AMES — Utah entered its first Big 12 season as the prohibitive favorite to win the league. Dynamic quarterback Cam Rising returned, but quickly exited because of a season-ending injury for the second season in a row. The Utes’ fortunes then plunged into oblivion, promotion head coach Kyle Whittingham to lament recently that he had entered “the Twilight Zone.”
Utah (4-6, 1-6 Big 12) has lost six games in a row for the first time in Whittingham’s broadly successful 20-year tenure, and now must face a reinvigorated No. 22 Iowa State team (8-2, 5-2) that ended a two-game skid by beating Cincinnati.
Injuries have plagued both teams, but the Cyclones have found a way to record eight regular-season wins for the fourth time under Matt Campbell, despite missing several key players
Some of those players have returned, but that’s not the case for the Utes — so here are five of their (likely) healthy contributors to know in advance of Saturday’s 6:30 p.m. (FOX) matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium:
WR Dorian Singer
Fun fact: Singer counted Iowa State among his offers out of high school, but ended up walking on at Arizona instead. The 6-0, 181-pound senior from the Twin Cities spent two seasons with the Wildcats before transferring to USC in 2023. He then chose to make another change and joined Utah’s program, where he’s been a pillar of production on an otherwise erratic offense. Singer’s 49 receptions and 681 receiving yards far outpace his pass-catching teammates, but he made just his first touchdown grab of the season last week in the 49-24 loss at Colorado. Singer topped the 100-yard receiving plateau four times in his sophomore season at Arizona and has accomplished that feat just one time since — compiling 155 yards through the air in a 23-10 loss on Sept. 28 against his former team. He’s made four or more catches in seven of the past eight games, and has eclipsed 50 yards receiving in each conference game this season.
LB Lander Barton
The former freshman All-American picked off Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders on his first pass attempt of last week’s game. It was the 6-4, 236-pound junior from Cottonwood Heights, Utah’s third career interception — and he returned one of his picks last season for a touchdown. So the Utes’ leading tackler clearly has a nose for the football, as he’s also broken up four passes, which ranks second on the team to disruptive defensive end Van Fillinger, who has five.
RB Micah Bernard
The 6-0, 206-pound senior from Long Beach, Calif., missed all but two games last season because of injury, but he’s put together a career-best season in 2024 — becoming one of the Utes’ handful of consistent performers on offense. He’s rushed for 880 yards on 158 carries (a 5.6-yards per carry average, and has scored five touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving). Bernard was held to his lowest rushing total (20 yards) in two years in last week’s loss at Colorado, so he’ll be committed to rebounding on senior night in his last game at Rice-Eccles.
QB Isaac Wilson
The 6-0, 200-pound true freshman from Draper, Utah, was pressed into duty when Rising went down with a season-ending injury for the second straight time. He’s one of three quarterbacks who have started for the Utes — and his results have been mixed. Wilson briefly lost his starting job to Brandon Rose, before he, like Rising, suffered a season-ending injury. So Wilson is “the guy” on Saturday, and his arm talent is undeniable, even as ball security has been an issue. Wilson’s thrown 10 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions and has been sacked multiple times in five straight games.
DE Van Fillinger
The 6-4, 265-pound senior’s aforementioned five pass breakups are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of his backfield exploits. Fillinger leads the Utes in tackles for loss (nine) and sacks (six). He’s recorded five or more sacks in three of the past four seasons despite battling a persistent foot injury. Fillinger’s also recovered two fumbles since 2023 and serves as the unofficial mayor of “Sack Lake City” — a monicker given to the defense because of its ability to get to the quarterback in recent years.
