TAKEAWAYS: Utah’s 22 Forever Game

It’s the birth of a new era at the University of Utah as they prepare for their first season in the Big 12. On Saturday, Kyle Whittingham, Cam Rising and company gave the conference and the fans a glimpse of what’s in store. The Utes held their annual 22 Forever Game and showcased both new and familiar faces.

Let’s look at the takeaways from Rising and the Red team’s 41-21 victory:

They’re back, and with some new friends

There were two long awaited returns on Saturday, as Ute-greats Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe both made their much anticipated returns. Rising entered to the traditional “Bad Moon Rising” intro and the fans went nuts. He then promptly marched the team downfield with a command and presence that was noticeably missing in 2023. He finished the first drive going 6-7 for 72 yards. New Ute Dorian Singer was targeted four of those passes, hauling in three catches on the first drive for 47 yards. Singer finished with 92 yards and 5 receptions on the day, including an impressive deep ball from Rising for 40 yards.

Whittingham was pleased with what he saw from Rising and his new weapon.

“He and Cam have a good chemistry already,” said Whittingham. “He really adds to what we're doing offensively.”

The second drive saw Rising connect with Kuithe on 4th and 3 for 14 yards. The crowd went nuts, as they welcomed back their star playmaker after a year and a half of missed football. That drive was capped off with a 57 yard deep ball to Money Parks for a touchdown — although he hit paydirt due to a poor tackling attempt by the cornerback.

The Red team scored on all three of the series that Rising played. Parks was on the receiving end of two of those scores, one in which Rising extended the play and found him in the corner of the end zone. Glover had the third score on a 1 yard run after the 40 yard completion to Singer.

Rising and Parks picked up right where they left off at the end of 2022. Kuithe showed glimpses of his old self. The early signs of a special connection with Singer and Rising was the biggest takeaway from the game. Rising finally has an elite receiver to throw to and the other playmakers, like Parks, will benefit greatly from it.

There is intriguing QB potential behind Rising

True freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson led the quarterbacks on the White team, recording 8 of 12 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns. While the defense was pretty vanilla, he gave highlights of his passing ability. Wilson hit Luca Calderella on a deep pass and threw a bullet to Landen King in the end zone for a touchdown. Calderella tallied three receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown while King added 3 receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown.

What was most impressive about Wilson is his ability to survey the field and look off safeties before gunning the ball in for easier completions. Once he’s fully caught up to the speed of the college game, look out.

Running back Dijon Stanley could be a strong weapon in the running backs room, as he totaled 58 yards from scrimmage — 46 coming from one reception. He’s ticketed to be Utah’s change-of-pace back for the 2024 season.

While the QB2 position will continue to be a battle come this fall, Whittingham said Wilson “took a big step today” and “handled the stage” well in his first showing.

Brandon Rose saw time with both teams, but primarily the Red. However, he started the game for the White team. He was 1-3 for 9 yards with the White team and 8-11 for 70 yards with the Red team.

Transfer cornerback Calhoun is locked in

Most starters sat out in Saturday's scrimmage but that’s to be expected. What’s usually not expected during spring games is to find obvious difference makers on defense due to the game’s intent to highlight offenses. Don’t tell that to Michigan transfer cornerback Cameron Calhoun, who led the defense with six tackles, four solo, tackle for loss and one pass breakup. Transferring in this winter Calhoun couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity.

“It feels good,” said Calhoun. “Just being able to come out here and get the opportunity to play, being able to make a difference on the defensive side.”

Coach Whittingham has also been impressed with Calhoun, noting he’s been spectacular this spring.

“His attitude, his work ethic…exceptionally great; the way he carries himself, his body language, he’s outstanding every single day,” said Whittingham. “He enjoys football, loves being out there and it shows, you can tell that he loves the game.”

Up next

There’s no time to let the foot off the pedal, Utah looks to have a team prime to compete for the Big 12 title and a spot in the CFP. While the players take some time before summer workouts, the coaches will immediately go to work next week on doing everything they can to upgrade the roster. Offensively, they’ll be looking to add another difference-maker at receiver. They’ll also be looking to add another running back to the stable.

With new additions will also come player defections, and the hope is that will only come from players who have yet to make a true impact.

Overall, Whittingham and staff couldn’t have asked for a better spring game, closing out an impressive spring ball session.