Micah Bernard Ruled Out For Rest Of 2023 Season

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utes received their first bit of bad news for the 2023 season as running back Micah Bernard has been declared out for the season.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham made the news official following the Baylor game after rumors of a potential accident involving Bernard surfaced Thursday afternoon.

Per Utah football injury policy, no specific details on what happened to Bernard were given other than he will not be available for the remainder of the year. Bernard does have another year of eligibility he can use if he chooses.

Kyle Whittingham addresses Micah Bernard- he is out for the season.#Utes

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) September 9, 2023

“Micah Bernard is out for the season,” Whittingham said. “It’s a season-ending injury. We will not have him the rest of the way.”

“I Play Running Back!”: A Breakdown Of Micah Bernard’s Ipact For The Utes

The junior out of Long Beach, California joined the Utes in 2019 and redshirted his first season.

Two years later Bernard made his ability known to Ute fans in the 2021 football season as an all-purpose running back who can go downhill and catch passes. Bernard ended up being a key component that season in Utah’s first Pac-12 Title and Rose Bowl appearance.

Bernard shot to fame against Ohio State in the “Grandaddy of Them All” playing three ways- running back, cornerback, and returner against the Buckeyes.

Bernard’s brief stint playing cornerback ultimately helped coin his catchphrase, “I play running back!” which was in response to @MrGo30 on X who spoofs various film-watching situations based off of actual games.

Micah Bernard has my respect forever 🫡 pic.twitter.com/xtKqFNQQAW

— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) September 1, 2023

In Bernard’s career he’s accounted for 215 rushes for 1,177 yards, six touchdowns and has averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Additionally, Bernard has 66 receptions for 596 yards, three touchdowns and an average of nine yards per play.

As a returner, Bernard has carried the ball three times for 79 yards and as a cornerback he has 13 total tackles- 11 of which were solo.

After last season, Bernard put his name in the NCAA Transfer Portal and looked to be gone but had a change of heart a few months in and later returned to the Utes to finish out his career.

Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports

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