Utah Football Freshman QB Isaac Wilson To Start Against Arizona Wildcats

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson will make his third start as Cam Rising will miss the Utes’ game against the Arizona Wildcats with a hand injury.

Utah QB’s have taken the field. @Isaac_kawika leading the pre-game huddle. #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/zKRaj1fGgt

— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) September 29, 2024

Rising suffered a laceration on his throwing hand in week two against the Baylor Bears and hasn’t seen the field since.

Just like in week three against Oklahoma State, Rising went through the pre-game process to analyze the strength and comfort in his hand.

Ultimately, both Rising and the Utes decided that his return should wait at least one more week.

Utah’s football program seemingly anticipated this outcome. Wilson received the majority of snaps in practice this past week. The only question is if that had more to do with Rising’s status or the true freshman’s quality of play.

Utah QB Cam Rising is a game-time decision vs. Arizona, per ESPN sources. A decision will again be made after monitoring how Rising throws and feels in warm-ups. https://t.co/BYIdA8EtEj

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 28, 2024

Regardless, Wilson will be under center as the Utes look to stay undefeated against another former Pac-12 power, the Arizona Wildcats.

The next chance for Rising to return will come on Friday, October 11, as Utah travels south to take on the ASU Sun Devils in Mountain America Stadium.

Three Game Day Thoughts From Utes Insider Steve Bartle 

1. Night game at Rice-Eccles Stadium 

Utah has really leaned into the Dark Mode theme this season. As they should. There is something truly extraordinary about Rice-Eccles at night.

“I don’t know (what it is) but there is something magical about Rice-Eccles and night games,” head coach Kyle Whittingham said in last week’s press conference.

The atmosphere in the stadium tonight should be pretty electric. It’s been a while since the last home game at night for the Utes, there weren’t any last season.

RELATED: Utah Football Vs. Arizona Fan Guide: TV Info, What To Wear, Top Storylines

Utah is also coming off of a rather momentous road victory at Oklahoma State, a rather ideal scenario for homecoming week. This weekend has featured the throwback uniforms, which now have the all-black set to match the Dark Mode theme as well.

Wear black. Be early. Be loud. 🙌#GoUtes https://t.co/7TfVe2Dbiv

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) September 28, 2024

There is certainly a lot of excitement for this game, defensive tackle Junior Tafuna summed it up best earlier this week.

“Rice-Eccles is always louder after dark,” he said. “Rice-Eccles is going to be popping, it’s going to be loud and I’m excited, we’re all excited.”

2. A chance for Utah Football to start 5-0 with Isaac Wilson at the helm

Utah football has a chance to do something significant this weekend in the Big 12 Conference.

But first, consider that Utah has seen their star quarterback in four quarters of action this season.

Not only that, but they lost their No. 2 cornerback within the first couple series of the season. Then their veteran defensive leader and top pass rusher have each missed the last two games.

Going to be some big time visitors this weekend! May even be a couple of late additions to the list. #GoUtes pic.twitter.com/RTseeVDHc3

— Steve Bartle (@BartleKSLsports) September 26, 2024

Yet, Utah has an opportunity tonight night to improve to 5-0 and solidify their standing atop the Big 12. Something many only considered possible if Cam Rising were healthy, let alone Kenan Johnson, Karene Reid, and Connor O’Toole.

Regardless of what happens tonight, Utah has positioned themselves favorably with their best ball ahead of them.

3. Curious to hear about the new concessions process

The fan experience is an important dynamic in football games. In the previous two home games, the experience was less than ideal.

Due to significant concourse congestion issues, Utah Athletics and Rice-Eccles Stadium have changed the process around their concessions.

These issues have centered around empty soda cups at purchase and long lines at refill stations, which exacerbated long-time congestion issues.

“It got dark” 😈 https://t.co/QdW0KHPP6k

— Utah Athletics (@utahathletics) September 28, 2024

Utah fans will now be provided a full soda cup at initial purchase. That eliminates the primary issue of needing to wait in an additional line to fill up the cup with soda, whether initially or as a refill. Additional soda machines have been installed to help speed up the entire process for fans as well.

Curious to hear how much these changes help the fan experience tonight.

For the top Utah Football storylines, follow Utah insider Steve Bartle or check out his coverage on sports.ksl.com.

Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for sports.ksl.com. Follow Chandler on X for Utah Jazz and Locals In The NFL updates.

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