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SALT LAKE CITY — The situation surrounding Cam Rising's surgically-repaired left knee and whether or not he will play in the Aug. 31 season opener against the University of Florida has been discussed ad nauseum.
To that end, now inside two weeks to the opener, a decision on the sixth-year senior's availability is imminent, for better or worse.
We're going to start this Utes mailbag right there.
Q: "What is your gut feeling on Rising playing or not against Florida." - @C3Cmarkst
As I sit here writing this on Saturday evening, 12 days before the opener, my gut feeling is that Rising does not play against Florida. That gut feeling is based on things Kyle Whittingham and Andy Ludwig have said to the media lately, plus some behind-the-scenes chatter.
One telltale sign of what's coming was on Friday when Ludwig said Rising remains a limited participant in practice, which was the case throughout camp. That indicates Rising did not participate in the second and final live scrimmage of camp Thursday.
Just looking at the calendar, I thought last week was going to be important in terms of the ramp-up process to get Rising on-boarded at full capacity. Yes, he has been practicing, and yes, he has worked with the first-team offense, but not during team periods. Those are important segments of practice and preparation missed because those are the closest game-like conditions you're going to see during camp.
Rising saw action in none of it.
So, now what? Rising indicated late last week in his regular spot with ESPN 700's Bill Riley that this week is huge, specifically because he is slated to meet with the doctor. That doctor visit is essentially Judgement Day. A bad report, and it's likely Bryson Barnes starting. A good report potentially means a green light and everyone is full speed ahead in getting the No. 1 QB ready.
It wasn't getting late for Rising to make it in time for the opener over the first two weeks of camp. The clock definitely started ticking louder last week, the third week of camp, when he was still limited. I'm thinking out loud, but even with a positive report from the doctor this week, is it too late to knock the rust off and get Rising fully, not to mention safely, prepared for the Gators.
I'm going with Barnes right now until there is something that leads me to believe otherwise.
Q: "What's the over/under on which week Rising starts a game?" - @LrdImDiscouragd
Before diving in here, two things.
One, the doctors and medical staff are in charge here, not Whittingham and Ludwig. Rising will not be rushed back by anyone. Two, after Florida, Utah has nine days to prepare for Baylor on Sept. 9. If Rising is close, but not close enough for the Gators, nine days may be enough time to get him ready to play in Waco.
I am setting the over/under on which week Rising starts a game at 2.5; and honestly, I nailed that based on most everything I said in my first answer above.
Right now, if you believe Rising is close, or that he can get all the way back for the opener, I'd hammer the under. If you're thinking about the over, your optimism is likely pretty low.
Q: "Does Bryson Barnes throw over 20 passes on Aug. 31?" - @UofUMansir
Probably, yeah.
Look, I don't think anyone expects Barnes to be slinging the rock all over the yard, but if this game ends with him having thrown 35-ish times, well, that's not great and might mean Utah was down and had no choice but to go to the pass.
In a vacuum, let's say the offensive line is mashing early, and Ja'Quinden Jackson and Co. are going for 4-plus yards per carry. That's good, and it takes pressure off Barnes, but you have to throw the ball to keep the defense honest, and 20 is a pretty low number in today's version of college football.
Remember, Barnes attempted 27 passes last season against Washington State, with the play calling going 61% to the run. A similar distribution of run vs. pass against Florida would be a winning formula if it comes to fruition.
Q: "What would Barnes' stat line have to look like vs. Florida to quiet the peanut gallery?" - @yoburnersburner
If Utah loses this game, it's not going to matter what Barnes' stat line is. He could look like Joe Montana circa 1989 and still get buried by the pockets of this fan base that want Nate Johnson, Brandon Rose, or Rising on one leg. It is what it is.
In all seriousness, it's going to be hard to keep some people quiet as Barnes potentially starting vs. Florida has become a polarizing topic of late. If he's solid, something like 16-of-25 and mistake-free in a win, it's going to be hard to criticize. Again, he is not your starter, he is your backup. Criticizing the backup because you think he should be playing as well as the starter doesn't make a ton of sense, right?
If you want to chirp about something, and we've talked about this before, the fact no one has been able to wrestle QB2 away from Barnes feels pretty glaring in terms of recruiting and player development.
Q: "Apparently, people get worked up if you say you could get an argument going for Whittingham being among the GOAT of college football coaches. In your opinion, what range does he sit at for current greats?" - @DB_cUTEpper
Let's not forget the fact that this particular question is the byproduct of the questioner getting absolutely roasted for inferring that Whittingham might be the greatest college football coach of all time. No. How about this? Whittingham is the greatest coach in Utah history, but if someone wanted to argue that it's actually Urban Meyer, I would listen.
Anyway, where does Whittingham sit among the current greats? I did very little research for this, so here we go.
He's not above Nick Saban (enough with the 2009 Sugar Bowl), he's not above Kirby Smart. Dabo Swinney is above Whittingham, and I'm probably putting Jim Harbaugh above him, too (the 2015 opener, I know).
I think Whittingham enters the conversation of current coaches at No. 5, but honest question, am I allowed to rank Lincoln Riley above him, because I want to. Riley is 66-13 overall, with four Big 12 titles and three College Football Playoff berths, but is 0-3 in the CFP.
He is also 0-2 against Whittingham.
Anyway, it's Whittingham, Riley, Ryan Day, and probably Brian Kelly for spots 5-8. Of the eight coaches I've listed, Whittingham by far gets the least amount of national respect. Just food for thought.
This is some Chip Kelly-level defiance over nothing from Dan Lanning.
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) August 20, 2023
It's amusing when coaches act as if they are protecting intel from a scrimmage that could topple a government.
How did the defense play better?
Example answers:
1- Tacking (which he finally states)
2-… pic.twitter.com/EpmEgkORHK
Q: "What are your thoughts on the limited media access for Utah football? Seems like Whittingham is close to shutting it down for good." - @Brandt_Anderson
I was going to make a dumb joke to answer this question, but I decided to be an adult instead.
Forget regular-season access, because that's bad everywhere, not just Utah. The media here will not watch one second of practice in the fall, and that's just what it is. I used to rail against that, but it's a losing battle. This is not the NFL where there has to be at least some access, and schools are not mandated by the NCAA or the Pac-12 to open things up. That's never going to happen.
Here's the real gripe at this point and before I say this, frankly, no one ultimately cares about the media's plight. I understand that. With that said, the lack of access at fall camp is silly, unnecessary, and ultimately hurts the fans. The media is the conduit between the team and information reaching fans. If the media can't do its job, the fans aren't getting anything. Yes, there are plenty of fans that applaud Whittingham for shutting things down and "keeping focus." Great, good talk, guys.
I can't say what every team in the Pac-12 is doing with media access at camp, but at least Washington, USC, Oregon, Oregon State, and UCLA have some level of access in August. Utah has none. It is ultimately Whittingham's decision, surely with some help from those on the inside, but it's overboard.
My opinion? Fully opening up camp to the media, or at least on certain days, would be helpful, but it's wishful thinking. Opening it up with the understanding that nothing gets reported without it being addressed by Whittingham would be a good compromise, but that would take some real trust. I'm not holding my breath there either.
Here's a better compromise: Either open up the first 15-20 minutes or the last 15-20 minutes. I don't speak for anyone else, but I've been doing this a long time. Trust me, I could get a lot done during either of those windows.
