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TEMPE, Ariz. — Cam Rising can't catch a break.
After missing the last four weeks due to an uncharacteristic injury to his throwing hand after hitting a hydration table on the sidelines at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the seventh-year quarterback found himself in a similar situation Friday.
Rising got the start in Tempe after a weekly will-he, won't-he back-and-forth scenario over the last month.
But one minute into the game, Rising was rolled up on by an Arizona State defender, who during the process of a tackle landed on Rising's right leg, which forced the QB to fall back and bend his leg in an unusual way. After breaking free from the tackle and rolling away, Rising grabbed his leg but limped back to the line of scrimmage.
Rising played through the duration of the game — his first complete game since 2022 — with the injury, but it was clear he was not himself. He couldn't plant well on his right foot, couldn't get the timing right with his receivers — high and mostly low passes — and lacked his usual confidence and precision under center.
"Yeah, he got rolled up on — that lower leg injury that limited his mobility for the rest of the game," Whittingham said. "And, of course, he's wearing the glove, so we can increase the grip — help the grip on the football — so, yeah, he's banged up.
"It was very apparent that he's not 100%. ... You can see the rust; it was three weeks off, four weeks — whatever it's been — but he's a heck of a quarterback and he'll bounce back."
Rising finished the day throwing for 209 yards and three interceptions on 16-of-37 passing.
It was obvious early, though, that Rising wasn't 100%, but Utah elected to stick with the veteran quarterback despite frustrations on offense. Rising wanted to remain on the field, Whittingham said, and so there was no conversation — at least not one publicly — about making a change to freshman Isaac Wilson.
"No, he wanted to play, and he felt very strongly that he wanted to stay in the game. He's won a bunch of ball games for us. ... But it's a coaching decision to decide who gives you the best chance to win the game, and that's who you put in there," Whittingham said. "And, like I said, Cam has been terrific for us in the past."
In the past.
To no fault of his own, Rising has not been healthy the last two seasons, and Utah has been forced to pivot. And though Rising's legacy is set for his back-to-back championship runs in the Pac-12 for the Utes, there's a chance his time as the team's starter has reached the end of the road.
Surprised Cam Rising didn't break his ankle pic.twitter.com/vV9DYdcM8Q
— #16 THE REAL U (@therealutahutes) October 12, 2024
Whittingham said the extent of Rising's injury is not fully known, but the next two days will be telling for his future with the offense.
"We'll have a lot more information, and a lot more idea of how Cam feels tomorrow and the next day," Whittingham said. "Usually, you can play through those things with adrenaline during the heat of the battle, but it's the next day or the day after when they really start to manifest how significant it is or isn't, as the case may be."
Depending on the severity of his injury — to say nothing of Utah's chances of a Big 12 shrinking by the day — there's a chance that Utah turns the offense over to Wilson. Regardless of Rising's health, Utah has to look toward the future — even if the freshman isn't fully polished.
"That decision will be made as we move forward," Whittingham said of the future of the QB position.
The decision comes down to whether Rising — and all his injuries this season that includes an injury to his throwing hand and now an unknown injury to his right leg — is the better option to potentially get Utah back in the Big 12 title race, or turn the offense over to a less experienced freshman who is fully healthy and has already won two games.
Whittingham already said the conversation would be had if Rising was not cleared as the season developed, but his recent injury — and Utah's back-to-back losses — changes the equation.
Regardless, Utah's offense has more problems than whoever is under center. Utah continues to lack execution in the red zone, and the play-calling continues to be suspect in all parts of the field.
"We got out-coached tonight, no doubt about it. ... We've got to find out each and every one of us what we can do to be better — as coaches, as players, how we can improve," Whittingham said. "We know our deficiencies — I guess that's a positive — but we haven't seemed to be able to get them rectified.
"A very similar conversation to what we had after the Arizona game: We got out-rushed, we were awful in the red zone, lost the turnover margin, missed a bunch of tackles. And so, unfortunately, and very disappointingly, it's the same storyline. And as long as we have our woes in the red zone, we may not win another game this season till we get it fixed; that's how important it is."
Beyond just the quarterback, Utah has a lot of questions to answer — and not a lot of time to address it before things spiral more.
