The college football world first became aware of quarterback Bryson Barnes during Utah’s first Rose Bowl appearance in 2022 after Cam Rising suffered a concussion against Ohio State. With Rising still unavailable to play, Barnes and teammate Nate Johnson have quarterbacked Utah through Week 7. Everyone is waiting to see if Rising might become available for the Utes in Week 8 against USC. It could be the most important story attached to this game.
Barnes has been up and down this season and has battled through his own injuries this year.
Bryson Barnes has played in four games with two starts, recording 270 yards on 23-of-45 passing (1 TD, 2 INT) and adding 14 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Nate Johnson has played in five games, going 39-of-72 passing (3 TD) for 499 yards, adding 56 rushes for 153 yards and three touchdowns.
USC Football’s Oct. 21 home game versus Utah will kick off just aftre 5:00 p.m. Pacific time and will air nationally on Fox.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said he's waiting on QBs Cam Rising and Brandon Rose to be cleared and hopes they'll both be back ASAP. Both could be eligible for a medical redshirt. Bryson Barnes played every snap last week and would likely be the guy Saturday at USC.
— Gunslinger Buzz QB Newsletter (@GunslingerBuzz) October 17, 2023
Follow Fighting Irish Wire for more on Notre Dame after the Irish beat USC.
Follow Buffaloes Wire for complete coverage of Deion Sanders and Colorado.
Follow Ducks Wire for coverage of Oregon football after the loss to Washington.
Oklahoma fans were right about Lincoln Riley, at least for this specific season.
USC assistants need to be coaching for their jobs against Utah and into November.
Lincoln Riley did not assemble an elite 2023 roster, which surprised us and a lot of other observers.
Is USC ready to win in 2024 with Miller Moss or Malachi Nelson at quarterback? Lincoln Riley has to be honest about how he answers that question.
Brent Venables is coaching Oklahoma far better this year than Lincoln Riley is coaching USC. It’s up to Riley to change that reality against Utah.