SALT LAKE CITY — University of Utah quarterback Cam Rising will be out for the rest of the season after suffering yet another injury during the Utes' loss Friday to Arizona State.
After missing three full games due to a hand injury, Rising had just returned to action against the Sun Devils when he was injured during the game's first series when an Arizona State player rolled on his right leg. Rising continued to play, but completed just 16 passes and threw three interceptions in the 27-19 loss.
Head coach Kyle Whittingham initially said Monday that Rising would be out indefinitely and that Isaac Wilson will start at quarterback for the foreseeable future.
In a later update, Whittingham said Rising's injury will keep him benched for the rest of the year.
"Upon further evaluation by our medical staff, Cameron Rising’s injury has unfortunately been deemed season-ending," the coach's statement read.
“We feel like the quarterback position is stable. We just don’t have Cam,” Whittingham said.
Due to transfers and previous injuries, the 25-year-old Rising is currently in his seventh collegiate season. His new injury brings up the question of whether he could sit the remainder of the year and come back for an eighth season.
"That's a possibility, I think. I don't know," said Whittingham. "We have to explore it in detail with compliance and I'm not even sure Cam would be interested in going that route. He's got a lot to think about right now. Just take a step back right now and let him get this most recent injury thoroughly diagnosed and the road to rehab and then that would be something to talk about.
"Sooner rather than later."
As far as Utah's overall standing after back-to-back losses, Whittingham said the team's recent play starts with coaching and the staff needs to do better but cautioned against thinking the season is lost.
"It's not like we're 1-5 and sitting here with a horrific season," the coach said, "but we have dropped a couple games in a row and we're not used to losing two in a row around here, and so we have got to put it behind us quickly because no one feels sorry for us.
"It's us in this building and that's it. No one else is going to cry the blues for us."
Utah returns to action Saturday night against TCU at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
