BYU Football Preparing For Changes At QB From TCU
Oct 10, 2023, 10:26 PM | Updated: Oct 11, 2023, 11:05 am
PROVO, Utah – It’s kind of a modern miracle in college football these days, but the opposing quarterbacks BYU football was expected to face this year have gone according to plan through the first five games.
BYU faced KJ Jefferson (Arkansas), Jalon Daniels (Kansas), and Emory Jones (Cincinnati), among other projected starters coming into the year.
In week seven of the season, that’s likely to change for BYU’s defense.
TCU QB Chandler Morris is down with an MCL injury for BYU week
TCU is expected to have Josh Hoover as its starting quarterback on Saturday (1:30 p.m., ESPN & KSL NewsRadio). That’s because TCU’s starting quarterback Chandler Morris is dealing with an MCL injury he suffered against Iowa State last Saturday.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes said on Tuesday that Morris is “week-to-week,” so that opens the door for Hoover to be the Horned Frogs QB1.
In relief of Morris, Hoover was 11-of-19 for 119 yards, one touchdown, and an interception against Iowa State. The touchdown came late in the game, but he appeared to begin settling into Dykes’ uptempo offense that first-year offensive coordinator Kendal Briles is calling the shots for this season.
#BYU head coach Kalani Sitake addressing the media to set the stage for TCU week.#BYUFootball #GoCougs #Big12 pic.twitter.com/rQPS8a2LvI
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 9, 2023
BYU, who is feeling refreshed after a week off, had a lot of scouting into Morris. But now defensive coordinator Jay Hill and his staff have had to adjust.
“The reality is we’ve got to be ready to play whoever’s in there at quarterback,” said Hill. “I thought the backup came in and showed some poise and did some good things at the end of the Iowa State game. But the reality is, whoever’s in there, we got to do a great job defending them.”
BYU defense preparing for a potential rally from Horned Frogs
When TCU joined the Mountain West Conference in 2005, the Horned Frogs took down BYU with backup QB Jeff Ballard in relief of an injured Tye Gunn. The Horned Frogs won that game 51-50 in overtime.
That was almost two decades ago and has no bearing on Saturday’s first meeting between the old MWC & WAC rivals since 2011. But it does highlight that a backup quarterback can sometimes bring out more in the players around him.
“You’ve got to expect that the team rallies around that backup quarterback, and sometimes that can spark them,” said Jay Hill. “Just the team elevating their game and we’ve got to be ready for that. We’ve got to be expecting that TCU’s best offense is going to be out there on the field on Saturday.”
TCU comes into the game boasting the 16th total offense in college football. The Horned Frogs are averaging 472.5 yards per game, which is good for fifth in the Big 12. But they are a pedestrian scoring offense in the league averaging 31.3 per contest.
Jay Hill still expects the overall scheme of what TCU runs offensively to continue with Hoover in at quarterback.
“Our guys just know no matter who’s back there taking the snaps, we’ve got to be ready to defend their offense. I don’t think it’s going to change that drastically,” said Hill. “We’ve got to be able to defend their top plays and what they want to get accomplished. I don’t see the game plan changing drastically with the new quarterback.”
BYU vs. TCU
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium
Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. (MT)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM) — Extended pregame coverage begins at 11 a.m. from Ft. Worth
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
