passing yards, 151 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.

He also led Utah (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) to a 53-7 blowout victory over Colorado (3-5, 1-3).

Starting in place of injured starter Devon Dampier, Ficklin finished the night with the most rushing yards from a Utah quarterback since at least 1996.

Ficklin said he didn’t find out that he was starting over Dampier until just before the game.

“It was mainly just a game-time decision,” the freshman said. “We both had been taking reps all week throughout practice.”

Whittingham added: “Fortunately, he had taken the vast majority of the reps all week long. And that was the way it was trending. ... But it wasn’t for certain until after pre-game warmups.”

Once Ficklin knew he was the guy, he seized his opportunity.

He led the team out of the tunnel, pumping his fist and hyped up the crowd in Rice-Eccles Stadium. A helmet-less Dampier met with him before Utah’s first drive to offer him words of encouragement.

“He told me that he trusted me to lead the team and to play ball,” Ficklin said. “I felt like I was comfortable, and I feel like I knew I had everybody on my back.”

Then, it took Ficklin less than a minute to find pay dirt. On the second play from scrimmage, the freshman quarterback kept the ball and broke off a 63-yard touchdown run to put the Utes up early, leaving the rest of Colorado’s defense behind.

He later showcased his throwing ability, dotting up tight end JJ Buchanan for a 22-yard score in the second quarter. Ficklin did it again before halftime, this time on a back-shoulder rope to wide receiver Larry Simmons.

But there were throws that Ficklin wanted back on Saturday. He only completed 45.5% of his passes against CU’s defense.

“Some things I wish I had back from the game,” Ficklin said. " But I told everybody to leave it all on the field. And I feel like I left it all on the field, so I don’t really harp on the past. [I’m moving on] to the future."

Despite those missed throws, Whittingham predicted a bright future for the quarterback.

“He didn’t throw as accurately as he will in the future,” Whittingham said. “I can promise you: He’s a very accurate thrower in practice. He has a good, strong arm. But he ran the ball efficiently and made enough good throws.

“I saw him put some throws right on the money.”

But who knows when the freshman’s next shot might be. Maybe Ficklin gets another chance to start next week versus Cincinnati, with Dampier still ailing from an injury.

Maybe it’s next season as Utah’s starter.

Maybe he’ll have to wait even longer than that.

One thing the Utes and Whittingham do believe, however, is that they have something special in the young quarterback.

And there was more than just a few glimpses of that on Saturday night.

“You can tell a lot about a quarterback just the way he carries himself in his demeanor, and how he’s going to react,” Whittingham said.

“He reacted just right.”