Micah Bernard is running strong, but who else can help shoulder the load?

Through five games, Utah has a clear No. 1 running back.
The Utes entered the season with a “running back by committee” approach, which lasted all of one game. Against Baylor, senior Micah Bernard started a streak of three consecutive 100-plus-yard games, including a career-high 182-yard performance at Oklahoma State that earned him Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors.
He’s had a few memorable runs, including a 64-yarder that featured no less than four stiff arms to set the Utes up for a game-sealing touchdown against Utah State in Logan.
Since joining the program in 2019, Bernard has never been the featured back, always the secondary option, so entering this season, earning that RB1 role was his goal.
He’s accomplished it.
“It feels pretty good. Honestly, just, I’ve been trying to work for a long time to get, this is the most carries I’ve ever had,” Bernard said after the Oklahoma State game. “I’ve been trying, I’ve been working for the last five, six years to try to get to this level to where coaches trusted me and believe in me to have 25 carries, so it is been a long time coming and I’m finally glad that I got everybody’s trust in order to give me the ball.”
Especially after a tough season last year, when an off-the-field injury took all but two games of the 2023 season away from Bernard, his prowess carrying the ball has become one of the best stories surrounding Utah’s team.
“Watching Bernard play is great. Knowing the fact that he did get injured and he missed a season, and just knowing that football could be taken away from you like this. I’m glad that Bernard came back, bounced back and he’s doing really good,” running back Mike Mitchell said.
With 547 yards and a score on 82 carries, Bernard is one of the nation’s most productive running backs — he ranks No. 14 in FBS in rushing yards per game — and has been a key piece in Utah’s offense.
“Micah has been the bell cow,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “He’s been RB1, he’s played himself into that role. He was not in that role initially at the beginning of the season, we let things sort themselves out, which they have, and he’s the guy that’s getting the vast majority of the carries.”
Even with the production, Whittingham still wants to limit Bernard to a maximum of 25 carries per game, and ideally 20 totes per contest.
“He’s a terrific running back, but it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint, so we got to try to make sure we give him the reps accordingly,” Whittingham said after the Oklahoma State win.
While Utah has been more than satisfied with Bernard’s performance thus far, the Utes still need a secondary running back that can give the senior a break and throw another look at opposing defenses.
In the last two games, that hasn’t materialized — non-Bernard running backs combined for just 28 yards in Utah’s two Big 12 Conference contests.
Those numbers don’t quite tell the whole story. Against Oklahoma State, Utah continued to feed the hot hand in Bernard, and against Arizona, Isaac Wilson threw 40 passes in an attempt to lead a second-half comeback effort, so there were less carries to go around.
Even with those caveats, though, there needs to be more production out of Utah’s other running backs when they do get the ball.
In the early part of the season, redshirt freshman Mitchell looked the part of Utah’s No. 2 back, especially after his breakout game against Utah State, where he rushed for 75 yards on 14 carries, but has had just 11 total yards on 11 carries since.
“I haven’t performed my best, but I feel I can do a lot more,” Mitchell said. “Like I said, that little injury was holding me back, took away from the coaches not wanting to get me a lot more injured, so I got a little held back a little bit. But they see that I’m going forward and they see I’m looking better than I was before I got injured. So that’s what I’m liking right now.”
He’s been dealing with a nagging ankle injury since fall camp, something that’s kept him from performing at his best this season. The bye week has helped in that aspect, helping him heal up a little more going into the second half of the season.
“Day by day it gets better. Right now I’m feeling great coming off the injury. It’s a little painful, but I feel like this is the best that I’m going to be at this season,” Mitchell said.
Going forward, Mitchell will certainly continue to be one of the primary options around Bernard, especially in short-yardage situations. That’s been a double-edged sword, however, as teams seem to key in that Utah is going to run it up the gut with Mitchell in those situations, and it usually does. Mixing in some more outside runs and diversifying the run game will be key.
Teams have been stacking the box against the Utes this season with Wilson at quarterback, which poses challenges for all of the running backs.
“It’s hard going against a stacked box knowing that we have a quarterback situation right now, but we got to attack every play, we got to have the more will. So if it’s a stacked box, we just got to hit them the mouth,” Mitchell said.
Aside from Mitchell and Bernard, the third player in Utah’s opening day running back trio — Jaylon Glover — has been absent for four of Utah’s five games.
After assuming the No. 2 role behind Ja’Quinden Jackson last season — 137 carries for 562 yards and two touchdowns — most assumed Glover would take a step forward in his junior season. He rushed for 15 yards on four carries in the opener against Southern Utah, but hasn’t seen the field since.
On Monday, Glover told the Deseret News that there were things he had to clean up in his personal life, but that he’s cleaned those up and feels like his time to get back on the field is coming soon.
“It hasn’t been football-wise why I haven’t been competitive. It’s been some things that I just need to clean up in my personal life, and so practice-wise, football has been my outlet,” Glover said.
Glover said it’s not his play in practice that has been keeping him off the field, and is confident that when he returns, fans will see a new-and-improved player.
“I won’t miss a beat, and if anything, production last season, I know I’m going to be 10 times better. I just been locked up in this cage, man. I’m ready to get up out of it. So no telling what I’m going to do, but it’s going to be special,” Glover said.
When Glover’s time is coming isn’t clear yet, but Whittingham did say on Monday that the junior running back could start to get playing time.
Aside from Mitchell and Glover, Utah has a few more options at the position behind Bernard. Dijon Stanley has rushed for 68 yards on 16 carries, but is more of a special package player. Charlie Vincent has also seen time with 39 yards on 11 carries, and Hunter Andrews has rushed the ball two times for 17 yards.
Whether it’s Mitchell, Glover or another running back, moving forward, Utah needs someone to emerge to take some of the pressure off Bernard.
“I feel like we’re going to have a lot more production,” Mitchell said.