Senior quarterback Kaidon Salter runs toward the end zone during the game against Iowa State University at Folsom Field on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Rebecca Schima/CU Independent)
The University of Colorado travels to Salt Lake City, Utah this weekend to matchup with the University of Utah under the lights on Saturday night. Returning to action from a bye week, the last time the Buffs took the field they knocked off No. 22 Iowa State University at home in a thrilling 24-17 upset victory. Coming off arguably his best passing performance of the season, quarterback Kaidon Salter leads the Colorado offense, hoping to continue his newly found connection with sophomore receiver Joseph Williams.
The Utah Utes, alternatively, flounder into this matchup after falling short against in-state rival Brigham Young University last week. Utah has only two losses on the season, yet both have come against Big 12 frontrunners in Texas Tech and BYU. Outside those two games, Utah’s lowest margin of victory is 25. The Utes are led by dual-threat quarterback Devon Dampier, a transfer from the University of New Mexico. Standing at just 5 feet 11 inches, Dampier has produced 1,375 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns while leading Utah in rushing with 442 yards and 5 touchdowns. On the other side of the football, Utah supports its do-it-all quarterback with one of the country’s top defenses, currently ranked No. 23rd in the nation in team defense.
Storylines to watch out for on Saturday night:
Devon Dampier’s injury status – Dampier, Utah’s star quarterback, was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report, designating him with a 50% chance to play per Big 12 injury report guidelines. The quarterback previously hurt his right ankle during Utah’s game against the University of Wyoming on Sept. 13 and reaggravated the issue last week during the second half of the BYU game. In fact, upon returning to the game last week, Dampier did not run the ball and appeared bothered by the ankle injury. Accordingly, even if he plays, Dampier will likely be limited in his running ability on Saturday. If Dampier is determined to be unable to play, Utah will start freshman Byrd Ficklin at quarterback.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham spoke on Ficklin’s ability, saying, “he’s got a lot of ability, just physical ability. He’s an excellent athlete, a really good runner, throws a really good ball.”
Ficklin has assumed backup duty for the entire season and already appeared in six games in 2025, entering the game in the fourth quarter of all five of Utah’s wins and briefly stepping into the BYU game after Dampier’s injury. During these appearances, Ficklin has played almost flawlessly, currently holding a perfect nine for nine for 100% completion and accounting for over 200 total yards and three touchdowns. Ficklin is left-handed and, similar to Dampier, boasts a dual threat playing style that should maintain an open playbook for the Utah offense. Yet, despite his success so far this season, Ficklin is an unproven entity and his presence in the game would represent a major opportunity for the Buffs’ defense Saturday.
Colorado hanging onto Big 12 contention – The first half of the season’s record for Colorado football is ugly; the team sits at 3-4 and already has three Big 12 losses. Yet, after the team’s win over Iowa State, Colorado proved itself capable of overcoming a heavyweight opponent despite coming up short in four straight games to start the season. In fact, the combined record of the four teams that Colorado has lost to in 2025 is 25-3.
If Colorado can win out in the Big 12, which remains a possibility due to recent momentum and the Buffs’ ability to remain competitive even in losses to tough competition, the team will finish with an 8-4 overall record and 6-3 in the Big 12. With a little luck, if Texas Tech, the University of Cincinnati and the University of Houston end the season with three or more conference losses, the Buffs could earn an unlikely bid to the Big 12 title game.
“We played this team a year ago and we were successful, so let’s start right there. We believe,” Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said earlier this week. “We’re going in there with one thing in mind and that’s to come out dominant.”
Despite being 13.5 point underdogs on the road, the Buffs hope the momentum of continuous improvement might spark a consecutive upset victory. The game will be played in Salt Lake City at 8:15 p.m. MT and will broadcast live on ESPN.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Charlie Hewitt charles.hewitt@colorado.edu.
