PK: Cam’s Injury Gives Rise To Isaac Wilson In Defeat Of Utah State

LOGAN, Utah – In the hyper-competitive world of college football, the toughness quality in players often can go a long way toward achieving success. But it can occasionally come at the expense of situational intelligence.

Consider the example of Cam Rising. For good reason, the Utah quarterback in his sixth year has been constantly lauded for his competitiveness in leading his team to conference championships and two Rose Bowl appearances.

Rising has the moxie that all great quarterbacks possess, the leadership ability that creates a team filled with willing followers. He’s been the stuff of legends, squaring up head-on with would-be tacklers and refusing to go down easy.

The Utes come out on top in the Battle of the Brothers to improve to 3-0 on the season! 🙌

Big 12 Conference play 🔜#GoUtes #AggiesAllTheWay #CFB https://t.co/HPTcFrwWtg

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“That’s who he is, he’s so competitive,” coach Kyle Whittingham said during his most recent weekly press conference. “He’s a fierce competitor, as I’ve said over and over. When he’s out there, his competitive instinct, it’s just there, and it’s hard to shut that off.”

“We’d like to see him be even more cautious and even more cognizant of staying out of harm’s way,” Whittingham continued. “But again, it’s hard when you’ve got a guy that is that (competitive) it’s not an easy task.”

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But maybe it’s time for the tough dude to tone it down. A renowned tough guy himself, the coach should demand it before it could derail the season.

Another season-ending injury, like the kind Rising has suffered twice during his seven years in college, might destroy all those lofty Utah goals this season. Without the tough guy, the Utes would probably kiss goodbye a Big 12 championship and a potential berth in the first 12-team national playoff.

The Utes got a preview of life without their leader last week in the second half in a win over Baylor. Instead of taking a sack or throwing the football in the third row, Rising took on multiple defenders and promptly got aggressively shoved into the Baylor water coolers on a clear late hit that wasn’t called.

Considering Utah was on the verge of blowing out the Bears, the smart decision called for Rising to give up on the play. The price paid was an injury to fingers on his throwing had that forced him out of the game.

.@CarsenRyan ONE-HANDED SNAG FOR THE TD! 😮‍💨

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Instead of an easy win, the Utes didn’t score a point in the second half, holding on in a relatively close game. In a poorly kept secret, Rising didn’t play in Saturday’s game against Utah State in Logan.

Back-up Quarterbacks Show Out In Logan

Even without Rising, Utah was always going to beat the Aggies. Give USU credit for making it a game in the first half, but the Utes woke up in plenty of time to dominate in the trenches in the 38-21 victory.

Turns out, the subplot in the game was a battle of back-up quarterbacks – former Ute Bryson Barnes for USU with Isaac Wilson starting in place of Rising. Grading on a curve for a first-year freshman, Wilson played well against a team picked to finish near the bottom of the Mountain West.

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Finishing non-conference play at 3-0 as expected, the Utes likely will face a much tougher test in their first Big 12 game next week at Oklahoma State. No doubt Utah will need a healthy and upright Rising against the nationally ranked Cowboys, who also won all three non-conference games.

For the Utes, the best part or Rising’s injury is the experience it provided Wilson. His playing time could pay benefits as an insurance policy in case another injury hinders Rising.

“I thought he did a nice job,” Whittingham said.

Eight months after arriving on campus, Wilson looked more comfortable directing the offense as the game wore on. The former Corner Canyon High star, whose older brother Zach starred at quarterback for BYU and is a reserve for the Denver Broncos, led his team to the Utah 6-A state championship last year and passed for nearly 6,000 yards during his two seasons as the starter.

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