Tempe, Ariz. • Within seconds of the long-awaited return of Cam Rising, something looked off.
Following weeks of speculation about his health, the seventh-year quarterback trotted onto the field at Mountain America Stadium on Friday night. Rising took his first snap and flung the ball out of bounds.
That throw was a sign of what was to come.
It was clear Rising was a shell of himself — still ailing from the hand injury he suffered on Sept. 7 and perhaps hampered further from an awkward tackle early in Friday’s game. Some throws were too high. Others tumbled into the dirt. By the end of the night, three floated into the hands of ASU’s defense.
The end result: a 27-19 defeat to the Arizona State Sun Devils.
No. 16 Utah (4-2, 1-2 Big 12) struggled on both sides of the ball on Friday night in Tempe, Arizona. Rising, who returned to the lineup for the first time in three games, finished 16 of 36 with 209 passing yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Micah Bernard was the bright spot on Utah’s offense, finishing with 21 carries, 129 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Utah’s Cole Becker kicked four field goals.
Utah’s defense struggled to tackle for the third straight week in a row. ASU running back Cam Skattebo ran the ball 22 times for 158 rushing yards (an average of 7.2 yards per carry) and two touchdowns against the Utes.
In the first half, ASU quarterbacks Sam Leavitt and Jeff Sims, who came in for an injured Leavitt in the second quarter, also made key plays on the ground. The pair of quarterbacks combined for seven rushes and 24 rushing yards in the first half.
Arizona State quarterback Jeff Sims scores a touch down while getting escorted by running back Cam Skattebo (4) in front of Utah cornerback Zemaiah Vaughn in the first half during an NCAA college football game, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Sims scored a lone rushing touchdown with 8:38 remaining in the second quarter, which allowed the Sun Devils to hold a 13-9 lead at the break.
Rising’s struggles continued into the second half. On Utah’s opening drive of the third quarter, the seventh-year quarterback lobbed an inaccurate throw into the hands of Arizona State’s Keith Abney II for his second interception of the contest.
Bernard breathed life into Utah’s offense in the third quarter, however, scoring on a 6-yard scamper with 3:19 left in the third quarter. His touchdown gave Utah a 16-13 lead and a glimmer of hope.
Arizona State took back momentum on the next drive after Skattebo scored on a 50-yard touchdown run. Skattebo added a 47-yard touchdown run to ice the contest.
Utah’s final drive of the night ended with Rising’s third interception.
Next, Utah will take on TCU (3-3, 1-2) at 8:30 p.m. MT on Saturday, Oct. 19 in Salt Lake City.
