There are at least three pertinent questions when No. 12 Utah hosts Arizona.
Will quarterback Cam Rising play?
Will tight end Dalton Kincaid play?
Will running back Tavion Thomas play?
“It’s exciting. It’s a challenge for us. To be right in the thick of the race in Week 10 is a great thing. Right now, we’re right in the middle of it. There’s no room for error. We’ve got to keep winning.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham
The Utes proved they can win without Rising and Thomas, evidenced by a 21-17 win at Washington State last week.
But the stakes are high heading into the final month of the regular season. Utah can’t afford a loss Saturday (5:30 p.m. MDT, Pac-12 Network) if it wants to repeat as Pac-12 champions.
The Utes have one conference loss but they are still in the hunt for the title.
“It’s exciting. It’s a challenge for us. To be right in the thick of the race in Week 10 is a great thing,” said coach Kyle Whittingham. “Right now, we’re right in the middle of it. There’s no room for error. We’ve got to keep winning.”
Wide receiver Devaughn Vele likes the situation his team is in right now.
“We’re still in the race,” he said. “That’s the only thing that matters. We don’t like to dwell too much on the past. Would we have liked to have been undefeated? Absolutely. But you can’t dwell on the past so much and be like, ‘I wish we would have won against UCLA and Florida.’
“I like where we’re at. I like that we still have a shot at the championship game and that’s what we’re pushing for. That’s why every game we treat like it’s a championship game. One more loss and we’re out of the race,” he continued. “We want to be in control of our destiny and that’s the situation we’re in right now so we want to keep it that way. We’re going to make sure we do whatever we have to to keep that standing for the next couple of weeks.”
Whittingham said he’s hopeful that Rising will be able to play Saturday. On Monday, he added that Rising is “much further ahead today than he was a week ago.”
If Rising can’t go, the Utes will rely, once again, on walk-on backup Bryson Barnes, who helped lead Utah to a win at Washington State last week.
Running back Jaylon Glover, who had 20 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown against Washington State, said he and his teammates are confident in Barnes.
“We felt comfortable with him calling plays. It didn’t feel as different as you might think having a backup come through. He’s a great leader. He showed that on Thursday,” he said. “We’re surrounded by great people. We have Cam Rising, being one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, cheering his backup on. It’s always great to see that camaraderie within the team.”
Barnes said he would be preparing this week as if he would start. His team is focusing on the next challenge against Arizona.
“We got to own our 20 square feet and win each and every day. You take those little steps every day of the week and it ends up paying off big dividends come Saturday,” he said. “It’s attacking each day and progressing toward Saturday and then when Saturday comes, you put those five days of good work in and usually it pays off.”
Glover said Barnes has strong attributes.
“Bryson is very accurate. He’s going to make most of the right reads. Bryson is very intelligent. I think with him being on the field more, you can see how smart he really is,” he said. “Bryson’s ready. We practice every day like we’re starters, no matter how many reps that we get. Bryson showed that.”
Utah will be without safety R.J. Hubert in the first half Saturday because he was whistled for a targeting penalty in the second half against Washington State.
Kincaid, who caught 16 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown against USC, was injured in the second half against Washington State.
If Kincaid can’t play Saturday, what does that mean for the Utes’ other playmakers?
“It’s the same thing that we’re always preaching every week — we’ve just got to make plays. We always talk about ‘next man up’ and it’s the same situation right here,” Vele said. “If Dalton is out, or if he is playing, it doesn’t change the situation. We’ve just got to make plays when the opportunities are given to us.
“Seeing guys like Money (Parks) and Jaylen (Dixon) stepping in the game, that was really awesome to see. We understand our objective. We know what we have to do.”
Certainly, Whittingham is happy with his program’s depth.
“We’ve had to tap into it quite a bit this season,” he said. “The guys have stepped up in the twos and threes role. That’s been a key to our being able to continue to find ways to win is that depth.”
Linebacker Mohamoud Diabate said he’s “extremely confident” in the Utes’ depth.
“That’s the way we practice. We rotate a lot so everybody has experience,” he said. “Everyone is comfortable to play when it’s their time to play. We feel confident in whoever’s out there to do their job and execute. … We’re playing good ball. We had a good game last week but we just need to keep building on it. We’ve got to think about what we need to do against Arizona.”
Diabate is confident that Utah can finish the season strong.
“We’re just confident because we know who we are,” he said. “When adversity comes, you know how to face it because you’re confident in who you are as a team.”
Even if the Utes are missing some key pieces.
Utes on the air
Arizona (3-5, 1-4)
at No. 12 Utah (6-2, 4-1)
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MDT
Rice-Eccles Stadium
TV: Pac-12 Network
Radio: ESPN 700