'One of Those Two Guys': Utah Utes' QB Issues Grow Amidst Bryson Barnes Injury

After junior quarterback Bryson Barnes's Saturday was cut short due to injury, the Utes rode out the remaining minutes of their loss to Oregon State with Nate Johnson, but despite Barnes traveling back with the team, Utah's quarterback situation remains muddled.

If the Utah Utes thought they'd be safe from further damage at the quarterback position, they'd be unfortunately mistaken.

After enduring their first loss all season — still without starting quarterback Cameron Rising — the Utes knew they'd look to either Nate Johnson or Bryson Barnes. 

Johnson, especially, has been a bright spot for Utah this season, subbing in for the injured Utes star and earning praise from coach Kyle Whittingham along the way.

"Johnson is learning to be a leader,” Whittingham said following the Utes' victory over UCLA. “It’s a positive that he’d go and take blame [for Saturday]. He didn’t need to, but it’s good to see leadership there.”

Utah Utes junior quarterback Bryson Barnes throws the football against the Florida Gators during the Utes' season-opener on August 31, 2023. 

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Johnson threw for 101 yards and a touchdown Saturday, but Utes junior Bryson Barnes also got in on the action ... that was until his injury. After helping Utah gain some momentum in an attempt to bring the Utes back into the game, a hit to the abdomen by the helmet of an Oregon State defender left him down on the turf for an extended period of time. 

Barnes was later taken to a hospital, but did travel back to Salt Lake City with the rest of his team, alleviating the stress of his well-being as he now begins to recover. What hasn't been alleviated, however, is what Utah is to do if Rising remains sidelined.

Johnson, moving forward, will continue to chug along as the face of the Utes' offense until Rising comes back, but as far as after him? Whittingham didn't have much to say:

“It’ll be one of those two guys,” he replied, referring to Brandon Rose and Luke Bottari.

Ideally, Johnson won't be needing a backup moving forward, with the best case scenario being him actually taking the position while Rising gets the start. That isn't guaranteed however. And if the Utes hope to continue to find success, they'll need to be able to do so with anyone at quarterback. 

Even with "one of those two."