Zach Wilson’s brother was on the bench during the Utah-Houston Big 12 game

A tough freshman season for Isaac Wilson just got even tougher.

Wilson, the younger brother of NFL quarterback Zach Wilson, was inserted into Utah’s starting lineup in the third game of the season after seventh-year senior Cam Rising injured his throwing hand in a win over Baylor.

Wilson led the Utes to wins over Baylor and Oklahoma State but has struggled since. In Utah’s 17-14 loss to Houston on Saturday — the Ute’s fourth straight loss — Wilson was benched in the third quarter in favor of sophomore Brandon Rose.

“We felt it was time to give Brandon an opportunity,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said after the game.

The move did not work out for Whittingham. Wilson was much more efficient than Rose, finishing 13 of 22 for 171 yards and a touchdown. Rose was 7 of 15 for 45 yards and an interception.

Wilson was a four-star recruit out of Corner Canyon High School in Utah. He had offers from five Big 12 schools, including BYU. On the season, he has completed 55.4% of his passes for 1,200 yards, eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.

It was a steep fall for Utah (4-4). The Utes were picked to win the Big 12 in the preseason media poll and were ranked 10th in the country heading into their Week 5 matchup against Arizona. They lost that match 23-10 and haven’t won since.

In their four-game losing streak, the Utes are averaging just 12.5 points and are routinely beaten to the ground. A program that prides itself on its physical approach, the Big 12 is proving to be a tough road for Whittingham’s program.

“It just seems to be a pattern of not getting it done every week,” Whittingham said. “And obviously as coaches we have to be better and that starts with me. Every issue we have in the program is on my shoulders. We’re just in a kind of funk that we can’t seem to get out of.”

Whittingham hoped the change in offensive coordinators — longtime coordinator Andy Ludwig resigned Sunday — would solve Utah’s offensive problems. That clearly didn’t happen. His team’s inability to stop the run is probably a bigger concern now.

Houston rushed for 230 yards on 49 carries – an average of 4.7 yards per carry. The Utes are giving up an average of 175 rushing yards per game in their four-game losing streak.

Utah has a bye week to iron out its kinks before hosting rival BYU on Nov. 9. Houston (3-5) will host Kansas State (7-1) next week in a nationally televised game on FOX.

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