This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When he was asked following Utah's loss to Oregon if Travis Wilson could have traveled to Eugene to help quarterback Adam Schulz, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham looked a little befuddled before admitting he didn't think of that possibility. Now we know why his concern had more to do with Wilson's health than where he'd be on Saturday, following the news a pre-existing condition discovered during exams following a concussion has ended Wilson's season and possibly his career. During Monday's press conference, Whittingham said he has evaluated everything over and over to try and figure out if the Utes are doing anything that is putting their quarterbacks in harm's way since the last time a Utah quarterback finished a season healthy was in 2008. Ultimately, Whittingham said he couldn't come up with anything, noting sometimes things just happen. For Wilson, and Jordan Wynn before him, this situation seems like a really bad deal that has happened. Both quarterbacks worked their tails off for the Utes and both had their careers sidetracked by circumstances not under their control. Hopefully Wilson will bounce back from this situation as well as he did all the hits he took while playing quarterback. Whittingham described him as a tough, competitive kid. That attitude will serve him well now. As for Utah's future quarterbacks, it looks uncertain at best. Adam Schulz is the starter for now, but behind him are a bunch of freshmen. As highly touted as they might be, Utah fans know from experience recruiting rankings mean little when it comes to determining who can succeed at the college level and injuries are always the X factor. Whittingham said he and his staff were discussing how to address the current circumstance through recruiting. Asked about junior college transfers, Whittingham said they weren't always the answer. Nevertheless, it seems as if the Utes would be well-served to have a JC player waiting in the wings for circumstances such as this. It would be a bad deal if something happened to Schulz and the Utes had to use freshman Conner Manning in the last two games, costing him a full year of eligibility. The Utes will do everything they can to redshirt Manning, but luck just doesn't seem to be on the Utes' side when it comes to quarterbacks. - Lya Wodraska