No. 14 Utes to shut down Rising for rest of season
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Paolo Uggetti, ESPN
LOS ANGELES — Following a dramatic 36-34 victory over USC on Saturday night, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham announced that starting quarterback Cam Rising, who has not played all season, will be shut down for the rest of the year.
Rising, who has led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 titles, injured his knee during last year’s Rose Bowl and had to undergo surgery to repair what the senior quarterback later referred to as a torn meniscus, MPFL and MCL along with a torn ACL.
“I wasn’t really expecting to do this, but I just want to let everybody know I didn’t just tear my ACL,” Rising told ESPN 700 earlier this season. “It was a big surgery and it’s not an easy comeback. I’ve been working my tail off.”
Both Rising and Utah had expressed optimism about the senior quarterback being able to play this season despite a long road of recovery since the injury. But while Whittingham said after the Utes’ season opener that Rising had been cleared to practice with the team, last year’s Pac-12 Championship MVP has never appeared close to returning.
“I’m trying to make sure I can be out there because nobody wants to be out there on the field grinding with those guys more than me,” Rising said. “But at the end of the day, it’s my body. My body has to recover.”
With Rising on the sidelines, Utah has relied on both Bryson Barnes and freshman Nate Johnson to take on the snaps under center. The tandem has led the Utes to a 6-1 start. After beginning the year with a two-quarterback system, Whittingham handed Johnson the reins for a few games before most recently turning to Barnes, who shined against USC Saturday.
The junior threw for 235 yards against the Trojans’ defense, adding three touchdowns as well as 57 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown to boot. Barnes also clinched the game for the Utes by scrambling for a 23-yard gain late in the fourth quarter that allowed Utah kicker Cole Becker to make the 38-yard field goal as time expired.
“They got themselves a Heisman Trophy winner. We got a pig farmer,” Whittingham said, referring to Barnes’ background. The longtime Utes coach also called the win one of his top-5 ever.
While it remains unclear whether Rising, who has been in college since 2018, will return for a seventh year. Whittingham also added on Saturday night that tight end Brant Kuithe, who has also been recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last season, will be shut down for the rest of the year as well.
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Jake Trotter, ESPN Senior Writer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan star tight end Colston Loveland has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against No. 11 USC with an undisclosed injury.
Loveland suffered an apparent shoulder injury in last weekend’s win over Arkansas State. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore hasn’t specified the nature of the injury.
A preseason All-American, Loveland leads the Wolverines with 19 catches for 187 yards; no other Michigan pass catcher has more than nine receptions.
The No. 18 Wolverines also changed starting quarterbacks this week, moving from Davis Warren to Alex Orji. Warren had thrown six interceptions in three games, including three last weekend. He threw two picks in a 31-12 loss to Texas on Sept. 7.
Orji has only seven career passing attempts but has rushed for 58 yards in a relief role this season.
Moore said this week that he wants to see Orji “take the reins” of the Michigan offense with his opportunity.
“Excited for him,” Moore said. “I know he’s chomping at the bit.”
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The 23-year-old Abrams led off for the Nationals and went 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT. He was informed of the demotion Friday night, sources said. He will be sent to West Palm Beach, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.
Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.
Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.
Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first-half into an All-Star selection, hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and Abrams’ defense has been a weakness throughout the season.
Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.
“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Saturday. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson defensive end Peter Woods will not play for the 21st-ranked Tigers against NC State on Saturday because of a leg injury.
The team announced Woods’ status about 90 minutes before kickoff. Woods, 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, got hurt two weeks ago on a chop block below the knee in a 66-20 victory over App State. Woods came back in briefly after getting checked then missed the second half.
The Tigers were off last weekend.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has said Woods’ playing status was day-to-day. Swinney said Woods had not missed a practice. But Woods came out to the field for warmups in sneakers and sweatpants while other defensive linemen went through drills.
Woods leads the Tigers with 2½ tackles for loss.
Third-year sophomore Jahiem Lawson is listed as Woods’ backup on the depth chart.
NC State will be without starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who was hurt last week in a win over Louisiana Tech. Freshman CJ Bailey started for the Wolfpack.
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