Utah football rules two more players out for West Virginia game

The second availability report from Utah for Saturday's Big 12 matchup included a couple of more names in the "out" category.

Defensive end Paul Fitzgerald and defensive tackle Aliki Vimahi were downgraded from "doubtful" to "out" with less than 48 hours to go until kickoff from Morgantown, West Virginia.

The Mountaineers, meanwhile, listed starting quarterback Nicco Marchiol as "out" for Week 5 after previously categorizing him as "questionable" in their initial availability report. The 6-foot-2 redshirt junior had been dealing with pain in his foot, forcing him to exit during the third quarter of West Virginia's 41-10 loss to Kansas on Sept. 20.

With Marchiol out, Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez could turn to dual-threat signal-caller Jaylen Henderson to lead the charge under center. Henderson was 2-of-4 passing for 16 yards against the Jayhawks, though he was much more effective on the ground, posting seven carries for 79 yards and a touchdown.

West Virginia could also turn to either Khalil Wilkins or Scotty Fox to run the offense against the Utes. Wilkins, a redshirt freshman, made brief appearances during the Mountaineers' contests against Robert Morris and Kansas, though he's yet to log a pass in his young collegiate career; Fox, a true freshman, threw a pair of interceptions in the comeback win over Pitt.

As for the Mountaineers' running back situation, Tye Edwards was listed as questionable for a second day in a row. The 6-foot-2 redshirt senior has been dealing with a hip-pointer injury.

Here's a look at the full availability reports for both teams.

Utah Availability Report

Out

S Rabbit Evans
WR Daidren Zipperer
S Josh Sovereign
OL Isaiah Garcia
DE Paul Fitzgerald
DT Aliki Vimahi

West Virginia Availability Report

Out

RB Jahiem White
WR Jaden Bray
S Julien Horton
OL Cooper Young
QB Nicco Marchiol

Doubtful

RB Cyncir Bowers

Questionable

RB Tye Edwards
OL Landen Livingston

Probable

WR Preston Fox
LB Ben Bogle
TE Jacob Barrick

When do Big 12 teams have to submit availability reports?

Big 12 football programs are required to submit daily availability reports beginning three days before each game. The initial reports are posted on the league's website at 8 p.m. MT.

What do the designations mean?

Initial report categories

Out: Broad term for any reason a student-athlete cannot play in the upcoming conference game (injury, illness, suspension, eligibility or legal issues, or personal matters)
Out (1st half): Suspended for the first half of the upcoming game due to the NCAA targeting rule
Doubtful: Has a 25% chance of playing
Questionable: Has a 50% chance of playing
Probable: Has a 75% chance of playing
Available: Has a 100% chance of playing; must be designated if previously appeared on a previous availability report and is now expected to participate

Game day report categories

Out: Not dressing or available for the game.
Game-time decision: Coaches and/or medical personnel need to evaluate the student-athlete during pre-game warm-ups before deciding whether they can participate in the game.
Available: Will dress for the game and be available to play