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The Status of Utah QB Cam Rising, a Case Study for Injury Reports

SALT LAKE CITY – Utah Football's star quarterback Cam Rising's injury status has been the biggest topic of the season. That's pretty unfortunate for a program that wants to compete for the Big 12 Conference title.

Rising was pushed into water cooler by Baylor defender Trevan Ma'ae and suffered an injury to the ring finger of his throwing hand. After sitting out the Utah State game, he was called a game-time decision each of the last two weeks.

Still, Rising seems no closer to a return than it was three weeks ago.

Cam Rising's injury status for Utah will continue into next week

What's most important for Utah fans is to know what Rising's real status is. Even five days later, one thing still stands out in Whittingham's comments about Rising's return: “We're hoping it's the next game.”

As a reminder, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that Rising suffered a sprained finger on his throwing hand the week of the Oklahoma State game. There were also stitches for a deep laceration, but that's not that important.

The typical healing period for dislocated fingers is between three and six weeks. There may be additional damage (ligaments, tendons, fractures) that was not initially diagnosed, which may extend recovery time.

After the Oklahoma State game, Rising wore a cast over his middle and ring fingers. All of this makes it like throwing a dart at the board for an exact return. So what is the best case, most likely case and worst case:

Best case: Rising has made good progress and will return to training next week. He leads Utah to Tempe for its matchup against Arizona State. At this point, that seems very optimistic.

Worst case: The injury is much worse than ever thought, given the cast he's been wearing for two weeks, there's a chance that's the case. That could mean his return won't come until the BYU game or later.

Likely case: The likely result is that Rising will require almost the entire six weeks of recovery. That would make the TCU game or the Houston contest the most likely case for his return.

Cam Rising's injury situation is a case study in why we need injury reports

The lack of information and clarity has caused great frustration among those following the program. This situation is one of the main reasons many want a mandatory injury report.

Earlier this season, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked about the institution of the SEC's injury report. His answer was actually quite insightful. Here is the full quote from Sarkisian:

“In my opinion, the report is a good thing. So that everyone understands why we are producing this report: so that we can minimize leaks in all of our buildings. From a gambling perspective, everyone wants to know the truth, right? Everyone is trying to figure out who is playing and who isn't. And then everyone wants to call the student coaches and student managers (and ask) who's been practicing, who hasn't, and all of those things. So ultimately I would just submit the report if it means they have to talk to people as little as possible. I mean, that’s why the NFL did it.”

Earlier this week, CBS Sports Dennis Dodd wrote about growing frustration with Utah's handling of the Rising injury situation. In the article, Dodd highlighted the growing frustration of the Utah fan base. However, he also made it very clear that the growing sports gambling market is also contributing to increased frustration.

From Utah's perspective, they don't care at all about the impact this has on the world of sports gambling. Their entire focus is on maximizing their chances of winning.

However, they do take care of leaks within the program. A breach report would help eliminate the need for outsiders to take such measures to obtain this information.

Utah Football's remaining 2024 schedule

  • Utah Football @ Arizona State Sun Devils on Friday, October 11th
  • Utah Football vs. TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday, October 19th
  • Utah Football @ Houston Cougars on Saturday, October 26th
  • Utah Football vs. BYU Cougars on Saturday, November 9th
  • Utah Football @ Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, November 16th
  • Utah Football vs. Iowa State Cyclones on Saturday, November 23rd
  • Utah Football @ UCF Knights on Friday, November 29th

Steve Bartle is the Utah insider for KSL Sports. He hosts the Utah Blockcast (SUBSCRIBE) and appears on KSL Sports Zone to beat the Utes. You can follow him on X for the latest Utah updates and game analysis.

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