Utah is 6-1 overall, 3-1 in conference action, and controls its own destiny where the Pac-12 title is concerned.
So obviously the Utes are being led by an experienced quarterback or he’s a five-star recruit like UCLA’s Dante Moore.
Right?
It’s quite the opposite, actually.
It’s kind of amazing to see how much disarray Utah’s quarterback situation has been and it is still having this kind of success.
With Cam Rising on the sideline with the hopes of possibly returning sometime this season, the Utes have gone from Bryson Barnes to Nate Johnson back to Barnes.
The adage of when you have two quarterbacks you have no quarterbacks applys here.
Whether it was coincidence or not, as soon as it was announced Rising would not be back in 2023, it was Barnes who suddenly found his way.
Playing a dysfunctional defense such as USC might have had something to do with it, but his game in the Coliseum last Saturday has to give the Utes fans hope for the immediate future.
“He was never not confident, but he seems very sure of himself, confident in what he’s doing and taking charge,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said of his quarterback.
“Just running the team like a quarterback should, and having the ‘It’ factor.”
Barnes showed that “It” factor on the game-winning drive against the Trojans when he rushed for 23 yards to set up a 43-yard field goal and the 34-32 victory.
It was an effort Oregon coach Dan Lanning can appreciate, even as an opponent.
“I think he’s (Barnes) getting more and more comfortable each week. What you appreciate, as a football guy, watching him play, the guy plays tough. I mean, he’s fighting for hard yards there at the end of the game to put their team in position,” Lanning said this week.
“When he took some big hits and he got up and kept playing. And he’s impressive. You know, like I said, he’s dangerous as a runner. He’s done a good job of passing the ball. He’s gotten more efficient each week. And you know that they do a great job putting him in position and using his talents.”
( WEDNESDAY PRESSER ) DAN LANNING DISCUSSES FACING UTAH