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SALT LAKE CITY — Expected to return for this week's Big 12 showdown with Oklahoma State, Utah quarterback Cam Rising might want to reign in his competitive nature for the sake of the team.
In the hyper competitive world of college football, the toughness quality in players often can go a long way toward achieving success. But it can occasionally come at the expense of situational intelligence.
For good reason, coach Kyle Whittingham has repeatedly lauded his quarterback's competitiveness in leading his team to conference championships and two Rose Bowl appearances.
His toughness was never better than the run that nearly took his head off against USC in the Pac-12 championship game two years ago — with his helmet flying in the air, Rising quickly popped up with up a big smile.
Rising has the moxie that all great quarterbacks possess, the kind of leadership ability that creates a team full of willing followers. He's been the stuff of legends, squaring up head-on with would-be tacklers and refusing to go down easy.
"That's who he is, he's so competitive," Whittingham said. "He's a fierce competitor, as I've said over and over. When he's out there, his competitive instinct, it's just there, and it's hard to shut that off.
"We'd like to see him be even more cautious and even more cognizant of staying out of harm's way. But, again, it's hard when you've got a guy that is that (competitive) it's not an easy task."
But maybe it's time for the tough dude to tone it down. A renowned tough guy himself, the coach should demand it before it could derail the season.
Another season-ending injury, like the kind Rising has suffered twice during his seven years in college, might destroy all those lofty Utah goals this season. Without the tough guy, the Utes probably kiss goodbye a Big 12 championship and a potential berth in the first 12-team national playoff.
The Utes got a preview of life without their leader in the second half of the recent win over Baylor. Instead of taking a sack or throwing the football in the third row, Rising took on multiple defenders and promptly got aggressively shoved — on a clear late hit that wasn't called — into the Baylor water coolers.
Considering Utah was on the verge of blowing out the Bears, the smart decision called for Rising to give up on the play. The price paid was an injury to fingers on his throwing had that forced him out of the game.
Instead of an easy win, the Utes didn't score a point in the second half and had to hold on in a relatively close game. In a poorly kept secret, Rising didn't play in last week's game against Utah State in Logan.
Even without Rising, Utah was always going to beat the Aggies. Give Utah State credit for making it a game in the first half, but the Utes woke up in plenty of time to pull away.
The blessing in disguise regarding Rising's injury was the play of Isaac Wilson. The freshman quarterback, who arrived on campus in January, grew more comfortable as the game progressed against a team picked to finish near the bottom of the Mountain West.
Finishing nonconference play at 3-0 was expected, but the Utes will likely face a much tougher test in their first Big 12 game in Stillwater, Oklahoma. No doubt Utah will need a healthy and upright Rising against the nationally-ranked Cowboys, who also won all three nonconference games.
With the big names Texas and Oklahoma off to the SEC, the Big 12 has a vacancy for a perennial power. Either Utah or Oklahoma State can make an early claim to sit atop the standings.
