Utah's injury report is reading more like a novel every week, but after thrashing then-No. 11 UCLA 44-6 last week without the team's starting quarterback or running back, among other producers, the growing list of injuries is now something head coach Kyle Whittingham can grin and bear, rather than grimace and bemoan.
Texas is in a must-win situation when No. 19 TCU comes to town on Saturday, and the Longhorns will have to snuff the Horned Frogs without the help of defensive end Brian Okrapo. The junior suffered a knee injury in last weekend's 21-13 sneak-by win over Arkansas State and will miss the oh-so-important statement matchup with TCU.
No. 19 TCU and No. 20 Hawai'i are two of the trendy picks to break into the BCS this season, and with TCU taking on No. 7 Texas this week and Hawai'i embarking on a 12-day road trip, they will need all their guns firing in order to lift themselves in the polls and take another step toward a BCS berth. As of Thursday, both teams are struggling with injuries - Hawai'i has lost a starting linebacker for two weeks and TCU has two guys dealing with aches that just won't go away.
Utah's army of injured players underwent further examination after the initial injuries were reported during Thursday's game against Oregon State and things are, unfortunately, just as bad as they seemed - quarterback Brian Johnson, running back Matt Asiata, special teams standout Matt Martinez and backup tight end Colt Sampson are all down for the count.
If the Utes continue at the rate they're going, they will run out of players before the season hits its mid-point. In Utah's season opener on Thursday night, the team came away with five big losses: injuries to top running back Matt Asiata, quarterback Brian Johnson, tight end Colt Sampson, linebacker Matt Martinez and the game itself, which they dropped 24-7 to Oregon State. It was quite a night.
It was a tough week for anterior cruciate ligaments across the world of college football. Four major contributors to four different programs tore their ACLs this week, leaving worries about replacements and depth in their wake.
The offensive linemen are the unsung heroes of every football team. They don't get statistics, they're in on every play and most fans only notice them when they do something wrong. But there's no better way to strike panic into a coach than to injure a starting lineman, which would explain the uneasiness suffered this week at Utah and Louisiana Tech.
