Report: Utah QB Cam Rising out for matchup vs. Baylor

Utah starting quarterback Cam Rising is set to miss his second consecutive game, according to a report from Pete Thamel of ESPN. Rising missed Utah’s Week 1 matchup against Florida and is also likely out for Saturday’s showdown with Baylor.

The Utes are seven-point favorites for Saturday’s game against Baylor, which will kick off at Noon and be televised by ESPN.

With Rising likely out, Utah will start Bryson Barnes at quarterback, according to Thamel. The junior got the start for the Utes against Florida and played well, going 12-for-18 passing for 159 yards. He also rushed for 11 yards and a score. Barnes has experience as he played in 10 games a season ago, making one start.

While Barnes will get the start for the second consecutive week, fellow backup Nate Johnson is also expected to see some action against Baylor. The redshirt freshman Johnson had six carries for 45 yards and a touchdown against Florida. Johnson is electric with the ball in his hands. He had a career-long 27-yard touchdown run in Week 1 against Florida.

Cam Rising is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s Rose Bowl loss to Penn State.

Rising has been the Utes’ starting quarterback over the past two seasons. Over that time, he has thrown for over 5,500 yards and 46 touchdowns on a 64.3% completion rate. He has also rushed for nearly 1,000 yards for six more scores.

Rising has led Utah to a 20-8 record in that span, with a pair of Pac-12 Championships and Rose Bowl appearances to show for it.

More on Baylor-Utah matchup

Utah is playing a power conference opponent for the second week in a row.

The goal for the Utes is to make the Pac-12 Championship game and potentially compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff. While a game in Waco does not affect making it to Las Vegas at the end of the season, a CFP bid could be wiped away with a loss.

However, Dave Aranda and Baylor did not have the greatest Week 1. The Bears dropped an in-state game to Texas State at home, a crushing loss for the program. A brief score of 3-0 was the only lead the Bears had in the entire game. Texas State head coach GJ Kinne saw his team lead by double digits throughout.

Taking down a ranked Utah squad would be an incredible bounce-back. Unfortunately, oddsmakers are not liking Baylor’s chances, giving the Utes the advantage heading to McLane Stadium.