Logan • Isaac Wilson was all smiles and laughs as he approached a throng of media members.
Just a week ago the freshman quarterback faced a slew of tough questions. He had to explain his missed throws and interceptions. He had to address his lack of confidence. And, with Cam Rising sidelined with a right-hand injury, Wilson still had to prove he could back up the seventh-year quarterback this season and perhaps be his replacement in 2025.
Wilson, at least for the time being, put those questions to bed after leading the No. 12 Utes (3-0) to a 38-21 win over in-state rival Utah State (1-2) on Saturday. He finished 20-of-33 from the pocket for 239 passing yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
His post-game grin is a welcome sight for Ute fans. His confidence has seemingly returned and maybe so has the hype. Wilson showed for the first time this season he can step in and be the guy if Rising can’t stay healthy.
“Feels amazing,” Wilson said after the game. “These boys, they believe in me, and so I had to go in and show out.”
For a few moments in the first quarter, it didn’t look like it would end that way. Utah’s offense started as it ended a week earlier against Baylor. The Aggies held a 14-3 lead — Utah’s largest deficit of the season through three games — and former Ute Bryson Barnes was on pace for a revenge game.
Wilson had only led Utah to 53 total yards by the start of the second quarter.
Then it started to click.
“Definitely after that first drive, I felt comfortable, ready to go,” Wilson said. “I mean, the first drive is the first drive, but I felt good after that.”
He showed glimpses of settling in the pocket and reading the defense, enough to throw his first touchdown to Money Parks with just over 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter. Just before halftime, Wilson lofted another score to redshirt senior tight end Caleb Lohner.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes quarterback Isaac Wilson (11) looks for his pass as Utah State hosts the University of Utah during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Logan, Utah.
The Utes regained control, and so did Wilson, leading 17-14 by halftime and closing out the game in the latter quarters.
“I’m over that ridge of being nervous,” Wilson said. “I feel like I’m confident. I felt composed throughout the game and I was leaning on my offensive line, wide receivers, running backs.”
Wilson credited his comfortability and composure to Rising after the win. The seventh-year quarterback sat in the film room with his understudy all week, breaking down formations, the playbook and different reads. All that helped Wilson, he says, get his swagger back.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was certainly happy to see it.
“Everything was positive for him to experience and to come out with a win and put up 38 points … as a true freshman,” Whittingham said. “He responded well, I thought, as the game went on. He settled in and got more comfortable, more confident, and made some plays.”
It appears that Wilson won’t be under center for long, however. Rising is expected to be back next week from his injury.
“It was great to see Isaac Wilson settle in and look like a real Power 4 quarterback,” Whittingham said. “We’re hoping, obviously, we can get Cam back this week, and that’s the plan.”
But, it’s always nice to have a good insurance policy just in case.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes running back Micah Bernard (2) is tackled by Utah State Aggies safety Ike Larsen (6) as Utah State hosts the University of Utah during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Logan, Utah.
Micah Bernard emerging as RB1, Jaylon Glover still absent
It was the second straight week Micah Bernard had a 100-yard rushing performance.
Against the Aggies, the senior running back finished with a season-high 123 rushing yards and one touchdown. He now has 274 rushing yards on the season and two total touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing.
“Today we had everything working,” Bernard said. “He was throwing the ball pretty well. A lot of receivers were getting open. [Isaac] was making good passes. We started running the ball efficiently. And so when you get a game like that, that’s what we’re going [to do].”
His performance, Utah’s head coach said, could be inching him closer to becoming Utah’s feature running back.
“I think that Micah is definitely making a case for being running back No. 1,” Whittingham said. “He’s not the biggest guy. Is he a 30 carry-a-game kind of guy? No, but he can give us 20 good carries a game. So, yeah, he’s trending in that direction.”
Maybe the most important play of the game came on a 64-yard run from Bernard, which ultimately set up another Utes touchdown and a 35-21 lead toward the end of the fourth quarter.
“It felt pretty good,” Bernard said of his run. “Everything was slow in the run game, but to be able to just break one for a big gain felt pretty good to get our offense in a good situation.”
It was also the second straight week junior running back Jaylon Glover didn’t make an appearance on offense. He has been absent from Utah’s backfield due to two inconsistent weeks of practice, Whittingham said.
Redshirt freshman running back Mike Mitchell finished with 14 carries and 75 rushing yards on Saturday night.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utes running back Jaylon Glover on the sidelines as Utah State hosts the University of Utah during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Logan, Utah.
Utah’s defense struggles against the run
Utah’s defense came in with a different defensive look vs. Utah State.
The reasoning behind the move was because of former Ute and current USU quarterback Bryson Barnes’ familiarity with the playbook.
The changes didn’t pay dividends as much as the Utes would’ve liked, at least in the first half.
“Bryson Barnes knows our defense inside and out,” Whittingham said. “So, [defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley] and the defensive staff came up with a few looks that he hadn’t seen with different personnel groups, and I’m not going to say it was bad, but when we settled back to our stuff that we do all the time, we seemed to have more success.
“That was the reason that we went into the game thinking we wanted to show different looks.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah State Aggies running back Rahsul Faison (3) is chased down by Utah Utes linebacker Johnathan Hall (3) as Utah State hosts the University of Utah during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Logan, Utah.
Barnes gashed Utah’s defense for 186 passing yards in the first half, finishing with 223 at the end of the game. Those changes also affected Utah’s run defense, which allowed USU running back Rahsul Faison to finish with 19 carries, 115 yards and an average of 6.1 yards per carry.
“We had certain things that we were trying today,” said sophomore defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa. “We wanted to see and to test things out. And then we went back to our base, and when we got to what our bread and butter is, we started to play the game that we play.”
Utah will now shift its defensive focus to one of the best running backs in the entire country. Next week the Utes will face No. 13 Oklahoma State (3-0) and daunting running back Ollie Gordon II.
That game kicks off at 2 p.m. MT next Saturday in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
It will be Utah’s first Big 12 conference game ever but also their first ranked opponent they’ll face this season.