Utah (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Southern Utah (0-0, 0-0 United Athletic Conference)

Kick-off: Thursday, 7:00 PM MDT.

Location: Rice Eccles Stadium.

TV: ESPN+ (streaming only).

Livestream: ESPN+.

Radio: ESPN 700 AM/92.1 FM.

Series: Utah leads 2-0.

Weather: Sunny with temperatures around 25 degrees at the start.

The trends

For Utah: The Utes enter the 2024 season with a fresh start after posting an 8-5 record in 2023 amid an injury-plagued year — including season-ending injuries to star quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe.

For Southern Utah: The Thunderbirds went 6-5 last season and finished the year on a four-game winning streak.

What should you pay attention to?

The obvious answer is Cam Rising. All eyes will be on the Utah quarterback as he returns to the field for the first time in 605 days.

After tearing his ACL, meniscus, MPFL and MCL at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2023, Rising has a slew of firsts to check off upon his return: first time handling the ball, first time getting touched.

He seemed to be performing 100% during spring training, how will he fare when he returns to action?

Another player to keep an eye on after his knee rehab is tight end Brant Kuithe, who hasn’t played a game in longer than Rising.

Kuithe will be seen for the first time since September 24, 2022. He also ran well in the spring, but what will he look like now when the lights are on?

Besides those two players, the most intriguing part of Thursday’s game will be how hard backup quarterback Isaac Wilson plays and how often he gets to throw the ball.

The goal for the Utes should be to put the game out of reach at halftime so they can field some of their depth players – including Wilson – in the second half.

“Ideally a lot (of playing time), but we’ll see how it goes,” Whittingham said of Wilson. “When the time is right, if the timing is right, we’ll obviously give him as many reps as we can on Thursday.”

Key player

Utah wide receiver Dorian Singer: Singer has been the talk of the campus since arriving in Salt Lake City this winter. The USC transfer is eager to make the most of his opportunity with the Utes, and Kyle Whittingham has been impressed, to say the least.

“He’s an exceptional football player,” Whittingham said. “I mean, he does things on the practice field that you just go, ‘Wow.’ You just look at each other as coaches and say, ‘Yeah, that’s why we brought him in.’ He’s definitely got one of the best hands we’ve ever had in our program.”

“He catches everything,” Whittingham continued. “He’s as sure as they come. His body control on the contested ball down the field is second to none. His route-running, he’s got an exceptional ability to bend and drop his hips and get in and out of breaks.”

Thursday night is Singer’s first chance to show why Ute’s coaches are so excited about him and why he should be one of Rising’s top options.

Utah may keep its schedule standard, but Singer will still have opportunities to make his mark on the game.

Quotable

“We feel like we’ve done a good job in the offseason of upgrading a lot of positions and we feel like we have a chance to be competitive, but we’ll find out. All that matters is what happens on the field and so we’ll find out Thursday night.” — Utah coach Kyle Whittingham

“Utah should win the Big 12. They should make the College Football Playoff. They should get a bye in the College Football Playoff and have a chance, a real chance, at a national title. It’s the most talented front seven I’ve ever coached.” — Southern Utah coach DeLane Fitzgerald via KSL Sports Zone

Next

Utah: vs. Baylor; SUU: at UTEP

Utah Schedule

• Aug. 29: Southern Utah (7 p.m., ESPN+)
• September 7: Baylor (1:30 p.m., Fox)
• September 14: at Utah State (2:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
• September 21: at Oklahoma State
• September 28: Arizona
• Oct 5: Day
• Oct. 11: at Arizona State (8:30 p.m., ESPN)
• Oct 19: TCU
• Oct 26: in Houston
• November 2: Day
• November 9: BYU
• November 16: In Colorado
• November 23: Iowa State
• Nov. 29: at UCF (6 p.m., Fox)

All times are Mountain Time Zone.