Utah football boasts one of the top scoring offenses in the country, thanks in large part to its fantastic running game, but a physical brand of defense remains an important component of the program's identity. Will that continue, though? Star defensive end John Henry Daley, who suffered a non-contact, lower extremity injury early in Saturday's 51-47 comeback victory versus Kansas State, is feared to be done for the rest of the season, per CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.
Daley recorded two sacks on Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson before exiting near the end of the first quarter. He is a major reason why the Utes are in contention for the final slot in the 12-team College Football playoff field, propelling them with 11.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss (ranks in the top-three for both categories). The redshirt sophomore is in the running for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which recognizes the most outstanding defensive player of the campaign.
Translation: this is terrible news for Utah and its fan base. The CFP selection committee penalized the then-undefeated Florida State Seminoles for their massive injury misfortune in 2023 — now-retired QB Jordan Travis sustained a season-ending ankle injury — so the Utes could be in serious trouble moving forward. They are already on the outside looking in (No. 12 in latest rankings) and were just forced to overcome a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit at home versus a sub-.500 Kansas State team.
Kyle Whittingham's group needs some help from its competition if it is going to gain entry into the CFP for the first time in program history. Although this injury setback obviously has a devastating impact on the team, one cannot overlook how John Henry Daley is probably feeling right now. The stellar pass-rusher could be denied a chance to finish a wonderful campaign on his terms.
While the Utah football Utes (9-2) prepare for their regular season finale against the Kansas Jayhawks (5-6), they will surely have No. 90 on their mind.
