No. 11 Utah has opened a season with five straight victories for the first time since 2015 and looks to tack on another triumph when it tackles Colorado in Big 12 play on Saturday night at Boulder, Colo.
The Utes (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) are thriving under first-year coach Morgan Scalley and have won each game by at least 14 points, including three by 33 or more.
“It’s gonna be a daunting task,” Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday. “Offensively, they get after it. Defensively, they get after it. Probably the best team we’re gonna face this season.”
Utah running back Wayshawn Parker has emerged as a force with back-to-back efforts of 174 yards against Iowa State and 171 versus Kansas. He accumulated those 345 combined yards on just 34 carries.
Parker, who has rushed for 499 yards, is tied for fourth in the nation with 11 touchdowns (seven rushing, four receiving).
Scalley said he is monitoring how many times Parker gets the ball — he’s carried 66 times and caught 17 passes — to avoid wearing him down.
“I think if it’s Wayshawn, Wayshawn, Wayshawn, it’s easy for people to load the box,” Scalley said. “The other thing are the hits that running backs take over and over and over again. It is a car crash every tackle for the most part, and so just making sure, player-load wise, you’re doing everything you can to keep him healthy.”
Utes quarterback Devon Dampier also is faring well. He has passed for 1,134 yards and 12 touchdowns against two interceptions and also has rushed for 206 yards and three touchdowns.
Utah has won eight of the past nine meetings against Colorado (2-3, 0-2), including a 53-7 home romp last season. In 2024, the Buffaloes rolled to a 49-24 win in Boulder.
Former Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson is in line to start his second straight game for the Buffaloes, who are coming off a bye and have lost three straight games.
Sanders jokingly suggested to Wilson that he “make sure you throw the ball to the guys on our team,” as opposed to those in familiar Utah jerseys.
“See, we can joke like that because Isaac is one of those kids that — Isaac is Isaac,” Sanders said. “He ain’t taking that to heart. He’s not gonna cry and have a pity party. That’s the balance of our relationship. We can get down like that. Then, when he does something (in practice he says), ‘Yeah, what you got to say now?’ That’s how Isaac gets down with me.”
Wilson started in place of struggling Julian Lewis and passed for 290 yards and one touchdown in a 29-7 home loss to then-No. 12 Texas Tech on Oct. 3. But he also tossed three interceptions.
At Utah, Wilson passed for 1,510 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while starting seven of nine games played in 2024. He appeared in just one game last season — against Colorado — and misfired on his lone pass attempt.
Scalley downplayed the fact that Wilson will be playing against his former team, while paying respect to his arm strength and football knowledge. He also mentioned the fact that the Buffaloes also have former Utah cornerback Jason Stokes Jr.
“He’s definitely done a great job of being developed at Colorado, and (Wilson’s) going to know, obviously, some things, terminology-wise, and Stokes as well,” Scalley said. “Jason Stokes is going to know some things (about the offense), but at the same time, we have a feel for his strengths and weaknesses. I think at the end of the day, it’s still a team game.”
Wilson will certainly look to connect with stellar receiver Joseph Williams, who has 32 receptions for 454 yards and five touchdowns.