SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 29, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — It was all about the Utah quarterbacks — past and present — Thursday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Senior QB Cam Rising returned from a season-long knee injury to toss a career-high five touchdown passes — all in the first half — as the Utes opened the 2024 season with a 49-0 runaway victory over Southern Utah.
The cheers for Rising’s huge half were rivaled only by the sellout crowd’s roar of appreciation for legendary Utes quarterback Alex Smith, who became inaugural inductee into the Utah Football Ring of Honor at halftime.
Rising looked sharp in his first game back since suffering a serious knee injury in the 2023 Rose Bowl that sidelined him all of last season.
“It was special,” Rising said of his return to the field.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound QB completed 10 of 15 passes for 254 yards and added 25 rushing yards on four carries before giving way to freshman Isaac Wilson for the final series of the first half.
“He was sharp,” Utes coach Kyle Whittingham said of his starting QB. “He didn’t miss many throws.”
During his less than two quarters of work, Rising moved into fourth place all-time at Utah with his 50th TD toss. The senior from Ventura, California, also fittingly moved past Smith’s 47 career TD passes during the game.
“It’s kind of a surreal moment,” Rising said after the game. “[Smith is] a guy I have a tremendous amount of respect for. I hope I can have half the career he’s had, and [I’m] just honored to be in that situation.”
It also was an impressive introduction to the Big 12 for Utah’s Brant Kuithe, who became the first tight end with three touchdowns in a half in the conference’s history. Kuithe had been sidelined for nearly two years due to injury but showed no signs of rust in his return.
“It feels good to know I can still do it,” he said.
The 6-2, 236-pound senior finished with four catches for 69 yards in just one half of work.
Running back Dijon Stanley also made a stellar season debut, leading the Utes with 150 receiving yards on three catches — including two touchdowns. The 6-foot, 178-pound sophomore also was Utah’s leading rusher, finishing with 35 yards on six carries.
“He’s an explosive guy,” Whittingham said. “He’s not the biggest kid … but he’s quick, he’s fast, he’s tough and very smooth. He’s so athletic.”
Defensively, the Utes (1-0) limited the FCS-division Thunderbirds (0-1) to just 150 yards — 79 rushing and 71 passing — in the shutout.
“It’s always nice to shut someone out,” Whittingham said. “That’s always a goal for a defense. … We made some plays and we really controlled the game with our defense. … We never really gave up any sustained drives.”
Senior defensive end Van Fillinger led the way with two of Utah’s five sacks in the game.
The only setback the Utes suffered Thursday came in the second quarter when starting cornerback Kenan Johnson left the game with an injury that Whittingham says doesn’t look good.
The Utes got the party started early, scoring on their opening possession as Rising found Stanley wide open along the west sideline for a 64-yard touchdown. That capped a seven-play, 90-yard drive to give Utah a 7-0 lead with 8:46 remaining in the first quarter.
“That was my first collegiate touchdown, and not only that, it was my first touchdown in the red,” Stanley said. “That was like the biggest moment of my life almost.”
Rising followed that up on the Utes’ second possession with a 29-yard TD toss to Kuithe to push the lead to 14-0 just 12 seconds into second quarter.
Rising and Kuithe teamed up again about three minutes later on the Utes’ next possession, extending the lead to 21-0 with an 18-yard touchdown at the 11:27 mark in the second quarter.
Rising tossed his fourth touchdown of the first half — tying his career-high for a TDs passes in a game — on Utah’s next possession, finding Stanley for another long score (79 yards) and pushing the Utes’ lead to 28-0.
Rising and Kuithe completed the hat trick with just over a minute to play in the first half, with the big tight end muscling across the goal line for an 11-yard score — his third TD of the day.
“I saw the end zone,” Kuithe said. “I’m a little slippery. … They just couldn’t tackle me, I guess.”
Redshirt freshman running back Mike Mitchell scored the first touchdown of his Utah career to extend the Utes’ lead to 42-0 with 4:23 remaining in the third quarter.
Wilson, the younger brother of former BYU and current Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, threw his first TD pass early in the fourth quarter, connecting with senior tight end Caleb Lohner on a 20-yard score put the Utes ahead 49-0.
