Colorado Buffaloes at Utah Utes

Freshman QB Byrd Ficklin shines in first start as Utah runs over Colorado for 53-7 victory

Ficklin, a true freshman, filled in for injured starter Devon Dampier and hit the ground running – literally. He piled up 163 yards and a touchdown on the ground by halftime and finished with 291 yards on offense.

Wayshawn Parker added 145 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries to help the Utes (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) become bowl eligible after winning just two conference games a year ago. Utah ran for a season-high 422 yards – eclipsing 400 rushing yards for the first time this season.

“I told (the offensive line) before the game, ‘We go out here and have fun, and play our game, we’re gonna do something great,’” Ficklin said. “And that’s what we did. We had something to prove.”

Kaidon Salter tallied 37 yards and an interception on 9-of-22 passing for Colorado. Salter was sacked five times before halftime while facing nonstop pressure.

“I watched over 10 hours of film and a lot of pressures that came up today were nowhere to be found on tape, so I felt like today they schemed up this pressure just for us,” Salter said.

The Buffaloes (3-5, 1-4) lost to Utah for the 12th time in the last 14 meetings in the series.

It ended up being the worst margin of defeat for the Buffaloes against the Utes.

Colorado finished with 140 total yards and averaged 2.1 yards per play.

“This is probably the worst beating I’ve ever had except when my momma whooped me as a kid,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said.

Long-distance runs helped the Utes quickly seize control. Utah racked up 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter while averaging 12.8 yards per carry.

Ficklin cut upfield and raced 63 yards untouched for a touchdown on Utah’s second play. Then, Parker, opened the Utes’ fourth drive by hitting a hole, turning on the jets, and racing 58 yards to extend the lead to 17-0.

Ficklin added a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter — a 22-yard pinpoint strike to JJ Buchanan and a 20-yard back shoulder throw to Larry Simmons — to help Utah take a 43-0 lead into halftime.

“Hard to find negatives in that game. Offense, defense, special teams – all hitting on all cylinders,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “Jumped on them early. That first half was about as good of football as we played here.”

The Takeaway Colorado: Nothing went right for the Buffaloes on either side of the ball when it mattered. Colorado allowed 8.1 yards per play in the first half and totaled minus 18 yards by halftime, enduring their worst halftime deficit since 2012.

Utah: Ficklin made the absence of Dampier not sting after leading the Utes to touchdowns on five of nine first-half drives.

Game-time decision Ficklin did not get the call to start until shortly before kickoff. Dampier was listed as probable on Utah’s final pregame injury report after suffering an ankle injury against BYU a week earlier.

“Devin hadn’t had much practice all week, but he’s a guy that knows this offense inside and out,” Whittingham said. “Had he felt up to the task in pregame, then there would have been a tough decision to make. But he was not feeling it.”

Ficklin struggled with his accuracy, throwing five straight incompletions, before completing six of his final 10 passes in the first half. He completed 10 of 22 overall.

Quick strikes Five of Utah’s nine scoring drives took less than a minute off the clock. The Utes had three touchdown drives covering two plays and one covering a single play.

“Sometimes you just are dumbfounded, man,” Sanders said. “You just look at this day and say, ‘Wow, what happened?’ There’s no way.”

Up Next Colorado: Hosts Arizona on Saturday.

Utah: Hosts Cincinnati on Saturday.