Utah’s football team warms up before their game against Weber State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Utah Utes were missing a sizable amount of players against Weber State on Saturday.
First, the good news for the Utes.
Linebacker Karene Reid, who was out vs. Baylor last week after suffering what looked like a head injury in the season opener vs. Florida, was back in action at Rice-Eccles Stadium when Utah played Weber State on Saturday.
After that, there’s a lot of bad news.
Quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe remained out against the Wildcats.
The two have yet to make their season debuts while still rehabbing after ACL surgeries, though Rising has been cleared to practice with no limitations since after the Florida game and Kuithe is back at practice as well.
Elsewhere on offense, lineman Johnny Maea remained out and still hasn’t seen action this season, while wide receivers Devaughn Vele and Mycah Pittman both missed their first game of the season on Saturday.
All of those players were in addition to losing running back Micah Bernard for the season, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham announced last week.
Last season, while dealing with some injuries, Bernard played in all 14 of Utah’s games, rushing for 533 yards and four touchdowns, and he added 314 receiving yards and a score through the air.
It’s a big loss for the Utes, as the junior was Utah’s No. 2 running back and the Utes’ best pass catcher out of the backfield.
On defense, defensive tackle Junior Tafuna, who made his season debut against Baylor, was out again vs. Weber State, while defensive tackle Simote Pepa was out again for the third straight game. Defensive end Connor O’Toole also remained out.
Starting cornerback JaTravis Broughton also missed Saturday’s game.
Utah Utes quarterback Nate Johnson (13) throws the ball during their football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes safety Cole Bishop (8) tackles Weber State Wildcats quarterback Kylan Weisser (11) during their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes wide receiver Money Parks (10) and Utah Utes safety Ben Durham (30) celebrate Parks’ touchdown during the second quarter in the football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes wide receiver Money Parks (10) breaks away from the Weber Wildcats to score a touchdown during the second quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Weber State’s football team warms up before their game against Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah’s football team warms up before their game against Weber State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah’s football team warms up before their game against Weber State at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Member of the MUSS play 9 square while tailgating before the Utah verses Weber State football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Left to right, Frank Compagni and James Roberts make pancakes while tailgating before the Utah verses Weber State football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes wide receiver Money Parks (10) celebrates his touchdown during the second quarter in the football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
A young Utah Utes fan cheers during the football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes quarterback Nate Johnson (13) hands the ball off to Utah Utes running back Jaylon Glover (1) during their football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Weber State Wildcats defense brings down Utah Utes running back Jaylon Glover (1) during their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes place kicker Joey Cheek (97) kicks a field goal during their football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Weber State Wildcats play football against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Weber State Wildcats defense brings down Utah Utes quarterback Nate Johnson (13) during their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Utah Utes student section makes noise during a third down during their football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes defense sack Weber State Wildcats quarterback Kylan Weisser (11) during their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes running back Ja’Quinden Jackson (3) runs the ball during their football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes marching band cheers during the football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes teammates celebrate Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (20) after his interception and touchdown during the third quarter of their game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. The Utah Utes won the game with a final score of 31-7. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes place kicker Joey Cheek (97) kicks an extra point during their football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Weber State Wildcats head coach Mickey Mental on the sidelines during their game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes cheer team during the football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
The Utah Utes play football against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Members of the Utah Utes student section get loud during a third down during the game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Weber State Wildcats players hang their heads on the sidelines during the fourth quarter of their game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. The Utah Utes won the game with a final score of 31-7. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham on the sidelines during their football game against the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes players hug Weber State Wildcats players after their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. The Utah Utes won the game with a final score of 31-7. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes linebacker Lander Barton (20) lights the U after their victory over the Weber State Wildcats at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. The Utah Utes won the game with a final score of 31-7. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes quarterback Nate Johnson (13) runs past Weber State Wildcats linebacker Winston Reid (6) during their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes teammates celebrate Utah Utes safety Cole Bishop (8) after he sacked Weber State Wildcats quarterback during their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
Utah Utes wide receiver Mikey Matthews (81) runs the ball down the field with Weber State Wildcats cornerback Abraham Williams (4) on defense during their football game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News
On special teams, kicker Cole Becker was also absent, with Joey Cheek taking place-kicking duties and Chase Carter handling kickoff duties.
Carter struggled on kickoffs, with Utah giving up a few big gains on kickoff returns, while Cheek was perfect on field goals and extra points.
How many of the absences were precautionary, with Utah playing its only FCS game of the season, remains to be seen.
After the game, Kyle Whittingham said that three additional players suffered injuries during Saturday afternoon’s game, and he expects two of those players to remain out through next week.
“We’ve got to get healthy. We’ve got 15 or 16 guys that can really help us win that are not available. We’ve got to start getting them back,” Whittingham said.
The Utes open up Pac-12 play at home next week against UCLA.
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