Utah Utes may be without Tavion Thomas against Washington State

Following a series of events that included Thomas departing early from the USC game, some vague responses by Kyle Whittingham and some comments by Thomas on social media, it appears unlikely that Thomas will play against the Cougars.

When you expand the Utah Football Instagram post, there are several comments by Thomas where he says, "Go get it," and "Ima be watching n cheering," which very well could mean he'll be watching his team from the sidelines.

If the Utes are in fact without Thomas on Thursday, it's likely we'll see a lot more touches from Micah Bernard and Jaylon Glover. 

To this point in the season, Bernard has recorded 223 yards and two touchdowns on 47 carries (4.6 Avg, the highest of any running back with more than 15 touches). Meanwhile, Glover has posted 158 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries (4.1 Avg).

Even though Utah will have to adjust if they are without their primary back, who has more carries than Glover and Bernard combined (93), the Utes should still manage just fine. 

Through seven games, Washington State is allowing an average of 243.6 yards per game through the air compared to just 123.7 on the ground. With what Rising has been doing as of late, both on the ground and especially through the air, Utah's offense will still have plenty of ways to move the chains and get into the end zone.

While nothing has been confirmed by the team, if Thomas does in fact sit out on Thursday, hopefully this is just a temporary setback and he'll be able to get through whatever struggles he's dealing with and return to the field as well.