- Utah's offensive coordinator Jason Beck impressed in his debut, leading a 43-10 win.
- Beck's play-calling autonomy resulted in six touchdowns and only one punt against UCLA.
- Head coach Whittingham praised Beck's performance, rating it A-plus after Utah's dominant showing.
SALT LAKE CITY — On the very first play of the game, running back Wayshawn Parker knew his assignment and executed it to perfection.
It wasn't a run play for himself; instead, he was tasked with a motion out of the backfield in what appeared like he'd flex out wide to Devon Dampier's left. But before his motion stopped, Jaren Kump snapped the ball and Parker immediately attacked.
A yard behind the line of scrimmage, Parker laid out a pursuing defender as Smith Snowden took a couple of steps backward to catch a quick screen pass before jetting up field for an 11-yard gain. Parker's block perfectly moved the primary defender out of place and Utah started with an easy first down.
The play-call by offensive coordinator Jason Beck couldn't have been executed any better.
"Our whole 2025 seasons started off with a block by Wayshawn, and you could hear it on the sideline," running back coach Mark Atuaia said. "And quite frankly, it wasn't the look that I prepared him for. All UCLA film showed him a little bit off, but I guess it was Smitty that was standing there, and they pressed it, and Wayshawn just gave his own heart to it."
It wasn't the last time Beck's play-calls and offensive designs came up big for an offense that punted only once in the game and scored a touchdown on six of the eight complete drives the team had during a 43-10 blowout win over UCLA.
Beck was the mastermind, and his heralded offensive line and true dual-threat quarterback led the show, with a cast of characters that featured three defensive stars making a significant impact on the offense and a team that rushed for 286 yards — more than UCLA had in total offense for the game.
It was a full realization of what head coach Kyle Whittingham said back at Big 12 media days that Beck would have "complete autonomy" on the offensive play-calling this season.
In my rewatch of the game, I continue to come back to this play by Wayshawn Parker.
— Josh Furlong (@JFurKSL) September 3, 2025
Everything about this shows the level that Jason Beck is thinking about building an offense. It's simple, and yet it can be so effective in its execution. pic.twitter.com/AJi4kN3Oh9
And when grading out Beck's performance as the team's new offensive coordinator, Whittingham couldn't have been more pleased after a dominant performance that pushed Utah into the Associated Press Top 25 rankings on Tuesday — and had many national media crowning Utah as the early favorites to win the Big 12.
"I would rate his first performance an A-plus," Whittingham said. "The flow of the game, the calls had them off balance. (I) thought the run-pass ratio was outstanding, the RPO facet that he brought and implemented. He's just a masterful play-caller — at least he has been; he was tonight. So I hope it doesn't change. We hope he continues down that road."
If Beck and the offense he's designed continue to execute like it did Saturday night, it'll be a tough job for any team to beat the Utes.
Utah used a primarily heavy run game (67.5%), while passing on just 32.5% of its 80 total plays. And in an offense that utilized tempo, Beck diced UCLA apart methodically and meticulously — including a 20-play drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes to go 80 yards for a touchdown.
Even that lengthly drive managed to have some tempo to it, but in a way that simply ended all chances for UCLA to have an optimistic outlook on the rest of the game. There were still areas, though, where Utah's offense showed it needs to and can improve in the coming weeks.
Some of that includes getting guys like receiver Tobias Merriweather a little more involved in the offense, Whittingham said. It may also include a heavier dose of freshman JJ Buchanan or fellow tight end Hunter Andrews. But some of that is on the player, too, Whittingham added.
"If you want more time, you want more production, play better in practice," he said Monday. "That's how it is. I mean, you've got to play your way into that. You're not going to, we're not just going to try to feature somebody if they haven't earned it."
As an aside, Whittingham said many have earned the right to see the field and get playing time, but roles may be different each week as Beck schemes the personnel to that of what the opponent presents. On Saturday, it was a heavy dose of defensive players (who will continue to be a factor each game), but each game could be different.
It's an offensive playbook with variety and versatility, and one that was built and developed before the games were even played.
"I think the great thing about our team is we do whatever to win the game," Dampier said. "We do whatever what's best for the team. So whatever game plan that ends up being that week, everyone's going to be down for it; everyone's going to give 100%."
"This whole thing was won way before Saturday night, just in the way that the leadership of our team, the players and those that we count on to provide that leadership, they've been doing an outstanding job in leading the team, and so kudos to them and the way that they led thus far," added Atuaia.
And as long as Beck's offense continues to score — a completely new experience from last season's stalled offense — he'll continue to be looked at as the mastermind to a system that puts a ton of pressure on opposing defenses.
The early results are positive.
