Five Takeaways From Utah’s 63-9 Victory Over Cal Poly
Sep 7, 2025, 12:25 PM
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - SEPTEMBER 6: Byrd Ficklin #15 of the Utah Utes is lifted by teammate Kalolo Ta'Aga #58 after Ficklin scored against the Cal Poly Mustangs during the second half of their game at Rice-Eccles Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY—Utah got the 63–9 win in its home opener, but it wasn’t nearly as sharp as week one. The Utes lit up the highlight reel while piling up too many penalties and missed chances.
“We weren’t quite as in sync offensively as we were in the game last week,” Whittingham said. “We never got into that rhythm that we were in last week, consistently, but there were some really bright spots and good things that happened.”
“𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙣.” 📣#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/ht6kYRRSIo
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 7, 2025
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1. Sloppiness was the storyline
For a top-25 program, the most glaring number wasn’t on the scoreboard. Utah looked uncharacteristically dull in relation to their level of execution the week before. During the first half, the team lacked the same sort of precision they had shown, highlighted by just 3-of-7 conversions on 3rd down. They were also penalized six times, excluding the two penalties that were declined.
Utah performed much better in the second half. They were penalized just once and converted 6-of-6 on 3rd down, which improved that conversion rate to 9-of-13 overall.
If there was a group that seemed most out of sorts, it would be the defensive secondary. Cal Poly still only finished 15-of-30 for 158 yards, but there were a few too many missed opportunities down the field where a receiver broke loose and the throw was just off.
However, that first half effort was noticeably different than last week’s. So, despite the 54-point margin of victory, Utah has plenty of things to address this week.
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2. Byrd Ficklin looked good
Devon Dampier had a solid outing, which came to an end after one possession in the 3rd quarter. In his place, true freshman Byrd Ficklin took the field, and the lefty impressed. He finished the game 4-of-4 for 53 yards, while adding 55 more yards and two touchdowns on five carries.
Ficklin’s four passes were simple throws, but the velocity and accuracy of the throws stood out. He completed three in a row on his second possession before ripping off a 38-yard touchdown scamper, which included a defender being tossed aside along the way.
In the post-game press conference, Kyle Whittingham acknowledged that preserving Isaac Wilson’s redshirt is part of the equation right now. That made the Cal Poly game the perfect opportunity to get the true freshman significant snaps and he certainly made the most of them.
𝐁𝐘𝐑𝐃𝐌𝐀𝐍 ❗#SloMoSunday brought to you by true freshman QB, @FicklinJamarian, as he takes a run the distance for his 1st collegiate TD.#GoUtes | @doterra pic.twitter.com/4G6BFMtALl
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 7, 2025
3. Jackson Bennee, Utah defense could’ve had an even bigger day
Utah’s defense once again delivered with impact plays. Jackson Bennee’s pick-six extended the Utes’ streak to 22 consecutive seasons with a defensive touchdown. Johnathan Hall nearly had another pick-six after tipping and intercepting a pass, stopped just shy of the end zone.
Bennee was all over the field in this one. He finished with four tackles and batted three passes down. One of those batted passes came when Bennee blitzed the quarterback and batted down a pass to a running back in the flat. However, it could’ve and should’ve ended up as a scoop and score.
Big plays all day💥
Take a look back at yesterday’s win over Cal Poly📸
🧵⤵️#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/zwE05ePg6M
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) September 7, 2025
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After reviewing the play, it seemed pretty clear that the quarterback was indeed making a backward pass. Maybe the refs blew it dead, or maybe Bennee gave up on the play, but had Bennee acted as if it were a backward pass, scooped it, and scored, it’s hard to see that play not counting.
Anyways, that doesn’t take anything away from Bennee’s performance yesterday. He extended the pick-six streak and made his presence felt all over the field.
4. Utah’s passing game is still a work in progress
The biggest question mark coming into the season undeniably remains so after two games. However, Utah has still managed to find good production through the air, which was the case on Saturday.
Senior Ryan Davis was the most productive target, hauling in six catches for 58 yards and a touchdown. Junior Tobias Merriweather added three grabs for 37 yards and also had a reception negated by a penalty. Tight end Dallen Bentley finished with two receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown, while just missing out on another big touchdown grab.
RELATED: Devon Dampier Puts Touchdown Toss In Dallen Bentley’s Bucket
Head coach Kyle Whittingham had already put the receivers on notice earlier in the week, saying he needed to see more from the group as a whole. After the game, his stance hadn’t changed.
“They’re still a work in progress,” Whittingham said. “The receiver position in and of itself is a work in progress. We’ve got about four guys right now, five guys that we really have trust in, and we’re waiting for another guy or two to join that group.”
However, this is not an issue exclusive to the receiver room; Utah’s receivers were getting open. Dampier, who has been remarkably efficient, needs to become more consistent working off of his initial read to identify the open receivers. There were a handful of opportunities he missed to make throws to open receivers.
RELATED: Freshman QB Byrd Ficklin Stiff Arms Defender On First Collegiate Touchdown
The passing game as a whole is a work in progress, which, Dampier finishing 17-of-23 passing for 192 yards and three touchdowns to no interceptions, is saying something.
5. Defense delivered takeaways, tackling improved
Utah’s defense made its presence felt against Cal Poly, creating turnovers, applying steady pressure, and shutting down drives when it mattered. The Utes forced multiple takeaways and kept the Mustangs from ever getting comfortable offensively.
The biggest positive development was the improvement Utah made from last week to this week as tacklers. After surpassing double-digit missed tackles last week, the Utes only had three against Cal Poly.
The front seven showed plenty of promise. Utah held Cal Poly to just 3.8 yards per play, forcing them into obvious passing situations, and the pass rush responded. John Henry Daley led the charge with another sack and multiple pressures. Kash Dillon notched his first sack, while Paul Fitzgerald and Lance Holtzclaw split a sack as well.
The secondary was not as sharp as last week. The Mustangs never found consistency through the air, as they just missed on connecting, but there were opportunities due to poor coverage.
Ultimately, the Utes took care of business and provided plenty of highlight moments, which were tough to come by last season. The lack of focus — penalties, drops, and inconsistent execution — will be the talking points all week long.
