SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) – It looks like the Utes football team will be without starting quarterback Cam Rising in their season opener tomorrow against Florida.
According to a report by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Rising has not recovered enough from off-season ACL surgery, and is unlikely to play against the Gators. Bryson Barnes is expected to start against Florida, with Nate Johnson serving as the backup.
Rising is 18-6 as a starter — the fifth most wins by any quarterback in Utah history — and has thrown for 5,572 yards and 46 touchdowns while leading the No. 14 Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles.
Barnes is a former walk-on who won his only career start at Washington State last year when Rising was a late scratch.
Rising tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl against Penn State, and his return had long been viewed as close to the start of this season. It’s still unclear when he’ll return, as Rising told local media this week that he’s feeling “pretty damn good.”
It is uncertain whether Rising will be healthy enough to start in Utah’s second game of the year, another marquee matchup against Baylor September 9th.
Whittingham said on Monday that regardless of whether Rising plays or not, there will be some packages with Johnson. The redshirt freshman rushed for two touchdowns last season against Arizona, and his only collegiate pass was a touchdown against Stanford.
There’s also some ambiguity about the status of Utes tight end Brant Kuithe, as coach Kyle Whittingham refused earlier this week to acknowledge whether or not he’d been cleared to play against the Gators. Kuithe is also returning from an ACL injury.
Barnes appeared in 10 games last year, completing 37 of 57 passes for four touchdowns and two interceptions. He was 10-for-19 for 12 yards with one TD and one interceptions after replacing Rising in the Rose Bowl loss to Penn State.
