Utah will be without another quarterback for the remainder of the 2024 season.
Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said Tuesday night that Brandon Rose would miss the remainder of the season. Rose made the first start of his career in BYU’s controversial 22-21 win over Utah in Week 11, but suffered a lower leg injury in the loss. Coach Kyle Whittingham said on his coach’s show Tuesday night that Rose will be out six to eight months.
With Rose sidelined, Utah now has three quarterbacks out for the year. Seventh-year senior Cameron Rising opened the season as the Utes’ starter, but suffered a hand injury in Week 2 against Baylor. After missing time with that injury, Rising returned against Arizona State but was clearly not 100% before suffering a leg injury of his own. That injury ruled Rising out for the rest of the season.
Former Washington QB Sam Huard is also out for the season. Huard, the son of former NFL QB Damon Huard, transferred to Utah in the offseason after spending time at Cal Poly. He hasn’t seen the field at all this season, although he would have been an option for the Utes given the injuries to Rising and Rose.
Rose’s injury means freshman Isaac Wilson will get the starting job back when the Utes play at No. 17 Colorado on Saturday. The freshman brother of former BYU and current Denver Broncos QB Zach Wilson started in Rising’s absence and has played in the most games of any Utes QB so far this season. However, Wilson’s performance is why Rose started against the Cougars.
Through seven games, Wilson is 98 of 177 passing for 1,200 yards and has thrown eight touchdowns and eight interceptions. Against the Buffs he will be assisted by Luke Bottari. Because Utah has five QBs on the roster, the Utes now don’t have a healthy third quarterback.
Utah’s offensive struggles without competent QB play for the second straight season is a big reason why the preseason Big 12 favorites are 4-5 despite allowing just 17 points per game. Utah ranks 11th in the nation in points allowed per game, but is 1-5 in the Big 12 in scoring fewer than 23 points per game. Utah hasn’t scored more than 21 points in a game since Week 4, when the Utes defeated Oklahoma State 22-19.
That was also Utah’s last win. The team has averaged just 14.2 points per game during the five-game losing streak – a stretch that has featured a lot of play with Wilson at QB and also with TE Brant Kuithe on the field.
However, Kuithe also suffered an injury against the Cougars and appears to be out for the remainder of the season as well. Like Rising, Kuithe missed the entire 2023 season due to a knee injury.
“We will miss Brant,” Whittingham said at his news conference Monday. “It’s heartbreaking to see this happen to Brant, but at least at this point it looks pretty extensive and definitely season-ending as far as we know.”
