Utah is spending its bye week hoping to nurse some injuries and get the two-deep closer to full strength.

Injury issues have plagued the 4-1 Utes all season, with major contributors missing time and new guys dropping every week. No two players have been asked about more than quarterback Cameron Rising or tight end Brant Kuithe.

The Utes have been playing a “will he, won’t he” game with Rising’s status for weeks. He has started to warm up with the offense early on in the pregame but has yet to dress out for a contest this season. Kuithe’s timetable is completely unknown.

One Twitter user claimed on Tuesday that Kuithe would not play this season. That claim was quickly refuted by several reporters covering the team.

KSL’s Josh Newman reported that Kuithe has not been ruled out for the season and Utah remains optimistic he will be able to return to the field at some point.

Head coach Kyle Whittingham doesn’t get into injury-related specifics unless the player in question has been shut down for the season. As such, he’s yet to really provide much on Kuithe’s status.

It seems like there’s a possibility Rising could play against Cal on Oct. 14, but Whittingham has repeatedly said they have been hoping to have him back each Saturday for the last month. Rising is ultimately waiting for clearance from his doctor after offseason ACL surgery.

The Utah offense needs both of them back and at their best in the worst way.

Utah scored 24 points in its opener against Florida, then 20 against Baylor, then 14 against UCLA, and then just seven last Friday in a loss to Oregon State. Against FBS competition, the Utes have cleared 300 yards of total offense only once. Last week, they had just 198 total yards — the worst single-game performance since a 10-3 loss to Washington in the 2018 Pac-12 title game.

After the Cal game, things get dicey. Utah faces No. 9 USC on the road on Oct. 21, then No. 8 Oregon at home on Oct. 28. On Nov. 11, it heads to Seattle to face No. 7 Washington. All three are averaging at least 46 points per game this season.