As the final seconds ticked off the scoreboard in Corvallis, Ore. on Aug. 30, Utah fans found much more to agonize over than just the Utes’ loss to Oregon State.
Injuries to starting quarterback Brian Johnson and starting running back Matt Asiata clouded expectations for this year’s gridiron warriors.
Asiata broke both his tibia and fibula in his right leg, ending his season almost as soon as it began. Johnson separated the right shoulder of his throwing arm and is expected to be back in three to five weeks. Now it’s time for the Tommy Grady show.
The injuries add to an already dismal start. What many expected to be a potent offense had already lost its left tackle — Jason Boone — in training camp to an ACL tear.
Utah fans have been down this road before. A promising season potentially wrecked before it even gets its wheels turning.
Head athletic trainer Bill Bean has seen season-ending injuries on a regular basis since he joined the U in 1976.
“It seems like every year or every other year we lose a mainline person for the season,” Bean said.
Bean can list season-ending injuries by position and injury from his records.
One of those tragedies occurred in the midst of an injury-riddled 1999 season. Wide receiver Chris Christensen broke his fibula against UNLV in the third game of the year.
The following week resulted in a loss to Boise State as quarterback Darnell Arceneax left with a sprained foot, and running back Mike Anderson played most of the game with a sprained foot.
Two starting offensive linemen, Sam White and Josh Cochran, missed four games apiece. Several other injuries to key players dotted game recaps all season long.
That team, however, finished 9-3 with a victory in the Las Vegas Bowl.
“(Teams) just reload and refocus and off they go,” Bean said. “They go through a period of shock, but it doesn’t take them long to get back on track.”
Sometimes, however, injuries have decimated some of Utah’s previous seasons.
In 1997, Utah did not fair as well with adjusting to its injuries. Junior running back and preseason WAC player of the year Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala suffered an ankle sprain and hamstring sprain that kept him from being dominant.
In all, Utah started 18 different players on offense by the end of the season.
The team stumbled to a 6-5 finish.
The year before, Utah rumbled its way to a highly-anticipated showdown in the Copper Bowl with Wisconsin. The Badgers featured touted tailback Ron Dayne. The head-to-head battle between Fuamatu-Ma’afala and Dayne headlined to game.
The hype, however, was deflated when Fuamatu-Ma’afala left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury, handicapping the Utes’ winning chances in a game they eventually lost.
Today’s Utes don’t want to succumb to the difficulties that injuries present.
“That’s what football is all about,” said head coach Kyle Whittingham. “Fighting through adversity.”
Whittingham expressed that Johnson is still “a ways away” from reclaiming his signal-calling duties. For now, senior Tommy Grady has the reigns to the offense.
“(Grady’s) got an opportunity to show what he’s about,” Whittingham said. “It’s his show.”
As for replacing Asiata, the Utes have a bevy of options. Ray Stowers expects to get the bulk of the carries with Darryl Poston working into the rotation.
Junior Darrell Mack has been pulled from redshirting to add depth to the position.
Whoever fills the holes left by injury, Whittingham is confident in his team.
“People have a tendency to step up,” he said. “We believe our guys’ attitude is very good right now.”