Zach Wilson's brother benched during Utah-Houston Big 12 game
A tough freshman season for Isaac Wilson just got tougher.
Wilson, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson, was thrust into Utah's starting lineup in the third game of the season after seventh-year senior Cam Rising injured his throwing hand in a win over Baylor.
Wilson led the Utes to wins over Baylor and Oklahoma State, but has struggled since. In Utah's 17-14 loss to Houston on Saturday - the Utes fourth consecutive loss - Wilson was benched in the third quarter in favor of sophomore Brandon Rose.
“We figured it was time to give Brandon an opportunity,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game.
The move did not pan out for Whittingham. Wilson was far more efficient than Rose, finishing 13-of-22 for 171 yards and a touchdown. Rose was 7-of-15 for 45 yards and an interception.
Wilson was a four-star recruit out of Corner Canyon High School in Utah. He had offers from five Big 12 schools, including BYU. On the season he has completed 55.4% of his passes for 1,200 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
It has been a precipitous fall for Utah (4-4). The Utes were picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason media poll and were ranked No. 10 in the country heading into their Week 5 game vs. Arizona. They lost that game 23-10 and have not won since.
In their four-game losing streak the Utes are averaging just 12.5 points and routinely getting gashed on the ground. A program that prides itself on its physical approach, the Big 12 is proving to be a difficult road for Whittingham's program.
“It just seems to be a pattern of not getting it done each week,” Whittingham said. “And, obviously, as coaches we have to be better and it starts with me. Every issue that we have in the program is on my shoulders. We’re just in a funk of sorts that we can’t seem to break out of.”
Whittingham was hoping the change in offensive coordinators - longtime coordinator Andy Ludwig stepped down on Sunday - would fix Utah's offensive woes. It clearly did not. His team's inability to stop the run is probably a bigger concern now.
Houston rushed for 230 yards on 49 carries - an average of 4.7 yards per carry. The Utes are surrendering an average of 175 rushing yards per game in their four-game losing streak.
Utah has a bye week to fix its issues before hosting rival BYU on Nov. 9. Houston (3-5) hosts Kansas State (7-1) next week in a nationally televised game on FOX.
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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.