Barnes may not have been born for the moment, but he’s been preparing for it most of his life.
The Utes’ backup, who won a crucial road game at Washington State this season, knows his hard work “doesn’t just go to waste.”
“It’s not just, ‘OK, we’re going to run this play.’ It’s ‘Why are we going to run this play in this situation? Why are we calling this?’” said Wes Marshall, Barnes’ offensive coordinator at Milford High. “He studied the game more than any kid I’ve ever coached.” Bryson Barnes, left, around age 6 shows off his cleats on a trip to Hogle Zoo with his siblings and parents, Chris and Stacy. Barnes, the backup quarterback for the University of Utah football team, has made a lifelong habit of being prepared to play.
As anticipated, No. 16 stepped in seamlessly. Even after Ohio State scored a go-ahead touchdown, he didn’t get flustered. Instead, the 6-foot-1 freshman rushed for 10 yards and completed both his pass attempts for 23 yards plus a game-tying touchdown to tight end Dalton Kindcaid to keep the Utes alive. Only by kicking a field goal with 9 seconds left did the Buckeyes secure their 48-45 victory.
It was 2021, and Rising, who had arrived at Utah in 2019, was the only veteran in a crowded field of quarterback prospects. He also happened to have been designated Barnes’ “big brother” within the program. So Barnes started peppering Rising with queries about blocking schemes and receiver routes and any other details his analytical brain couldn’t quite puzzle out.
When Chris and Stacy Barnes found out young Bryson had been sneaking his cellphone into his room at night, they disapproved. Their attitudes changed a bit, though, when the wins started coming.
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