I think injured quarterbacks have become the bane of Kyle Whittingham’s existence. With a healthy Cam Rising all year long there is no reason to believe that Utah wouldn’t have competed for the No. 1 spot in the Big-12 instead of being just one team above the basement after this 31-28 loss to Iowa State. They came close to pulling this one off and if not for their QB Isaac Wilson, who was 8-for-8, getting hurt late in the third quarter it’s quite possible they would have gotten further downfield on that last drive late in the 4th Qtr and put Cole Becker in a little better position to kick a field goal, tie the score, and send the game to overtime on their home field at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Instead, it was a 54 yard miss and Utah’s seventh loss of the season.
For Utah, Freshman QB Issac Wilson and Senior QB Luke Bottari combined for 13-of-17 for 129 yards, no TD’s and no interceptions with Bottari picking up an additional 47 yards on 4 rushing attempts. On the ground Senior RB Micah Bernard added an additional 42 yards and a TD on 17 carries. Other than the six points that you can credit to Bernard and eight points to Ute placekicker Cole Becker the other fourteen came from the defense. One on an 87 yard interception taken all the way to the house by Junior LB Lander Barton and the other by Freshman WR David Washington who took a punt by the Cyclones back for a TD and eventual 2-point conversion to get Utah within three points at 24-21 early in the fourth quarter.
Iowa State owned the game stats—ahead in first downs, 25-9; passing, rushing, and total yards, 405-224; had just 1 penalty compared to 5 for Utah, ahead in time-of-possession by eleven minutes, converted their third downs half the time compared to 30% for Utah and were successful both times they attempt to convert on 4th down rather than punt the ball away. But in spite of all that the Utah defense kept them in this game like they have been keeping Whittingham in games his entire career even when he can’t exactly count on the other side of the ball helping their team win. If Rising had been completely healthy all year from the get go and Utah had won the Big-12 and made it into the national title playoff, I think Kyle Whittingham who started as a graduate assistant for BYU in 1985 and has been at Utah since 1995—ten years as defensive coordinator and going on 20 years as head coach—would have retired. But I doubt he is willing to go out like this.
In an article for Sports Illustrated while describing the feeling on Senior Night at Rice-Eccles Stadium and this year’s season for Utah and their great head coach, Jason Jones wrote; “Kyle Whittingham’s tenure as head coach of the Utah Utes has been nothing short of legendary, but this season has tested him like no other. With injuries mounting and hopes for a magical year [long gone] . . . Utah’s senior night against Iowa State encapsulated the [spirit] of a team determined to fight until the final whistle . . . [and] despite the heartbreaking loss, [Utah] left everything on the field . . . [underscoring] the Utes’ resilience and defensive tenacity, traits that have defined Whittingham’s illustrious career.”