Another week has passed and there are more questions surrounding Utah’s quarterback situation.
When Kyle Whittingham met with reporters Tuesday during his only media session of the bye week, the first few questions revolved around his position, and for good reason.
Last Saturday, Utah lost 17-14 to Houston, giving Utah its fourth straight loss, but true freshman Isaac Wilson was replaced by Brandon Rose in the third quarter.
Whittingham said after the game that Utah’s coaching staff was hoping this would be a jumpstart for an offense that was averaging 12.5 points per game during the losing streak.
But after the Cougars overcame a 14-7 deficit in the third quarter and made the game-winning field goal as time expired, both QBs each led the Utes with one touchdown drive, but that was it. That wasn’t enough.
Wilson, who has started five games this season, completed 13 of 22 passes for 171 yards and one touchdown, but also lost a fumble.
Rose completed 7 of 15 passes for 45 yards and one interception. His pick near midfield for Houston with just under two minutes remaining led to the game-winning field goal.
The Utes have a bye heading into their rivalry showdown with BYU on Nov. 9 at Rice-Eccles Stadium, but Whittingham said Wilson and Rose will split reps in practice this week. He said it would be.
“We’re going to evaluate this week. Obviously, Isaac Wilson and Brandon Rose are both eligible this week, and we’ll see where it goes from there,” Whittingham said Tuesday.
Wilson took some big hits during the loss to Houston and was briefly ejected after taking a shot in Utah’s end zone in the second quarter, but he didn’t necessarily attribute Wilson’s struggles to injury.
“You know, he’s been pretty bad this year, but he’s a tough kid,” Whittingham said. “He wants to go out, so when he gets out he has to perform.”
Utah’s coach lamented Utah’s performance in the run game against Houston, both Utah’s operation and the team’s defense.
“Last game, we didn’t run the ball well. We didn’t defend the run well enough,” Whittingham said of a game in which Utah ran for 90 yards and gave up 228 yards on the ground. “We lost our turnover margin again, which has been a theme this year, and we left some points with some missed field goals. It was a combination of one or five.”
Money Park season ends
Whittingham also confirmed that the Utes will be without one of their offensive playmakers, wide receiver Money Parks, for the rest of the season. Parks left the game against Houston with an injury in the second quarter and did not return to the game.
“A season-ending injury cost us money for the season. I feel bad for Money, he’s been with us for years and has done a lot of good things. But , he’ll be out for the rest of the year,” Whittingham said.
The senior finished the season with 21 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns, and had seven kickoff returns on the year, averaging 17.29 per return.
Whittingham talks about rivalry
BYU is currently ranked No. 9 in the Associated Press rankings and remains undefeated at 8-0.
That was the type of season the Utes had hoped for, but now the Utes and Cougars have swapped positions from preseason expectations. Utah was the preseason favorite to win the Big 12, while BYU was picked 12th.
A win on Nov. 9 would not only give Utah 10th place in the series over the last 11 meetings, but it would also bring a much-needed spark to a flat season, although the Utes are certainly an underdog at 4-4. Dew. .
“That’s going to be a huge help. Obviously, we desperately need a win. There’s no doubt about that. We’ve had four straight games now and the average margin is about a touchdown.” So it’s not like we’re not competing,” Whittingham said. Our players are playing hard. They have good practice, today is one of our best practices. There are things we need to improve on, especially on the offensive side of the ball. ”
Latest information on Cam Rising
It’s been two weeks since Coach Whittingham confirmed seventh-year quarterback Cam Rising’s season is over following Utah’s loss to Arizona State, but his future remains in doubt with the program. remains in the minds of those involved. Therefore, choose to pursue that path.
“It’s completely in Cam’s court. The ball is in his court and he’s probably going to have surgery next week,” Whittingham said. “So he has time to think about it and decide what he wants to do. And you have to ask him that. I hope he sheds some light on it (the decision to return or not). I’ll know if you want to.”
