Patrick Kinahan: Quarterback's injuries cost Ludwig's job as Utah offensive coordinator

SALT LAKE CITY — All those lofty expectations, which seem a tad silly right about now, for Utah football this season essentially were based on one player.

The forecasted Big 12 championship, along with a potential undefeated season and accompanying spot in the national playoff quarterfinals, were all predicated on Cam Rising's health.

Once the seventh-year quarterback was lost for the season due to multiple injuries, the Utes were reduced to being just another team in their new conference.

Any argument otherwise is ridiculous. For all the great players on the roster — and there are several at various positions — the team's fate was literally in Rising's hands.

It's all so abundantly obvious.

Sure enough, without Rising, the Utes are just another middling Big 12 team. And we're being kind, here, they actually are much closer to the bottom than the middle.

Look no further than the last two games for conclusive proof. With a severely limited Rising, whose injuries prevented him from throwing and running well, Utah lost to Arizona State, which won a total of six games the prior two seasons and was picked last in the preseason conference poll.

Piling on the embarrassment, the Utes scored only one touchdown in Saturday's loss to TCU in a game that had the partisan loyalists booing the home team in Rice-Eccles Stadium. The extremely mediocre Horned Frogs had already lost two conference home games and gave up 66 points in losing to crosstown rival SMU last month.

In the high-priced world of college football, somebody had to pay the price. Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig drew the short straw, losing the job he held since 2019.

In a press release issued Sunday night, coach Kyle Whittingham said Ludwig "made the decision to step down from his position." Pushed or prodded, it makes no difference — he's gone.

Two years ago, Ludwig at least mildly flirted with taking a similar position with Notre Dame. Ultimately not leaving, Ludwig said at the time he planned to retire at Utah.

At 60 years old and coaching since 1987, Ludwig knows the deal. Maybe his desire to retire at Utah has happened, even if not as planned.

The job now likely belongs to analyst Mike Bajakian, who has been a coordinator and quarterbacks coach with five different college programs and also coached with the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Competent as he may be, don't expect all the problems to suddenly disappear.

Who knows if a healthy Rising would have made a difference in three consecutive losses, a streak that started against Arizona. But there is this thing that he did lead them to consecutive Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022, and two appearances in the Rose Bowl.

Truth is, the Utes have adequate replacements across the field for the inevitable injuries that occur every season — except for one position. Yeah, you know, it's the quarterback.

For all his promise, Isaac Wilson is not ready to lead Utah to a conference championship. No first-year freshman quarterback is, really.

Turns out, the two games Utah won with Wilson as a starter proved nothing. Utah State and Oklahoma State are crummy teams, both of whom are a combined 0-7 in their respective conferences.

Please, don't confuse any of this as blaming a kid barely out of high school. This offense has more problems than a quarterback who should be spending his first college season on the sidelines sending in signals.

Start up front with the offensive line, which collectively failed to consistently provide protection last game. There's also a receiving corps that annually disappoints, and this season is no exception.

"We've got to look at everything really hard in the next 24 to 48 hours," Whittingham said after the loss, "and make some tough decisions and see where we're at."

It didn't even go that far. Less that 24 hours later, fair or not, a respected coach had to get lost.

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