Utah tight end Jake Murphy underwent wrist surgery Tuesday and head coach Kyle Whittingham indicated Murphy likely to miss the rest of the season, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.
Murphy's father, former Major League Baseball outfielder and two-time National League Most Valuable Player Dale Murphy, tweeted Tuesday that Jake suffered a broken wrist in the Utes' 34-27 loss to UCLA and would need a surgical procedure to repair the injury.
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Murphy had 10 receptions for 179 yards and one touchdown in five games this season. As a sophomore, Murphy received honorable mention All-Pac-12 recognition after catching 33 balls for 349 yards and four touchdowns for a passing attack that struggled badly last season.
With senior Westlee Tonga also injured, Utah is left with walk-on freshman Siale Fakailoatonga and junior-college transfer Greg Reese to take first-team reps in practice.
The tight end position was supposed to be a point of emphasis under new co-offensive coordinator Dennis Erickson, the former Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers head coach best known for his innovative one-back offense and two national championships at Miami.
Instead, wide receiver Dres Anderson has carried the Utah passing attack, posting four consecutive 100-yard games. The son of NFL veteran Flipper Anderson has 24 receptions for 510 yards, accounting for 35.6 percent of the team's aerial output, and four of its 11 touchdowns through the air.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
