Tempe, Arizona • He was rusty in his first game in over a month.
He was still ailing from the hand injury that had sidelined him.
And he was struggling because of the leg injury he suffered on the opening drive.
“I just played like s---,” Utah quarterback Cam Rising bluntly said when it was all over. “That’s about it.”
There was no question about that Friday night in the Arizona desert, where No. 16 lost to Arizona State by a score of 27-19. The only questions were why it went on for so long and what comes next for Rising and the Utes.
The seventh-year quarterback’s long-awaited return was supposed to revive Utah’s offense to its glory days. Instead, the Utes left looking battered and defeated. It was a drab and desperate scene: Towels draped over helmetless heads. Tears dripped from the eyes of some. A season of expectations — filled with College Football Playoff dreams and glimmering Big 12 title hopes — was likely slayed by the Sun Devils.
Rising finished the game 16 of 37 with 209 passing yards and three interceptions.
“I just wasn’t playing well,” he said. “I think the guys were doing a great job getting open, and I just wasn’t able to throw the ball and get it to them accurately. We weren’t able to move it because of that.”
It was clear early on that Rising was not 100% healthy and it certainly didn’t help that the star quarterback had his plant leg rolled up on the first drive.
“You can see the rust,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “He got rolled up with a lower leg injury that limited his mobility for the rest of the game. And, of course, he’s wearing the glove, so he can increase his grip (with the) football. So, yeah, he’s banged up.”
But Whittingham said Rising did not want to be pulled in favor of true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson.
“He wanted to play, and he felt very strongly that he wanted to stay in the game,” the coach said. “He’s won a bunch of ball games for us, it was very apparent that he’s not 100%, but it’s the coach’s decision to decide who gives you the best chance to win the game, and that’s who you put in there.”
Utah quarterback Cameron Rising (7) grabs his knee in front of offensive lineman Michael Mokofisi in the first half during an NCAA college football game against Arizona State, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Whittingham takes blame for red zone issues
The Utes struggled on both sides of the ball in the loss. Their defense looked undisciplined and a shell of the once-brutal unit head coach Kyle Whittingham has prided himself on.
Whittingham must have felt déjà vu from what he saw two weeks ago in the loss to Arizona. The performance brought senior defensive tackle Junior Tafuna to tears.
It’s the third week in a row where, without senior linebacker Karene Reid, Utah’s defense has struggled to wrap up, force stops and limit big plays.
Missed tackles made ASU running back Cam Skattebo look like the best player on the field. He finished with 22 rushes, 158 rushing yards and a pair of game-sealing touchdowns.
“That back is as good as any back that we faced fighting those gaps,” Whittingham said. “We had guys out. The guys that are in there though have got to get the job done. The majority of those runs that popped were on zone pressures. Not all of them, but the majority of them we either lost the edge or lost an interior gap by getting cut off.”
Utah’s head coach says that the Utes prioritized tackling during the bye week. Somehow they came out with, arguably, a worse performance than two weeks ago.
The same could be said of Utah’s red zone efficiency.
It was 3 of 4 when in scoring position, but came away with four field goals and one touchdown. When asked about potential issues with offensive play calling and execution, Whittingham shouldered the blame.
(Rick Scuteri | AP) 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.
“Blame me,” he said. “Put it all on me. I’ll take all the blame for the red zone. So, that’s where the blame goes.”
What comes next for the Utes?
Now, as Utah looks forward to taking on TCU (3-3, 1-2) at 8:30 p.m. MT on Oct. 19 in Salt Lake City, Whittingham and his team were left with more questions than answers.
Rising is now, potentially, ailing with both a hand and lower leg injury.
Whittingham hinted that, depending on how Utah was shaping out in the conference race, Wilson could be handed the keys to the offense.
Reeling from their second loss in conference play, the Utes are now 11th in the Big 12 standings. They’re nowhere near a Big 12 Championship bid at the moment. Certainly, they’re nowhere close to a CFP appearance.
Utah will be lucky if it’s ranked in the AP Top 25 by the end of the weekend. If Rising’s leg injury is indeed serious, Ute fans might have seen the last of their star quarterback.
“Tomorrow we’ll have a conversation,” Whittingham said Friday night. “He was adamant about wanting to go. He’s a competitor. He’s a very competitive kid.
“We’ll have a lot more information and a lot more idea of how Cam feels tomorrow and the next day. Usually you can play through those things with adrenaline during the heat of the battle, but when it’s the next day or the day after when they really start to manifest how significant (an injury) is or isn’t, as the case may be. So, that decision will be made as we move forward.”
