SALT LAKE CITY — Whether Byrd Ficklin gets his first career start Saturday night for the University of Utah remains to be seen, but this week’s first Big 12 availability report offered some insight.

Junior quarterback Devon Dampier popped up on the availability report Wednesday night as “questionable,” which will fuel the possibility of Ficklin, a true freshman, starting against Colorado (8:15 p.m. MDT, ESPN) in a game the Utes must win to keep their fading Big 12 championship game hopes alive.

Dampier’s initial injury designation comes after Utah has already conducted its Tuesday practice, which is typically its most physical of the week.

The Big 12 will release Utah-Colorado availability reports on Thursday and Friday night, and no later than 90 minutes before kickoff at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In the third quarter of a 24-21 loss at BYU, Dampier limped off the field, but returned a short time later with his ankle heavily taped.

It is unclear exactly when Dampier was hurt, but it may have occurred on an ill-fated fourth-and-3 keeper with 8:47 left in the third quarter. Dampier picked up just 2 yards, the drive stalling at the BYU 6-yard line with Utah trailing 10-7.

When the topic was broached Monday morning during his weekly press conference, Kyle Whittingham said there was a “distinct possibility” that Ficklin could start Saturday, which is generally more than the 21st-year head coach is willing to offer on injury matters.

“We’ll just check the availability report that comes out Wednesday, and we have to wait a few days to see how these guys are healing up from the game, and so that’s a distinct possibility, I can tell you that,” Whittingham said of Ficklin. “On Wednesday, you’ll start getting the availability report and the likelihood of who’s playing, who’s not.”

“It’s Week 9, everyone gets banged up at this point,” Dampier said later Monday afternoon. “It’s Monday, so we’ll see where the week goes.”

A former three-star recruit out of Muskogee (Okla.) High, Ficklin has impressed in six appearances this fall, completing all nine of pass attempts for 138 yards and a touchdown, while adding 111 rushing yards and three more scores on just 17 attempts.

The vast majority of that work, though, has come in fourth-quarter mop-up duty in relief of Dampier. Should he start against Colorado, it would mark Ficklin’s first extensive work against a first-team defense, and it would come at a hugely-critical juncture in Utah’s season.

“He’s got a lot of ability, just physical ability,” Whittingham said. “He’s an excellent athlete, a really good runner, throws a really good ball,” Whittingham said. “In fact, he’s what, 9-for-9, I think, on his nine throws this year so far, and so he’s a guy that has shown nothing but a lot of promise ever since he set foot on campus.”

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