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We all know about Devon Dampier and Byrd Ficklin’s close relationship.

And, honestly, it’s rare to see that level of closeness between two quarterbacks who are capable of starting at the Power Four level.

“I feel like we have two starting quarterbacks,” Utah head coach Morgan Scalley said after Utah’s first win. “They’re both great leaders, unselfish, and you saw the efficiency tonight.”

Ficklin could have easily left this offseason since Dampier decided to return.

Dampier could have also left town, too. Instead, the two are forming a rare 1-2 combo at quarterback.

“Byrd is like my little brother, my quarterback that I’m preparing to hopefully be better than me,” Dampier said.

“He’s a crazy guy. Byrd’s the guy, though. He’s earned his spot to be on the leadership council in his second year, so that speaks a lot of his character.”

And Dampier thinks he’s earned more time on the field, too.

Dampier has been pushing for Ficklin to get more playing time. It’s what Ficklin said has allowed him to make an early impact. Ficklin had one of his impressive throws go viral last week, when he was rolling left and zipped a jumping touchdown pass to Mana Caravalho.

“I love it. Having two dynamic athletes out there is huge, and Dev drove that,” Ficklin explained. “He advocated for me, telling the staff, ‘We need Byrd in this package, we need Byrd on the field.’ If he hadn’t pushed for me like that, I might not have had this same opportunity.”

Both signal callers made their mark in Utah’s home opener last weekend. Dampier threw for 176 yards and three touchdowns. Ficklin had 96 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Seeing both quarterbacks on the field (albeit dangerously, given injury concerns) will be a factor for the U.’s offense moving forward.

“Devon’s like a running back,” Scalley said this week. “So, Byrd can be taking snaps, and it gives you a lot of different options, but you really [have] to be safe with it. You [have] to pick your times when you use them.”