Waco, Texas • Inside of Utah’s locker room at halftime, Kyle Whittingham and his offensive coaching staff were in search of an antidote.
The Utes needed a burst of energy. Something to inject them with momentum. And the answer was rather simple.
“Hey, let’s have a little higher dose of Byrd in this second half,” Whittingham said of the decision.
To start the third quarter, Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson inched the Bears within eight points. Utah looked like it might be on upset alert in hostile territory.
Not on Ficklin’s watch, and what he would do the next drive would be the catalyst for the No. 13 Utah Utes’ (8-2, 5-2 Big 12) blistering 55-28 win over the Baylor Bears (5-5, 3-4) on Saturday night.
On a second-and-10 midway through the third, Utah’s Daniel Bray motioned left, while Ficklin received the snap. The freshman quarterback faked it to the running back before bolting right.
Ficklin juked past one Baylor defender, leaving him to fall onto the turf in McLane Stadium. Now Ficklin was tiptoeing down the sideline. But there was still one BU defender left. He was met by Ficklin’s outstretched arm, only to be shoved aside.
In 17 seconds, Ficklin found pay dirt.
(Julio Cortez | AP) Utah quarterback Byrd Ficklin runs a play against Baylor during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in Waco, Texas.
The Utes scored three touchdowns after that, and the freshman quarterback finished with 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
“Go out there and have fun. That’s my motto,” Ficklin said of the play after the game. “The hole opened up from my great O-line. [Wayshawn Parker] set a great block. It was all set up and perfect from that point on.”
Whittingham — the man who gave Ficklin his first Power Four offer — was certainly impressed.
“He’s maturing and becoming more seasoned every single week,” Whittingham said. “He’s responded well every single time he’s been in the game.
“The moment is not too big for Byrd. He’s going to be really good.”
But why was Ficklin inserted on design quarterback run plays over starting quarterback Devon Dampier?
Whittingham has said there’s been no quarterback controversy in the past. And Dampier was still on the field when Ficklin took snaps at quarterback, whether he was split out wide as a decoy receiver or passing the ball. He finished the night 6 of 13 for 80 yards passing and two touchdowns.
But Dampier clearly wasn’t himself, which is why the Utes opted to take Ficklin out of their bullpen.
“Devon’s a little bit beat up,” Whittingham said. “There’s no secret about that, but he’s a competitor. He’s a warrior. He goes out unless he absolutely can’t function at all. He’s going to want to play. He wasn’t his normal self tonight, but he’s good enough to go out and do some good things.”
The usually secretive Whittingham even revealed the extent of Dampier’s injury. Last week, the quarterback wouldn’t have been able to suit up if the Utes had a game instead of the bye week, Whittingham said.
The Utes have also taken a cautious approach with Dampier in practice.
“Every week we do that,” Whittingham said of managing Dampier’s injury. “That’s a plan that we lay out. And it’ll be the same this week, where he takes a lot of just mental reps, especially early in the week, and then we start to integrate him in as we get deeper into the week.”
Utah also doesn’t need to see Dampier at a certain percentage in practice to decide if he’ll play or not.
“We just need him on game day to say, ‘I’m ready to go,” Whittingham said. “He knows this offense inside and out, as I’ve said many times. ... He’s a guy that is veteran, and if he didn’t feel like he could help us win, then he’d let us know.”
While Ficklin stole the show in the second half, Dampier was still by his side — supporting him every step of the way. The two quarterbacks don’t treat it as a controversy, either.
“We have a very loving relationship,” Dampier said. “There’s no hate involved in anything.”
Ficklin added: “We both have fun with it. And it’s a really loving relationship between me and my best friend.”
With two games remaining on the schedule, one thing remains clear: If Dampier is able to start, he will. But Whittingham won’t be shy about pulling Ficklin into the action either.
“Devon was doing what he could do,” Whittingham said. “But Byrd, he’s a weapon, especially in that quarterback run game.”
As for the question of who will be Utah’s long-term starter, that will likely be answered this offseason. Maybe the Utes hold onto both. Maybe Utah opts for the young, talented phenom in Ficklin. Maybe Dampier sticks around for another season.
That isn’t anyone’s focus at the moment. Utah still has a chance for an at-large bid into the 12-team College Football Playoff and an outside shot to make the Big 12 title game.
And a lot can change in two weeks.