What Utah's Kyle Whittingham said after loss to Arizona State

Utes coach took blame for execution during a bad night in the desert

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

In the Arizona desert on a fateful Friday night, the Utah Utes, ranked No. 16, saw their season take a painful turn in a 27-19 loss to Arizona State. The defeat left the team battered, both physically and emotionally, with star quarterback Cam Rising struggling to stay in the game after suffering a lower leg injury early on. With College Football Playoff dreams and Big 12 title hopes slipping away, the Utes left the field in a somber state—heads down, tears flowing, and the weight of expectations crushed by a surging Sun Devils team.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was candid after the game about Rising's condition, acknowledging the quarterback was not at full strength. "You can see the rust," Whittingham said, pointing to the impact of Rising’s leg injury and the glove he was forced to wear to improve his grip on the ball. Despite Rising’s limitations, the senior quarterback insisted on staying in the game, unwilling to yield to freshman backup Isaac Wilson. "He’s a competitor," Whittingham remarked. "He felt very strongly that he wanted to stay in the game."

Rising's resilience, however, was not enough to overcome the Utes’ broader struggles. Their defense, once a hallmark of Whittingham’s teams, appeared disorganized and undisciplined. Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo exploited missed tackles and blown assignments, rushing for 158 yards and two critical touchdowns. Whittingham was blunt in his assessment of the defensive performance, noting that the team’s inability to maintain discipline on zone pressures allowed Arizona State to gash them repeatedly.

The offense fared no better, particularly in the red zone. Whittingham took full responsibility for the team’s failure to capitalize on scoring opportunities, admitting, "Blame me. I’ll take all the blame for the red zone." It was a familiar refrain, as Utah’s offensive inefficiency had been an issue in their previous losses as well.

“That back is as good as any back that we faced fighting those gaps,” Whittingham said. “We had guys out. The guys that are in there though have got to get the job done. The majority of those runs that popped were on zone pressures. Not all of them, but the majority of them we either lost the edge or lost an interior gap by getting cut off.”

As Utah now turns its attention to a pivotal matchup against TCU on Oct. 19, the future remains uncertain. Rising is now potentially dealing with both hand and leg injuries, and Whittingham hinted that if the team continues to struggle in conference play, Isaac Wilson could see significant playing time. With two conference losses already and a ranking that is all but certain to drop, Utah’s Big 12 title and CFP hopes are fading fast. Whittingham and his team will need to regroup quickly if they hope to salvage their season, but for now, the road ahead looks daunting.