Baylor Will Be Without Starting Quarterback Against Utah Football
Sep 4, 2023, 12:55 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – Opening weekend was rough for the Baylor Bears against Texas State and it could potentially trickle into week two against Utah football.
Action Network’s Brett McMurphy broke via X that the Bears will be without starting quarterback Blake Shapen for 2-3 weeks while he heals an MCL injury he sustained to start the 2023 football season.
Interestingly enough, the Utes may also be without their starting quarterback, Cam Rising, as he continues to work his way back into the lineup after sustaining an ACL tear in the Rose Bowl earlier this year. Rising didn’t play in Utah’s opener against Florida last week and there are still questions as to whether he plays this week as well.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda says starting QB Blake Shapen out 2-3 weeks w/MCL injury via @DavidSmoak. Baylor's next 3 games at home vs. Utah, Long Island & Texas
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 4, 2023
Kyle Whittingham Addresses Baylor Quarterback News At Monday Press Conference
Baylor was far from meeting expectations in their first game of the season against Texas State on Saturday night losing the game 42-31. Still, Whittingham expects the Bears to bounce back and acknowledged the importance of being ready to face a better team than what was presented this past weekend.
“It was a disappointing loss for Baylor, I’m sure,” Whittingham said. “We don’t expect to see the same team we saw on Saturday that we’ll see on tape in that game. They’ll fix things- they have good coaches, and they will get the ship corrected. We’re going to have to play our best football to be able to go down there and have a chance to win.”
Part of the disappointment for Baylor stems from already having an injury to their starting quarterback that will have him miss several games including next week against Utah. This puts Mississippi State transfer quarterback Sawyer Robertson front and center for the Utes defense according to Whittingham.
“The backup came in and did some good things,” Whittingham said. “He sputtered at times like everybody does, but he’s an athletic kid and so we’ll just have to have a plan. I’m sure coach Scalley and the defense will have a good plan and it all starts with being tough against the run.”
Baylor had a few other additional injuries come out that are not expected against the Utes this week. Bears starting safety Devin Lemear will be out with a dislocated elbow while outside linebacker Garmon Randolph is expected to miss the Utes with a high ankle sprain.
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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