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At separate times, but in virtually the same spot on the north end zone turf, Utah wideout Tim Patrick and Oregon tight end Pharaoh Brown lay in agony — trainers working feverishly to immobilize their legs as a hush descended upon Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Both were carted off the field, to respectful applause. Both are lost for the season.
Utah will also play its final four games without quarterback Kendal Thompson, after he sustained a knee injury in the first quarter, and Oregon All-American center Hroniss Grasu likewise left with an apparent knee problem that casts doubt on his status going forward.
The cost of business was particularly high in Utah's 51-27 loss to No. 3 Oregon on Saturday night.
Monday, Whittingham addressed "the worst part of the game."
"It's very violent," he said. "… I feel bad for these kids. They lay it on the line. They lay their bodies on the line every week. There's going to be some serious injuries that occur, and unfortunately, we had some on Saturday night."
Brown left Rice-Eccles via ambulance some time after the game ended and is still recuperating in an area hospital. Whittingham said he went to see him Sunday, but Brown was in surgery. He'll try again in the next couple of days.
Thompson's loss puts Utah's offense squarely on Travis Wilson's shoulders — though counter-intuitively, it may also relieve pressure on the junior, who was fighting for his job since Thompson transferred from Oklahoma and joined the team for summer conditioning.
Junior running back Devontae Booker said Monday that he spoke with both Thompson and Patrick, telling the former to keep his head up on the sidelines Saturday night, and finding the latter on Monday "a little down, but … dealing with it the right way."
"We can rally through pretty much anything," Booker said. "We overcame adversity in many games, and I believe this is another step we just gotta get over."
Joining Thompson, Patrick, senior captain Dres Anderson and sophomore cornerback Reginald Porter on the growing list of Utah contributors who will not again take the field in 2014: Senior free safety Tevin Carter, who had two interceptions, 16 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss in less than four full games.
Whittingham confirmed Monday that Carter, a fifth-year senior, will apply for an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA via a medical hardship waiver after being hobbled by an injury to his hip flexor/abdominal area.
Senior strong safety Brian Blechen said he's seen Carter in the training room, rehabilitating, every day, and that he's stayed positive throughout.
Should he be granted a hardship waiver and play a full 12- or 13-game season, Blechen said, look out.
"Come next year, he'll be a seasoned veteran," he said. "With his physical capabilities, he'll be a guy you've got to watch out for as a quarterback."
Of course, that's not all. There are a handful of Utes playing through broken bones and other maladies — which the program generally will not discuss. There is some good news for Utah fans, though: Junior linebacker Jason Whittingham, who hasn't played since injuring his arm against Fresno State, is expected to return to practice in a "non-contact capacity" this week, said Kyle Whittingham.
He won't play against Stanford, but "if there's no steps backward, we may have him for the last two ballgames."
Twitter: @matthew_piper —
Utah at Stanford
O Saturday, 4 p.m. MST
TV • Pac-12 Network