Utah offensive coordinator resigns ahead of Houston game
After losing three consecutive games - and averaging just 12.0 points per game in those losses - Utah football coach Kyle Whittingham hinted at changes over the weekend.
Change came late Sunday night as Whittingham announced that Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig had resigned.
"Andy is the consummate professional and we want to thank him for his complete dedication to our program during his 10 total seasons with us," Whittingham said in a statement. "Coach Ludwig has been instrumental to our success here at Utah and personally, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Andy as both a coach and a person."
Whittingham did not immediately name a replacement, but he will likely offer more clarity during his weekly press conference on Monday.
Utah (4-3) was picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason media poll and the Utes were ranked No. 10 in the country heading into their Week 5 game vs. Arizona. The Utes lost that game 23-10, then dropped games to Arizona State and TCU to fall out of the national rankings.
Seventh-year senior Cam Rising, widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in the country, only played two full games before being sidelined with a season-ending injury. The Utes have turned to true freshman Isaac Wilson, the younger brother of Denver Broncos backup quarterback Zach Wilson, to get them back on track.
But Wilson has struggled. He has completed just 54.8 percent of his passes, with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.
The Utes do have a strong running game, led by running back Micah Bernard. The sixth-year senior has rushed for 731 yards and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
Houston has been even more inept on offense. The Cougars come into the matchup vs. Utah with the worst scoring offense (statistically) in major college football. The Cougars are only averaging 13.7 points per game. The only team below them is Kennesaw State at 13.0.
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.