Morgan Scalley once had a strong opinion on BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier.

Or, maybe more accurately, he once had the wrong opinion on Bachmeier.

“I’ll be honest, when I first started watching Bear, I was like, ‘This guy cannot throw,’” Scalley said Monday at his press conference ahead of Saturday’s rivalry game against No. 7 BYU. “[I thought] he was a running back playing quarterback.”

It’s understandable why he might have felt that way. After all, it was just last year when Bachmeier willed BYU to a win over the Utes with his legs.

We all remember Bachmeier’s punishing 22-yard touchdown run, when he dragged multiple Utes across the goal line for a late score and caused former FOX Sports announcer Jason Benetti to exclaim on national TV, “There’s a bear on the loose in Provo!”

“He can hurdle you,” Scalley said when asked what he learned about Bachmeier in the 2025 game. “He’s a competitor. He’s athletic. ... It just comes down to execution. And at the end of the day, they executed in key moments, and we didn’t, and that’s why they won the game.”

Bachmeier certainly looked like a running back at times during the 2025 matchup — and that wasn’t unusual during his freshman season.

But Scalley has come around on the other parts of Bachmeier’s game.

The BYU QB has grown into a more refined playmaker, throwing for 1,750 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions this season. He’s also developed quite a deep-ball rapport with freshman wideout Legend Glaskar.

“I was wrong, dead wrong,” Scalley said. “[BYU OC Aaron Roderick] has done such a great job developing him.”

Scalley’s comments are a stark contrast to the lead-up to last year’s rivalry game, when former Utah coach Kyle Whittingham declined to comment on Bachmeier.

“You have to compliment him on that because he is an efficient thrower,” Scalley said. “He has zip on his ball. He makes great decisions.”

And, yes, he still can use his legs.

The running back Scalley saw is still there — Bachmeier’s just got an arm, too.

“When he runs, it’s like, ‘OK, bring your lunch’ every time,” Scalley said. “He is thick. He’s tough to bring down. Really good balance. So the dual-threat is always going to be something that a team’s got, and then you really have to have answers and take your shots every once in a while. But I can’t say enough good things about him.”

Scalley, who said he wanted the rivalry to be “more civil,” wasn’t the only coach praising the opposing quarterback.

BYU’s Kalani Sitake said Utah QB Devon Dampier is still a little underappreciated.

“I don’t think Dampier gets enough credit for what he does with the ball in his hands and how they use his skills,” Sitake said.

His praise didn’t end there.

“They have a bunch of guys that can run the ball,” Sitake continued. “[Wayshawn] Parker’s a really good dynamic runner. They have a lot of next-level type of players, receivers and tight ends that can do so many different things.

“They have so many different personnel sets that it’s going to take every bit of preparation from us and all the time that we have to be ready for them. But I’m looking forward to the matchup and looking forward to being back in Rice-Eccles again and having a great game environment. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”