Baylor starting QB Blake Shapen ruled out for game against Utes

It could be a battle of the backups at McLane Stadium in Waco, Texas, on Saturday.

Baylor starting quarterback Blake Shapen, who threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for an additional score in a 42-31 loss to Texas State, has been ruled out two to three weeks with an MCL injury, Bears coach Dave Aranda announced at his Monday press conference.

Backup sophomore QB Sawyer Robertson — who was 6 for 12 for 113 yards, an interception and a fumble in Saturday’s loss, finishing the contest after Shapen exited in the fourth quarter — will be the starter against Utah (10 a.m. MDT, ESPN)

“The backup came in and did some good things, did sputter at times like everybody does, but he’s an athletic kid,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said.

A four-star prospect, Robertson committed to Mississippi State, seeing limited action in five games for the Bulldogs. He was 6 for 11 passing in those five appearances, throwing for 23 yards and an interception.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback will get his first starting opportunity against Utah in a game that looms large for Baylor, which is hoping to avoid an 0-2 start after its upset loss to Texas State.

“We’re confident and excited for Sawyer and his opportunity,” Aranda said.

Related

• Baylor, Utah’s next opponent, loses to Texas State

• What Utah’s Kyle Whittingham said about the impact of the new first-down clock rule

• Cam Rising will practice without limitations as Utah prepares for Baylor

On Utah’s side, quarterback Cam Rising has made progress during the last week, leading to being fully cleared for practice this week. There’s still no determination on if he will make his season debut against Baylor, but Rising will travel with the team to Waco.

“It’s day by day and we’ll just see how he responds, how the injury responds in his first week of completely no limits and we’ll see what he can do, see how he moves around,” Whittingham said.

If Rising is unable to play, we’ll likely see Bryson Barnes as the main quarterback in Saturday’s game, along with heavy doses of Nate Johnson, who was in for nearly entire drives in the Utes’ win vs. Florida.