During Utah’s bye week, Whittingham emphasized that the veteran quarterback “wants to play worse than anybody.”

For its first two games without Rising, the Utes were able to escape with wins. In spurts, Isaac Wilson looked the part, becoming the first true freshman quarterback in program history to win a game over an AP Top 25 ranked against then-No. 14 Oklahoma State two weeks ago.

Whittingham has made it clear that Rising is one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, and his presence on the field would be a huge boost for the Utes. "All I'll say is Cam Risi

Coming off a disappointing 23-10 loss to Arizona last week, Utah’s offensive problems were exposed, especially in the passing game. Cam Rising has missed the last three and half games with injured fingers on his throwing hand against Baylor,

"All I'll say is Cam Rising wants to play worse than anybody, and when he's able to he will," Whittingham said on Tuesday. "And it's not like he's been just able to play and not going; that's not the case. ... I can tell you for certain that he wants to play, and as soon as he gets the go ahead, he will play. And we hope it's this next game."

The touchdown to Kuithe was a bright spot, and just like he did against Utah State, Wilson settled in during the second quarter and completed 9 of 10 passes during a stretch. He’s shown the ability to make high-level throws above his experience level, and despite the interceptions, Wilson never looked rattled at any point in the game.