After suffering a torn ACL in the Utah Utes’ Rose Bowl game last season, Utes quarterback Cameron Rising has yet to take a snap this season. In Rising’s absence, the Utes have split time between Nate Johnson and Bryson Barnes, but they’ve had Johnson serve as the starter for their last two games.
Rising has yet to be cleared to play but has been a full participant in practice over the last few weeks. If he is able to play, who should the Utes roll with at quarterback against Oregon State?
Cameron Rising vs. Nate Johnson
Nate Johnson
Johnson has filled in admirably for Rising in his absence. A redshirt freshman, Johnson competed with Barnes over the course of Utah’s season before earning the starter role against Weber State and UCLA.
Johnson is 31 of 49 passing for 398 yards and two touchdowns, but he adds an extra element to the Utes’ offense with his legs, as he has 150 yards and three touchdowns on the ground as well. Utah is 4-0 so far this season.
The added ability of Johnson as a dynamic runner (former track star in high school) adds an extra element to this Utah offense. Utah has called 13 designed rollouts this season, per Sports Info Solutions, after only calling 39 total last season.
Despite playing in just four games and starting only two, Johnson already has over 20 designed runs. Rising had just 33 in all of 2022. While Rising can definitely scramble and has made plays with his legs when the play breaks down, Johnson adds a dynamite threat as a runner.
The gravity of what he can do as a runner requires teams to play the Utah offense differently than what they would usually have to do. Utah has 49 designed option looks thus far this season, and with Johnson serving as a threat to score anytime he touches the ball, defenses are forced to keep an extra defender in the box.
As Johnson settles into the offense and gets more comfortable as a passer, there will be opportunities for him to create explosive plays through the air and on the ground. Right now, the Utah offense isn’t dialing up a lot of play action for him, but he has hit on the few shots they’ve taken, finishing third nationally in success rate.
Cameron Rising
Rising has been nothing short of the face of the Utah program over his time in Salt Lake City. Rising led the Utes to a 10-4 record and a victory over USC in the Pac-12 Championship Game last season. He set career highs with 3,034 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and a 64.7% completion percentage in 13 games.
He’s a totally different caliber of passer than Johnson when on the field. His processing is quicker, and his timing and level of comfort with the offense are noticeably evident. While Rising doesn’t have the same caliber of physical traits that Johnson boasts, he makes up for it in other areas.
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Rising is also a playmaker with his legs. While not quite Johnson’s caliber of athlete, when Rising does run, he can pick up yards on the ground. He finished with six yards per attempt last season.
Utah’s offense also opens up more with Rising under center. He stresses the defense with his more proven ability as a passer while also forcing defenders into conflict with his legs. While Utah doesn’t run an RPO-heavy team, they excelled last season at throwing off of RPOs, finishing sixth in usage rate and 15th in success rate. This season, Utah has called just four passes off of RPOs.
Who Should Start?
With the status of Rising up in the air as of the time of this writing, this question might be answered by availability alone. Rising hadn’t been cleared to play against UCLA and might not be ready to roll on a short week right before Utah’s bye week. Thus, Johnson might earn the start outright against Oregon State.
Beyond that point? I can see why the Utah staff gave Johnson the starting nod over Barnes despite the former’s inexperience. He adds a dynamic threat to their offense and boasts quality physical traits, giving them a quarterback capable of generating explosive plays, even if the offense isn’t designed with that in mind.
However, it’s tough to not see Rising getting the job back once he’s cleared. Johnson is settling in, and once the offense becomes more tailored to him, he could become a quality quarterback for the Utes. Rising is currently a better passer, and his leadership provides a spark that Utah’s offense needs after managing just seven points against UCLA.
Utah will likely want to limit Rising’s exposure to hits, so there could be a lot of designed packages featuring Johnson in short-yardage and goal-line situations moving forward. Johnson has earned the right to see what he can do, and he’s proven he can make plays happen.