After a decade-long hiatus, The Battle of the Brothers has returned.
No. 12 Utah (2-0) will face Utah State (1-1) for the first time since 2015 when the Utes travel to Logan, Utah, on Saturday. The longtime rivals will meet for the 113th time in a series that began in 1892.
Who will start at quarterback remains an unanswered question on both sidelines.
Cameron Rising exited late in the second quarter of Utah’s 23-12 victory over Baylor last Saturday with an injury to his throwing hand. Rising was driven out of bounds following an incomplete pass and collided with the water coolers on the Baylor sideline. X-rays on the hand were negative, but Rising’s status is uncertain going into Saturday’s game.
If Rising can’t play, freshman Isaac Wilson will get his first career start for Utah. Wilson threw for 30 yards on 4-of-9 passing while playing the entire second half against Baylor.
“I have to prepare the same every week, whether I’m the first, second or third string,” Wilson said. “Just gotta prepare. I could have prepared a little better last game. I felt like I did good, but there’s always more to improve on.”
Utah’s offense stagnated with Wilson at the controls. The Utes had a 23-0 lead when Rising left the game, but tallied just 95 total yards after halftime.
Still, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t lay the blame for the offensive struggles on Wilson.
“Cam went out, and everything kind of deflated, which was disappointing,” Whittingham said. “The exact opposite should happen. If you lose a key player, then everyone else needs to pick up their game. … It’s not just on Isaac Wilson to come in and pick it up — it’s on everyone around him.”
Utah State quarterback Spencer Petras is inching closer to a return and may be available for Saturday’s game. Petras hasn’t played since suffering a left ankle sprain in the first half of the Aggies’ 36-14 win over Robert Morris in their season opener.
Bryson Barnes started for Utah State against Southern California. Barnes, who started for Utah last season before transferring to the Aggies, could not move the chains in a 48-0 loss to the Trojans. He threw for just 103 yards and an interception on 18-of-27 passing.
If Petras isn’t ready to play, Utah State interim coach Nate Dreiling doesn’t sound worried about Barnes’ ability to bounce back from a bad game against a tough defense.
“The first thing that always comes to my mind with Bryson is toughness,” Dreiling said. “Whether it’s mental or physical. He is a very hard-nosed player. In my mind, and I’ve said this a lot, you win championships with a great defense and a tough quarterback. We know we have a tough quarterback. He always prepares like he’s a starter.”
Utah has not played a road game against Utah State since 2012, when the Aggies upset the Utes 27-20 in overtime. That was the only victory for Utah State in the series since 1997; Utah has won 11 of the past 12 games between the rivals and leads the overall series 78-30-4.
–Field Level Media
