Cam Rising Status, BYU Turf Headline Predictions for Week 7 – Deseret News

Can No. 14 BYU stay undefeated and move up the rankings? Will Cam Rising return to the field after a home loss to Arizona and recharge No. 16 Utah? Will Utah State be able to slow down UNLV in Logan?

The challenges are dramatic and the results are critical, especially for BYU and Utah, which are focused on the nitty-gritty of their Big 12 Conference schedules.

Both BYU and Utah are favorites to win, while Utah State will have a hard time slowing surging UNLV, a school headed for a showdown with Boise State for the Mountain West Conference title.

The Cam Rising drama has now dragged on for over two years. The injury-plagued Ute standout was on the probably-doubtful list week after week a year ago. After injuring a finger when he hit a water cooler table on the sideline in the away game this year, he was back to this theatrical conundrum. It was announced on Thursday that Rising will face the Sun Devils, but only time will tell.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham didn't intend to make a pun with this quote from last week:

“I can tell you that, and it’s still early in the week, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed and hoping for the best, just like Cam,” the veteran coach said.

You have to sympathize with Whittingham. He's forced to throw true newcomer Isaac Wilson into the fire to accelerate his development but avoid leaving him with tarnished confidence. But he won't have a choice if Rising can't step up and return as the go-to guy everyone relied on before the injury in the Baylor game.

Utah's defense will have a challenge stopping ASU bowling ball running back Cam Skattebo, who is averaging 5.5 yards per carry and has gained 615 yards with six touchdowns this season. Skattebo's 182 yards in Week 5 were the second-highest rushing performance in Division I.

Equally strong is QB Sam Leavitt, a talented passer who can make plays with his legs.

Utah will be able to keep Skattebo and Leavitt in check, but like the loss to Arizona, they will need help from the offensive line – whether Wilson or Rising – to avoid an upset in the desert.

Arizona beat Utah because the Utes' offense was struggling, which allowed Noah Fifita to hit a few home runs, and it only took a couple of them to beat Utah. Leavitt is capable of doing the same as a 59 percent passer who has 1,012 yards and seven touchdown passes on the season. He is most dangerous when stretching his legs.

ASU isn't as talented or deep as Utah, but neither was Arizona.

BYU gets reinforcements for its running game with the return of LJ Martin and Sione Moa. This will allow the Cougars to give QB Jake Retzlaff more flexibility, not only in RPO but also in play-action passes.

BYU will have to force Arizona's defense and offense to absorb some physicality in this game. Putting pressure on Fifita is a must. He's not big, but he's a master at getting rid of the ball extremely quickly and neutralizing the pressure.

Retzlaff's pass efficiency is 150, a significantly higher mark than Fifita's 131, who entered the season as the Big 12's favorite after leading the Wildcats to a stellar 10-win season that included a winning streak of seven Playing and finishing third place in the Pac-12.

In this game, Tetairoa McMillan, the No. 5 receiver in the country, will play for Arizona. It will be interesting to see how BYU's defensive coordinator approaches his defense to accommodate the 6-foot-2 speedster.

This is a game where Kalani Sitake has to break some kind of curse after weeks of poor results. His Cougar teams have historically gone 3-4 after a week off. The losses included TCU last year, USF in 2019, a 7-6 loss at Northern Illinois in 2018 and a loss at Utah State in 2017.

Arizona is better than any of the seven opponents the Cougars faced after their break, but you could argue that this BYU team is a much better football team than any that lost those four times.

In Logan? A hot UNLV is rolling.

This week's tips

• UNLV 33, Utah State 14 (Friday)
• Utah 24, Arizona State 17 (Friday)
• Alabama 38, South Carolina 10
• Iowa 21, Washington 18
• Rutgers 27, Wisconsin 24
• Texas 37, Oklahoma 27
• Notre Dame 33 Stanford 14
• Pittsburgh 21, California 17
• Illinois 31, Purdue 21
• Tennessee 37, Florida 28
• Washington State 34, Fresno State 21
• Ohio State 34, Oregon 31
• Iowa State 27, West Virginia 24
• Kansas State 24, Colorado 21
• UCF 27, Cincinnati 21
• BYU 31, Arizona 24

Last week: 14-4; overall 78-23 (.772)