BYU quarterback Taysom Hill called the fourth-down play against Michigan State with a previously unknown receiver as the primary target. Quin Ficklin was perplexed. “Really, this is the plan?” he thought.
It worked. Ficklin stretched to catch Hill’s low throw for a first down and BYU went on to beat the Spartans. If that play seemed unlikely, consider Ficklin’s career trajectory since that afternoon in October 2016. The Cougars’ occasional fullback is now Utah State’s starting center, widely viewed as the Aggies’ top lineman and maybe even their best offensive player.
Ficklin never again will wear No.