Freshman Wilson keys No. 12 Utah’s Top 25 win
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Eli Lederman, ESPN Staff Writer
STILLWATER, Ok. — With veteran quarterback Cam Rising sidelined for a second straight week, No. 12 Utah turned to backup quarterback Isaac Wilson at Boone Pickens Stadium Saturday, then leaned on the true freshman passer to land a statement victory in the program’s inaugural Big 12 game.
In his second career start, Wilson went 17-of-29 for 207 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, delivering a series of key moments and lifting the Utes in a 22-19 win over No. 14 Oklahoma State to become the first true freshman quarterback starter to beat an AP Top 25 opponent in program history.
“I like that he just kept hanging in there and never got down on himself,” said Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham. “Threw a couple of picks. Didn’t flinch. You saw his ability to run. He ripped off that 40- or 50-yard run. That was huge at that point in time. Dipped his shoulder and made another tough run down in the red zone that got us a first down. He’s just a competitor.”
Ahead of one of the most anticipated games on the 2024 Big 12 schedule, ESPN reported Saturday that Rising would be a game-time decision against Oklahoma State. The seventh-year passer has not played since injuring his throwing hand against Baylor on Sept. 7. Wilson made his first career start against Utah State in Week 3, completing 20 of his 33 passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in Rising’s place during a 38-21 road victory.
Whittingham told reporters that the two quarterbacks split practice reps during Utah’s Week 3 preparation for Oklahoma State. On Saturday, Rising wore a protective glove on his throwing hand and took starter’s reps in pregame warmups before the Utes made the decision to go with Wilson on the road in a top-15 matchup of Big 12 College Football Playoff hopefuls.
“When he’s ready, he’ll be ready,” Whittingham said of Rising’s status. “That’s all I can say. We were hoping he’d be ready this week.”
“It was literally a game-time decision,” Whittingham continued. “Not gameday; It was game-time. We came into the locker room after all the warmups, had a little conference and decided that the guy who gave us the best chance to win was Isaac. Cam agreed. That’s what we did and that’s the direction we went.”
Whittingham said Utah was “without question” the more physical team Saturday after the Utes outgained Oklahoma State 249-48 on the ground and held onto the football for 42:26 of game time. Sixth-year running back Micah Bernad led the rushing attack, totaling a career-high 182 rushing yards to become the first Utah rusher to eclipse 150 yards rushing since Zack Moss gained 160 yards against Stanford in 2018.
But the play of Wilson, the brother of former BYU and current Denver Broncos quarterback Zach Wilson, was integral to a win that further cemented Utah as early Big 12 favorites this fall.
A high school state champion and ESPN’s 13th-ranked pocket passer in the 2024 class, Wilson began his second career start with a pair of incompletions before Oklahoma State safety Trey Rucker intercepted Wilson’s first downfield throw of the day to end Utah’s second offensive series.
The shaky start offered a window into Wilson’s poise and maturity. The 6-foot-2, 202-pound quarterback followed the interception with completions on 11 of his next 14 passes, including five throws of 15-plus yards. Later in the game, Wilson’s confident read was the difference on a 45-yard touchdown throw to tight end Brant Kuithe on what proved to be the decisive score before the Utes fended off a late Oklahoma State comeback bid.
But Wilson’s best moments Saturday came when the young passer used his legs. Facing fourth-and-short in the second quarter, Wilson barreled through Cowboys cornerback Korie Black, keeping alive an 11-play, 62-yard touchdown drive that ate 6:28 of game clock.
Wilson showed off his speed minutes after halftime when he left the pocket and burst beyond the Oklahoma State defense for a 48-yard run. He turned to his legs again for a fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter, another in a series of decisive plays Wilson executed on a day Utah converted on four of its five fourth-down attempts to topple its first top-15 opponent since 2018.
“The team’s trusting me so I have to go make a play,” Wilson said when asked where he drew his confidence in pressure situations. “They were giving us zero-coverage pretty much the whole game. No one was man up on me. So when I broke that pocket I knew it was going to be there.”
Utah’s smooth transition at quarterback was a stark contrast to the quarterbacking debacle that unfolded on the opposite sideline Saturday.
Seventh-year Oklahoma State quarterback Alan Bowman opened with completions on four of his first 10 throws, then completed just two of his next 12 attempts before halftime, finishing the first half 8-of-22 for 89 yards and an interception. With the Cowboys trailing 10-3 at the break, Mike Gundy opened the second half with redshirt sophomore quarterback Garet Rangel under center.
Across the four series Rangel oversaw, the Cowboys gained 32 yards and one first down across 15 plays while Utah built a 22-3 advantage during the early stages of the fourth quarter. Bowman later re-entered the game with 9:26 remaining and was intercepted on his second series before completing his final eight passes with a pair of touchdowns as Oklahoma State mounted a late comeback, gaining 127 yards on their final two offensive drives.
The Cowboys offense that exploded in the closing stages only made the unit that struggled so mightily for the initial 55 minutes all the more perplexing. Despite Bowman’s inconsistent performance and temporary benching, Gundy committed to the veteran passer as Oklahoma State’s starter moving forward as the Cowboys stare down a Week 5 trip to No. 13 Kansas State.
“Sometimes you got to get a guy out and calm him down a little bit,” Gundy said. “…I just felt like we weren’t getting good play and we needed a relief pitcher. Get somebody else in there. And Garret had a tough day. So you switch back.”
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Max Olson, ESPN Staff Writer
AUSTIN, Texas — Arch Manning threw for 258 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in his first career start at Texas, leading a 51-3 win over UL Monroe in relief of injured starter Quinn Ewers to push the No. 1 Longhorns to 4-0.
After throwing an interception on his first possession, Manning settled in, and Texas scored touchdowns on six of his 10 drives for a 44-3 lead when he left the game early in the fourth quarter. The redshirt freshman competed 15 of his 29 pass attempts.
Manning said there were several throws he’d like back, starting with his first interception, a second-down throw under pressure that ULM defensive back Carl Fauntroy snagged three minutes into the game. When asked how he’d grade his performance, Manning said, “Probably a C-plus, but a win’s a win.”
“To think he was going to come out and play a perfect game, I don’t think anybody in here thought that,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I thought he was going to prepare really well, work really hard, do everything he could to play good football. He was gonna have some lessons learned, and I think that’s what tonight was about.”
In the Longhorns’ first game as the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 since 2008, Manning received plenty of help. Running back Jaydon Blue rushed for 124 yards and scored four total touchdowns, and Texas’ defense held General Booty and the Warhawks (2-1) to 111 total yards on 2.2 yards per play.
Sarkisian said the game plan called for Manning to be aggressive in taking deep shots against ULM’s defense, and the former five-star recruit had some success with eight passes of 15 or more yards, including a 56-yard completion to Isaiah Bond and a 46-yarder to Matthew Golden. Manning connected with 11 receivers on the night.
“Having so many playmakers around you, it definitely brings up the comfort level for me,” he said. “We got a bunch of different receivers catch balls tonight. Just getting them in space and having them make plays is huge.”
Ewers exited Texas’ 56-7 win over UTSA last week after suffering an oblique strain. His status is considered day-to-day, and he could potentially return for the Longhorns’ SEC debut against Mississippi State next week. Manning shared SEC Freshman of the Week honors after producing 276 total yards and five touchdowns against UTSA in Ewers’ absence.
After their first SEC conference game at home against Mississippi State, the Longhorns have an idle week followed by showdowns with No. 15 Oklahoma and No. 2 Georgia in consecutive weeks.
A Texas team with national championship ambitions has played up to those expectations through four games, outscoring its opponents 190-22 and flexing its muscles in its toughest test with a 31-12 road win against then-No. 10 Michigan. With the Longhorns winning 16 of their past 18 games, Sarkisian is confident he has a team with talent, depth and maturity that’s built to contend in the SEC.
“I’m pleased with where we’re at, but it’s like everything I just told the team: The mission is far from over,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot of great games ahead of us.”
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Chris Low, ESPN Senior Writer
Mack Brown told ESPN on Saturday he’s not resigning after an emotional locker room scene with his players following North Carolina’s embarrassing 70-50 loss to James Madison, which is in only its third season as an FBS school.
Brown, a College Football Hall of Famer, said he told the players that it was his fault and would step away if he couldn’t get things fixed. The 70 points were the most ever given up by the Tar Heels, who fell to 3-1.
“I’m not resigning. I’ll be back at work Monday,” Brown told ESPN.
Brown, 73, is in his sixth season at North Carolina. He told ESPN he was aware of some reports and that messages in emotional locker rooms can be misconstrued, but was adamant that he’s not stepping down.
Brown has led UNC to winning records in four of his five seasons. The Tar Heels won eight games last season and nine the season before when they finished first in the ACC’s Coastal Division. Brown was at Texas for 16 seasons and won a national championship in 2005 and played for another in 2009. He resigned under pressure following the 2013 season, and after taking a break from coaching, returned in 2019 to North Carolina for his second stint in Chapel Hill. Brown was North Carolina’s coach from 1988 to 1997.
The Tar Heels travel to rival Duke next Saturday.
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