In today's era of college football, it is common to see a player sit out in a bowl game to avoid injury, unless the game is part of the College Football Playoff. This is especially common when a player is planning to leave for the NFL after the season. Last year, the Utah football team won the Pac-12 championship and earned a bid to the Rose Bowl. The Utes took on Penn State and Utah's star quarterback, Cam Rising, ended up going down with an ACL injury in the game. That happened back in January, and he still hasn't been able to return to the field for Utah. Every week people think that Rising might be making his return, but it has yet to happen. He recently discussed the injury, and after hearing more about it, it makes sense that Rising hasn't returned for Utah yet.

“I wasn't really expecting to do this, but I just want to let everybody know I didn't just tear my ACL,” Cam Rising said on ESPN 700 Radio. “I tore my meniscus, MPFL, and MCL. It was a big surgery and it's not an easy comeback. I've been working my tail off.”

Now it makes a lot more sense that Rising isn't back yet. Tearing an ACL is one thing, but he also tore three other parts of his knee. It's a long recovery, but Rising is doing everything in his power to get back on the field.

“There are guys that have had similar injuries to this like Kyler Murray, Hendon Hooker who have decided not to play this season,” Rising continued. “I'm grinding and doing everything I possibly can, and even the fact I'm going out there and practicing, I'm ahead of schedule. I'm trying to make sure I can be out there because nobody wants to be out there on the field grinding with those guys more than me, but at the end of the day, it's my body. My body has to recover, and there's not really anyone that can say much besides the best doctor in the world, Dr. ElAttrache, down in LA can say.”

It is up to Rising's doctor, but Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham doesn't seem too happy about that. He was recently asked about what it is that's keeping Rising out of the games during a press conference, and his response made it sound like he might not agree with everything the doctor is saying.

“You have to ask his doctor,” Whittingham said. “We hope to know early next week rather than later in the week what the situation is. I think one of the problems is we've been waiting until the end of the week, but we're going to get an answer early next week as to who's going to go.”

The Utes lost their first game of the season last Friday night against Oregon State. The team had survived the first four weeks of the season without Rising, but they are now 4-1 on the season. The Utes still have dates with USC, Washington and Oregon, so if they don't get Rising back soon, they could be in a lot of trouble.