Viral highlights, unselfish bond: How Devon Dampier helps Byrd Ficklin share the spotlight

SALT LAKE CITY — With the flick of his wrist, sophomore quarterback Byrd Ficklin went viral.

His "seed" pass fired down the field to receiver Mana Carvalho Thursday night was nothing short of perfection in a blowout win over Idaho. Ficklin received the snap, faked a handoff and immediately reversed course and rolled out of the pocket to his right.

With his mind already made up on his developing target, Ficklin threw a side-arm toss that almost resembled the Michael Jordan "Jumpman" logo in his throwing leap. The result was a ball delivered in stride to a streaking Carvalho, who had just enough of a window to make the catch look like a thing of beauty.

The play immediately sent oohs and ahs throughout Rice-Eccles Stadium as fans marveled at the backup's potential. It also caught the attention of several others online in the days to follow, including NFL draft analyst Todd McShay and coach Dan Casey, among others.

To Ficklin, though, it was simply a routine, or "traditional," play — a pass he's seemingly made a million times over the years.

"It's kind of our traditional play that we run every week in practice," Ficklin said. "I didn't see too much that was crazy about it. Kind of Mana creating separation out his break and me getting him the ball — giving the ball to my athletes, letting them play. So that's kind of how I see it. I didn't know it'd be this big thing, but, I mean, it's amazing."

It's a pass Ficklin hopes to make more as his role continues to develop at Utah behind starting quarterback Devon Dampier. But Ficklin isn't just a "garbage minutes" quarterback, the backup thrown in to clean up after Utah blows out opponents; he's simply another weapon offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven has at his disposal every game.

And though Ficklin eventually took over for Dampier against Idaho when the score got out of hand — he threw for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 4-of-8 passing, while rushing for 70 yards — he was also utilized on the field at times with Dampier. But Ficklin isn't just a decoy, he's got a diverse skillset that makes him a viable option on the field.

"He can catch the ball like a wide receiver," head coach Morgan Scalley said. "He's got really good hands. You can fly sweep the guy because he's got pretty good speed."

He's not your prototypical backup quarterback.

Ficklin chose to return to Utah, even with many outside offers for a potential starting job, because he felt comfortable in the offensive system and how he was utilized last season, but also because of his close relationship with Dampier, who has served as an older brother type for the younger Ficklin.

The two make a great tandem, and one that is even more impressive because neither is in a contentious battle for minutes. Ficklin said he credits Dampier with any of the opportunities he's gotten at Utah, saying the starting QB was insistent on utilizing the skillsets Ficklin possesses.

"I think Dev is the main reason for that," Ficklin said. "He came in and said, 'You know, we need Byrd on the field, we need Byrd for this, we need Byrd for that.' And without him saying that, I don't know if I'd be in the same position I am. But Dev is my big stepping point on me as a player in my own game."

Dampier, to his credit, doesn't feel threatened by his backup quarterback, even as the two share similar traits and play styles. Instead, it's two teammates working together to build a better offensive system at Utah where the two can co-exist.

"Byrd is like my little brother, my quarterback that I'm preparing to hopefully be better than me," Dampier said. "Then he's just, he's a crazy guy, bro. Byrd's the guy, though. He's earned his spot to be on the leadership council in his second year, so you know that speaks a lot to his characteristics. But honestly, I love the kid. That's my guy."

But there's a fine balance between having "two starting quarterbacks," as Scalley describes it, on the field at the same time and preserving depth at such a vital position. Scalley said it's "dangerous to the defense, but also dangerous on our part."

"We've got two of our guys out there, and so we don't necessarily want Byrd getting too many hits," Scalley said. "At the same time, man, does he have an unreal skill set. ... And then the same thing, Devon's like a running back, so Byrd can be taking snaps, right? And it gives you a lot of different options. But you've really got to be safe with it.

"You've got to pick your times when you use them."

Ficklin will continue to be a big part of Utah's offensive plan — under center, lined up in the backfield, and flexed outside as a wide receiver — to help generate more looks in a diverse playbook under McGiven. And though his skillsets are well documented, Ficklin is just living in the moment as he works to become better as a quarterback.

The other stuff gets him on the field now, but there continues to be development for him as a quarterback for when he eventually is tabbed a starting quarterback. In the meantime, he's "got to play the same game every week, throw the same ball; I can't let nothing change."

It's now just getting more consistent from where he started at in high school.

"It's nothing really crazy to me, I'm just getting better at them now," Ficklin said. "I'm being more accurate with (passes) now. They're not a once-in-a-lifetime thing, they're a more consistent thing. That's where I think Gundy's (Ryan Gunderson) been really improving with me. He's been finding all my flaws and what I can do and what I can't do, what I can get better at, and he's been pushing me to do better at my flaws rather than what I am good at."

The hope is to make him a more well-rounded player in his eventual push to be a starting QB — viral moments aside.

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