True freshman Isaac Wilson looks to be the spark for Utah to make a late-season push in Big 12

The Utah Utes faced some big news this week, as head coach Kyle Whittington announced that starting quarterback Cam Rising will be out indefinitely and true freshman Isaac Wilson will be in the No. 1 role. announced that he would return.

“Until further notice, Isaac Wilson will be the starting pitcher, so we don't have to mention it every time we talk,” Whittingham said earlier this week. “I can't tell you the schedule. [on Cam Rising’s injury]. It could be the rest of the season. We don't know exactly how long it will be, but we know it's around a minute. ”

Rising, a seventh-year senior, has been plagued by repeated injuries this year, missing three games with a hand injury and suffering a lower leg injury last weekend against the Arizona State Sun Devils that left him with an apparent leg injury. I was pulled.

The result was an ugly game in which the senior threw for just 209 yards and completed 16-of-37 passes with three interceptions, and Utah lost 27-19, falling to 4-2 on the year.

The injury means the Utes will go back to true freshman Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of former No. 2 NFL Draft pick Zach Wilson. The freshman has already appeared in five games this year.

Wilson, a top 300 member of the Class of 2024, stayed in state and went from learning the ropes to becoming QB1 twice early in the season.

For new students, the beginning is a learning curve. He has a decent number of interceptions (seven) and has completed 55.8 percent of his passes in three starts. However, the Utes won two of those games, defeating Utah State 38-21 and Oklahoma State 22-19 on the road.

With Utah returning to its freshman quarterback, head coach Kyle Whittington understands the need to put Wilson in the best position to succeed and has focused the rest of the team around Wilson. He is calling on them to improve their play.

However, the players themselves believe things will go more smoothly from now on. Now that he doesn't have to deal with two different game plans due to Rising's injury and has an answer at quarterback, the Utes talked this week about being ready.

“We don’t have to worry about that right now,” senior running back Micah Bernard said. Via The Salt Lake Tribune. “We completely understand the game plan and we know what we're going to do in that situation. It's more about building around the quarterback player than building two different game plans. I think it will be very helpful.”

Offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig believes the offense will be more traditional with Wilson under center, as they had to change a few things against Arizona State due to Rising's hand injury. .

Now, it's up to the coaching staff to build around the capabilities of their true freshmen and put the program in the best position for success.

“There are some components that we used to compensate for Cam's hand injury,” Ludwig said. “Some of the plays that we normally make under center weren't under center. So, back to real Utah football a little bit more. What we wanted to do is what Cam wanted to do. But he physically couldn't do that. So we just have to make adjustments based on the individual players in our program and work to play to Isaac's strengths and the strengths of the team.”

Wilson and the Utes will play the TCU Horned Frogs this weekend. TCU has really struggled defensively this year, but they have a strong offense that can start shootouts from behind quarterback Josh Hoover.

TCU allowed 30 or more points in three games, but suffered a 66-point loss to SMU. This could be a favorable matchup for Wilson, who is trying to get off the ground here as a full-time starter.

Utah will likely rely on senior running back Micah Bernard, who has amassed 676 yards in just six games, but Wilson will adjust quickly to get Utah back on track as it looks to push late in the season. would be. Big 12.