Ducks Digest

No. 13 Utah Battling Major Injuries Heading Into Matchup With No. 8 Oregon

The Utes are playing some of the best football in the country despite being hammered with injuries.

Max Torres

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The No. 13 Utah Utes have won two straight games after suffering their only loss of the season to Oregon State in late September. 

Their most recent win was a 34-32 victory over No. 18 USC on the road in Los Angeles, which served as another testament to Kyle Whittingham's coaching ability and the resolve of the Utes.

Heading into this week's matchup against No. 8 Oregon, the Utes had three key injury updates emerge in Los Angeles.

Following Saturday's game, Whittingham announced that linebacker Lander Barton suffered a season-ending injury. He also shared that star quarterback Cameron Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe are shut down for the remainder of the 2023 season.

Barton, a 6-foot-4, 242-pound sophomore, had been the Utes best linebacker this season and was tied for second on the team in tackles with 32. He also caused plenty of chaos for opposing offenses, intercepting two passes, breaking up two passes and forcing a fumble. 

As for Rising, he'd taken part in warmups at various times throughout the season leading up to last week's game against USC, but a devastating knee injury suffered in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State proved to be too much to overcome this year. 

"I tore my ACL, meniscus, MPFL and MCL," he told reporters earlier this month.

In his absence the Utes have gone between Nate Johnson and former walk-on Bryson Barnes, but it looks like Barnes has the job locked down moving forward.

Kuithe was in his sixth season with the Utes and has played a 51 games during his college career. Utah has always had great tight end play, so his absence for the Oregon game will be notable for a Andy Ludwig offense that will rely on wide receivers Money Parks, Devaughn Vele and freshman Mikey Matthews.

What's unique about Utah's situation is that the trio of Barton, Rising and Kuithe are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Utes in the two deep that have missed time this season.

Even with injuries up and down the roster, Oregon won't take the Utes lightly, as Kyle Whittingham has proven time and time again that his teams show up ready to battle.

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Max Torres
MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.

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