It was a sweet return for Utah Utes quarterback Cam Rising on Thursday night. The signal caller, who is getting attention as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, was nearly perfect in the blowout win over Southern Utah.
The 7th year quarterback played in his first game since the Rose Bowl in January of 2024. He went 10 of 15 for 245 yards and five touchdowns. He also rushed the football for 25 yards in the game.
The sold-out crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium saw Utah get ahead 35-0 in the second quarter of the game. Three of Rising’s touchdowns went to tight end Brant Kuithe in the game.
It was the first game for the Utes as members of the Big 12. They picked up a total of 513 yards on offense. It was the first time since a game against Arizona State last season that they picked up 500+ yards.
When asked about how he felt in his return, Rising had this to say:
I just looked out into the kind of stands and took a second to just take it in and breathe, but that feeling kind of goes out of the way once the coin toss really happens, and then you’re just focused on winning the game.
Kyle Wittingham’s Utes will start their Big 12 season next. They will host the Baylor Bears on September 7th. After that, they will play another in-state rivalry game. The Utes are at Utah State on September 14th. Utah then is at Oklahoma State on September 21st and will host Arizona on September 28th.