Wayshawn Parker entered the 2025 season with a simple goal: put together a 1,000-yard rushing season. Four games into the year, the Utah Utes running back is still on track to get there, even if the margin is tighter than he probably expected.
Parker is currently on pace for 984 rushing yards, which puts him just short of the milestone he has been chasing since before the season began. That makes the next two games especially important for Utah, because Kansas and Colorado are the best back-to-back rushing-matchup window left on the schedule.
Why the next two games matter
Utah is scheduled to host Kansas on Saturday, Oct. 10, at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City, with kickoff set for 10:30 p.m. ET. After that comes Colorado, giving Parker a stretch that could go a long way toward keeping his first 1,000-yard season within reach.
The timing matters because the schedule gets tougher after that. Once Utah gets past Kansas and Colorado, the Utes still have Houston, BYU, Arizona, TCU and West Virginia ahead. That means this two-game stretch may be the clearest opening Parker gets to add rushing production before the late-season grind.
What Parker has done so far
The numbers show both how productive Parker has been and how close he is to the mark. One pace puts him at 984 yards, while another season checkpoint listed him at 859.2 yards and 65.4 yards per game. A stronger stretch would quickly change the picture, especially if he can take advantage of the upcoming matchups.
At his best, Parker has shown the kind of rushing profile that can carry a larger workload. Utah has reason to keep leaning on him, especially with the 1,000-yard chase still alive and the schedule setting up better now than it likely will later in the season.
What comes next
If Parker can produce in the next two games, he will not only keep his personal goal in play, but also give Utah a more reliable offensive foundation heading into the tougher part of its Big 12 slate. If he falls short in this window, the path to 1,000 yards gets much harder.
For now, the equation is straightforward: Wayshawn Parker is close, Utah has a favorable two-game stretch, and the outcome of Kansas and Colorado may determine whether his chase reaches the finish line.
