Utah football coach gives Cam Rising injury update
Utah Utes football coach Kyle Whittingham held his weekly press conference Monday, and to no one's surprise one of the first questions was about quarterback Cam Rising's health.
Rising, a seventh-year senior and one of the best QBs in the country, hasn't played since Sept. 7 against Baylor when he was shoved into the water coolers on the sideline and injured his throwing hand. Since the Big 12 doesn't mandate injury reports, the extent of Rising's injury and his timeline to return are unclear.
Whittingham has previously said Rising is week to week, and he warmed up on the field before Utah's last two games. The Utes are coming off a bye week, which has given Rising more time to heal. So will he play on Friday vs. Arizona State?
"We'll see what happens this week, but theres' a chance," said Whittingham. "It's still early in the week, but we're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best, as is Cam."
When asked who will make the final decision on Rising returning to play, Whittingham was clear it's a medical staff decision.
"The medical staff," Whittingham said. "Without any other input. We're following the recommendations from the doctors."
Whittingham also said he would support mandated injury reports from the Big 12 and a universal injury policy among the Power 4 conferences.
"One hundred percent. ... But since there is no mandate, why would you tip your hand in any way, shape or form with injuries?" said Whittingham. "It doesn't make sense to give the opponent any more knowledge than they have. That's the only reason. It's a competitive advantage. Even though it might be just slight, it's still an advantage. The less they know, the more we know ... that type of deal.
"I don't think it should be conference to conference. I think P4 should all operate under the same guidelines, the same rules, regulations. Right now it's all over the place. I would be in favor of whoever would make that call for all P4 conferences to be aligned and have a consistent way of handling and dealing with injuries."
If Rising doesn't play the Utes will turn to true freshman Isaac Wilson at quarterback. A 4-star recruit out of national high school football power Corner Canyon in Draper, Utah, Wilson has completed 55.7% of his passes while throwing 6 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions while filling in for Rising.
Watch Whittingham's full press conference:
Ben Sherman has been covering the sports world for most of his journalism career, including 17 years with The Oregonian/OregonLive. One of his favorite memories was covering the 1999 Fiesta Bowl - the first BCS National Championship Game - at Sun Devil Stadium.