Kyle Whittingham Reveals Real Reason Why Brandon Rose Didn't Play In Las Vegas Bowl
On Saturday, the Utah Utes took the field for the final time of the season in the Las Vegas Bowl against Northwestern.
It was a final hooray for the season, and also a swan song for Bryson Barnes who got the start at quarterback one last time before he transfers. Well, the game went about as poorly as one could have imagined, as the Utes ended up losing a real rock fight of a game, falling 14-7.
One of the main takeaways from the game was how poor the offense looked in the passing game. Unfortunately for Barnes, he wasn't able to ride off majestically in the Las Vegas sunset, as he had arguably his worst showing of the season. He completed just 8-of-13 passes for 55 yards and threw two picks, while compiling a QBR of 5.7.
It was clear he didn't have it early on as he had some missed throws taht could have been touchdowns, and was simply not seeing the field well. Many fans assumed that Whittingham would turn to Brandon Rose, who once upon a time was in line to start for the Utes this season in Cam Rising's absence. However, despite saying he was confident in Rose a little over a week ago, he changed his tune after the game.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
When asked after the game why Rose, who was shown on social media warming up on the sidelines didn't get in, Whittingham revealed he wasn't ready.
"He is just not ready to do that yet," said Whittingham per Josh Furlong. "He's just not grasping the offense and decision-making. He's still in his learning stage — his learning stage. He's got a lot of things going for him — he's got a big arm and he moves around pretty good — so it's not indicative of where he could be at some point in time, but he's just not ready to be thrust in there right now."
Not the best thing to hear when you consider the team hadn't last played since November 25, meaning they had around a month of practice to catch him up. The decision has many fans wondering just how far behind Rose is due to how poorly Barnes played. Realistically, they still felt he gave them the best chance to win even with his putrid showing.
As for where Rose falls in the fold for next year, he will have to battle out prized recruit Isaac Wilson for the backup role to Rising, and it already seems like Wilson won't have too much ground to make up.
