The risk of rushing quarterbacks

The good news for the Utes this week was that despite the loss of Jordan Wynn for the season, he can utilize a medical redshirt. Hence, he will be a junior again next year.

Still, you have to wonder if he’ll ever get back to the player he was as a freshman. Last year’s right shoulder injury hampered him most of the season. This year he was looking better, but still having issues with his throwing motion, when he was hurt in the Washington game, injuring his left shoulder. Two seasons, two shoulders, two surgeries. Not a good thing.

JORDAN WYNN
With his frame, and his tendency to get injured, will the Utah quarterback ever completely recover? It’s hard to imagine that he will. One thing seems clear: The Utes are going to avoid a lot of running by their QB’s. Asked about replacement Jon Hays’s decent skills as a runner, offensive coordinator Norm Chow said, “Yeah, he can run a little bit. Jordan can run, too, but he’s 195 pounds. We just don’t want to run him a lot and we don’t want this guy (Hays) to run a lot, either. Because if you do, you know he’s going to get whacked.”

It’s an age-old dilemma. If you have a QB with running skills, how much do you use those skills? Clearly, it’s an advantage. Opponents have trouble adjusting to someone who is a double-threat, like Riley Nelson at BYU. At the same time, quarterbacks aren’t made to take multiple, violent hits. Too much chance of injuring their valuable arms.

BYU’s Nelson is a great runner and only decent passer. He forces defenses to adjust. But he too is taking a risk with the number of carries he has in a game. At 6-0, 201 pounds, he’s sturdily built. But he’s not the biggest guy on the block. If he stays in as BYU’s starter, the Cougars could have injury issues of their own.

RILEY NELSON

The conclusion here is that in most cases — unless you have a fast, elusive, highly mobile quarterback like USU’s Chuckie Keeton,or a very big, strong quarterback — keep the runs to a minimum. You want to get all the mileage you can out of your most important position. If they were supposed to be running backs, that’s what they’d be.

CHUCKIE KEETON