10 College Football Teams That Can't Afford for Starting QB to Get Injured
There is arguably not a more important position in college football than quarterback.
The entire offense runs through the quarterback; the poise, confidence and talent from whoever is taking snaps under center can easily be transferred to the rest of the team. In many cases, the team wins and loses by its quarterback play.
But what happens if the quarterback falls victim to injury?
Ohio State found that out the hard way, as quarterback Braxton Miller was announced out for the entire season prior to Week 1. After beginning the season as national title contenders, the Buckeyes seem to be struggling to even win its division.
Here are 10 teams that could face similar plights if their starting quarterback were to be injured.
West Virginia
1 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Clint Trickett
Backup Quarterback: William Crest
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The Mountaineers currently boast the No. 5-ranked passing attack in the country.
That can be credited to the play of quarterback Clint Trickett, who has had somewhat of a renaissance in his senior year. Through four games, he has thrown for 1,600 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions on 72 percent passing.
In fact, Trickett has thrown for at least 340 yards each game thus far.
Even still, West Virginia is just 2-2, thanks mostly to a porous defense and a tough schedule. Don’t expect that to become any easier were Trickett to go down.
After Trickett, the Mountaineers do have a quarterback with experience in Paul Millard. However, the senior was benched two games into the season last year, and there’s a reason true freshman William Crest has surpassed him on the depth chart.
Regardless of Crest’s talent, you can’t avoid the fact that he’s completely inexperienced.
“The plays we call when [Crest] is here are not the same ones we call when [Trickett] is out there,” said head coach Dana Holgorsen, also noting that past two Heisman winners redshirted as freshman, per The Post-Gazette’s Stephen. J Nesbitt. “You have to simplify. You can’t overload a guy.”
Boston College
2 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Tyler Murphy
Backup Quarterback: Darius Wade
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The Eagles weren’t supposed to be good this season, having been picked to finish sixth in the ACC by a vote of media members, via TheACC.com. However, the team has surpassed many expectations and currently sits at 3-1.
Quarterback Tyler Murphy is a large reason for the early success.
Through four games, the senior has thrown for 491 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions on 51.8 percent passing. While those numbers leave much to be desired, it’s the ground game—500 yards and five touchdowns on 55 carries—where Murphy thrives.
Backed by his stellar play, Boston College pulled off the upset over then-No. 9 USC earlier in the season.
Behind Murphy, freshman Darius Wade awaits. With just three pass attempts in his career, Wade under center would mean back to the cellar-dwelling days for the Eagles.
BYU
3 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Taysom Hill
Backup Quarterback: Christian Stewart
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The Cougars have been another one of those early season surprises. The team is 4-0 and has a victory over Texas to boost its resume.
Quarterback Taysom Hill has led the charge, doing just about everything for BYU. The junior has thrown for 876 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions on 66.1 percent passing while rushing for another 428 yards and seven scores.
Hill is one of the nation’s most dynamic playmakers, and without him, the Cougars don’t have a realistic shot at going perfect on the season and crashing the College Football Playoff. ESPN analyst and Florida alum Jesse Palmer believes Hill is better than Tebow (h/t Sports Illustrated's Andrew Perloff).
Backup Christian Stewart may be a senior, but he also hasn’t had a single pass attempt in his career.
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Georgia
4 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Hutson Mason
Backup Quarterback: Brice Ramsey
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The Bulldogs already had the pressure of replacing Aaron Murray after he graduated. Having to replace another quarterback could be the final nail in the coffin of the team’s national title hopes.
Hutson Mason has been decent for Georgia, throwing for 419 yards and four touchdowns on 71.2 percent passing through three games. But although he hasn’t made too many mistakes, he hasn’t really done too much, failing to top 200 yards in a game yet.
Sure, having running back Todd Gurley in the backfield takes off a lot of the pressure. But if Mason were to go down, opponents could completely load the box as Ramsey—a redshirt freshman—would come in without a drop of experience.
It’s a situation that would only lead to disaster.
Michigan State
5 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Connor Cook
Backup Quarterback: Tyler O’Connor
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After defense led the way for 2013, the Spartans appear to have an offense this time around.
Through three games, the team ranks No. 6 in the nation, averaging 48.3 points per game. Quarterback Connor Cook is a large part of that offensive movement, throwing for 711 yards and seven touchdowns on 69.7 percent passing.
It took Michigan State over a year to develop this attack with Cook under center, the team can’t afford that gap with backup Tyler O’Connor.
With a slim shot at the national title still remaining, the pressure would be too much for the sophomore to handle.
Notre Dame
6 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Everett Golson
Backup Quarterback: Malik Zaire
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Last season, the Fighting Irish were one of the biggest disappointments in college football. This year, the team is one of the bigger surprises.
You’ve got to think the return of quarterback Everett Golson has played a large role in that.
Through three games, the senior has thrown for 780 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions on 64.6 percent passing. He’s also rushed for 83 yards and four scores.
Golson has single-handedly made Notre Dame a dark-horse contender for the national title.
Sure, Malik Zaire is just dripping with talent. But it will take time for the sophomore to fully grasp the system and be able to produce at a high level.
It’s taking all of Golson’s prowess just to keep the Irish in contention. One little slip, and all title hopes for 2014 would be lost.
Texas A&M
7 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Kenny Hill
Backup Quarterback: Kyle Allen
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The Aggies have almost forgotten about Johnny Manziel. That’s thanks largely in part to Kenny Hill.
Hill has been tremendous through four games, throwing for 1,359 yards, 13 touchdowns and an interception on 69.8 percent passing. His performance is extremely impressive, given that he had only 22 career passing attempts prior to this season.
Backed by Hill, Texas A&M has used a victory over South Carolina in Week 1 to propel itself to a No. 6 ranking and into the College Football Playoff conversation.
However, if he were to go down, Kyle Allen would more than likely put those dreams to bed. The freshman has looked iffy in mop-up duty, already tossing a pair of interceptions.
A true freshman, Allen still has a lot more learning to do. The Aggies will hope that indoctrination comes down the road, and not this season.
Oklahoma
8 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Trevor Knight
Backup Quarterback: Cody Thomas
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The Sooners are in fine shape to make a run at the 2014 national title.
They have a rushing attack and offensive line that are both near the top in the nation. Quarterback Trevor Knight has also proven he has the poise and ability to make the big plays when Oklahoma needs them most.
But what if Knight went down and untested Cody Thomas had to step in under center?
The redshirt freshman has thrown only four passes in his career. Although he’s completed three of them for 20 yards, that happened during mop-up duty against Tulsa.
Thomas has ton of potential, but given his lack of experience, expect defenses to feast on the youngster. It certainly doesn’t help that the Sooners are entering the meat of their Big 12 schedule.
Maybe offensive coordinator Josh Heupel’s decision not to run Knight too much may have some reasoning after all.
Oregon
9 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Marcus Mariota
Backup Quarterback: Jeff Lockie
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The Ducks are looking like a near lock for a College Football Playoff spot come January.
But would that still hold up if quarterback Marcus Mariota were to go down?
Through Oregon’s 4-0 start, the junior has been fantastic, throwing for 1,135 yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions on 74 percent passing while rushing for another 214 yards and three scores. His play has him in the running for the Heisman Trophy.
But although the Ducks are perfect, the team has had a couple close calls early on, especially last weekend against Washington State. One would think with Jeff Lockie under center, Oregon would be in deep trouble.
With just mop-up duty appearances under his belt, Lockie has looked solid. But the chances of him keeping up in a shootout or back-and-forth contest don’t look to be too great.
If the Ducks hope to finally get over the hump and win the national title, Mariota must remain healthy.
Florida State
10 of 10
Starting Quarterback: Jameis Winston
Backup Quarterback: Sean Maguire
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The Seminoles found out firsthand what life without Jameis Winston looks like last Saturday.
With Winston suspended, sophomore Sean Maguire went under center. The results were disastrous, as Florida State needed several miscues from Clemson in order to escape with a 23-17 victory in overtime.
Maguire’s 304 yards of passing may sway some opinions, but the youngster struggled with his accuracy, completing just 53.9 percent of his passes. He also made some poor throws, resulting in two interceptions, and he was sacked five times on the night.
If the Seminoles hope to repeat as champions, they better make sure that scenario doesn’t play out again.
All stats courtesy of NCAA.com.
For complete coverage and everything college football, you can reach Sebastian on Twitter and via email at Sebastian.LenaBR@gmail.com.
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