Utes on the rise: Running Back Micah Bernard

Over the course of the season, Bernard finished with 523 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 87 carries (6.0 average) for third most rushing yards on the team. He also had 251 yards receiving and two touchdowns on 26 receptions (9.6 average) for fifth most receiving yards.

From his offensive contributions, Bernard strung together notable performances that included 110 yards and one touchdown on 12 rushes against Stanford and 94 all-purpose yards against Arizona with a career-high 60 receiving yards. He also capped off the season with an appearance at cornerback in the Rose Bowl, leading the team with 10 total tackles while rushing for 31 yards and recording a magnificent receiving touchdown in the corner of the end zone.

For his efforts, Bernard’s 12.2 yards per carry against BYU ranked fourth all time in program history for a single game. He also led all running backs with 26 catches for 251 yards and two touchdowns.

While the running room struggled to find its identity for the first few games, and Bernard eventually filled the third spot behind Tavion Thomas and T.J. Pledger, Bernard was a swiss-army-knife as he fulfilled whatever was asked of him. Not only was he an excellent third option out of the backfield who proved to be shifty and elusive through the trenches, but he also was often on the receiving end of a lot of bail out and dump off passes from Cameron Rising.

Notably, Bernard also stepped up for the Utes during the Rose Bowl when injuries had plagued their secondary. With several starters and second-string corners out, Bernard fulfilled the difficult task against the Buckeyes and played his heart out despite the outcome. To ask a freshman to play a difficult position on the opposite side of the football and watch him give every ounce of blood, sweat and tears is all you could ask for, especially if you ask head coach Kyle Whittingham.

“Yeah, Micah, he gave us everything he had, and we appreciate his courage for making that change. He hadn’t played DB since high school, and to be willing to do that for us, I’m proud of him, very proud,” Whittingham said.

As for the future, it's important to remember that Bernard still has three years of eligibility remaining. Despite red-shirting in 2019 and playing in all five games during the 2020 season, the eligibility freeze means he will only be a sophomore going into 2022. With the improvement he demonstrated from 2020 to 2021, his versatility, elusiveness and a willingness to fulfill whatever task he is assigned, Bernard will continue to grow and so will his role as long as he applies himself as he has before.

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