What Utah's Kyle Whittingham said after the loss to Arizona State

On a fateful Friday night in the Arizona desert, the 16th-ranked Utah Utes experienced a painful twist to their season with a 27-19 loss to Arizona State. The loss left the team battered both physically and emotionally, and star quarterback Cam Rising struggled to stay in the game after suffering a lower leg injury early on. As dreams of the College Football Playoff and hopes of a Big 12 title faded, the Utes left the field in a somber state – heads bowed, tears flowing and the weight of expectations crushed by an up-and-coming Sun Devils team made.

Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was candid about Rising's condition after the game, acknowledging that the quarterback wasn't at full strength. “You can see the rust,” Whittingham said, citing the impact of Rising’s leg injury and the glove he had to wear to improve his grip on the ball. Despite Rising's limitations, the senior quarterback insisted on staying in the game, unwilling to give in to freshman backup Isaac Wilson. “He’s a competitor,” Whittingham noted. “He had a strong feeling that he wanted to stay in the game.”

However, Rising's resilience wasn't enough to overcome the Utes' larger problems. Their defense, once a hallmark of Whittingham's teams, looked disorganized and undisciplined. Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo took advantage of missed tackles and failed plays to rush for 158 yards and two game-winning touchdowns. Whittingham was blunt in his assessment of the defensive performance, noting that the team's inability to maintain discipline in zone pressure allowed Arizona State to destroy them repeatedly.

The offense didn't perform any better, particularly in the red zone. Whittingham took full responsibility for the team's failure to convert scoring chances, admitting: “Blame me. I take all the blame for the red zone.” It was a familiar refrain, as Utah's offensive inefficiency had also been a problem in their previous losses.

“This back is as good as any we’ve faced in fighting those gaps,” Whittingham said. “We had guys outside. However, the people there have to do their jobs. The majority of runs that were blown were due to zone pressure. Not all of them, but most of them we either lost the lead or lost an inside gap because we got cut off.”

While Utah now turns its attention to a crucial matchup against TCU on October 19, the future remains uncertain. Rising may now be dealing with hand and leg injuries, and Whittingham hinted that Isaac Wilson could see significant playing time if the team continues to struggle in conference play. With two conference losses already and a ranking all but certain to decline, Utah's Big 12 title and CFP hopes are quickly fading. Whittingham and his team will need to regroup quickly if they hope to salvage their season, but at the moment the road ahead looks daunting.