The Silver Lining In Zach Wilson’s Injury

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – BYU football is going into its sixth straight season where they have had to play multiple quarterbacks because of injury – this season it is sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson. Former Utah quarterback Scott Mitchell said there is a positive to this tough situation for the Cougars.

Wilson needed surgery on his right thumb and is not expected back until November 9 for the Cougs game against Liberty.

With a pair of bye weeks, that is only three missed games, but they are big ones. He will miss two road games at South Florida and Utah State, plus a home matchup against Boise State.

#BYU quarterback Zach Wilson is out for at least three games but is anticipated to return for the 2019 season. https://t.co/SNaScUMxb7

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 1, 2019

BYU will turn to backup Jaren Hall who has been used sparingly as a change of pace quarterback. Hall has an extremely small sample size at quarterback this year, he entered the Toledo game on the final drive and went 3 of 6 for 39 yards.

He will have two weeks to prepare to be the starter against South Florida.

Wilson’s Bigger Picture

BYU football, Kalani Sitake, and Wilson are at a crossroads this season. Their two wins over USC and Tennessee look great but the loss to Toledo is a bad look for a team that has wins over the Pac-12 and SEC.

The next few games are critical for the Cougars’ postseason success.

Mitchell, co-host of KSL’s UnRivaled, cautions about injuries that happen in this BYU offense. According to him, the offense can expose the quarterback to getting hurt by spreading it out so much.

“This whole spread offense and exposing quarterbacks you have to ask yourself, ‘you are getting something but also giving up something’ and it is the protection of the quarterback,” Mitchell said on KSL’s UnRivaled. “Zach Wilson is a kid that I’ve heard that he feels like he is bulletproof. You take unnecessary risks and do kind of stupid things. I know he was really frustrated with the injury, but you need to ask this question: ‘I need to live to play the next down.’ Is it really worth your whole season to dive into a pile on an interception?”

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MORE BYU:

• Even With Zach Wilson Out, FPI Has BYU Becoming Bowl Eligible
• Dual-Threat Jaren Hall Prepared From Young Age To Be Starting QB
• Sitake: Jaren Hall Will Be BYU’s Starting QB Against South Florida

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That play was in the heat of the moment and Wilson is a competitor and wanted to do the best for his team, but going into a pile where every single player is bigger than you is probably not the best idea. Mitchell added that Wilson needs to think big picture, take a step back and assess if it is worth it.

Positives With Wilson Sidelined

Just because Wilson is hurt and can’t play for a few games doesn’t mean all is lost for his development and the BYU season. Remember, Wilson has only started in 12 career games – he is still fairly young and learning the college football game. In those 12 games, he has started to get the grasp of being an FBS quarterback.

The good news is that Wilson can watch and then come back to play a few more games this year.

“You are getting Wilson to the point where he is seasoned, and this is where you are going to see maturity and growth.  I think he will grow from this. Taking a step back is not the worst thing in the world. The fact that he is able to come back this season is a good thing,” Mitchell said. “It is hard that he will not reap the benefits of all of the effort, time and commitment into Zach Wilson. BYU will go through growing pains with Jaren Hall.”

All is not lost for Wilson and the Cougars. He can watch and grow by soaking in a different side of football during his recovery.

One thing to consider is that the Utah State and Boise State games were projected as losses by ESPN’s FPI even before Wilson was ruled out. The odds will dip out of favor for BYU but the loss of Wilson does not change the season outcome all that much, at least when looking at FPI’s game projections.

The Cougars should get him back for the final four games and BYU will be on its way to becoming bowl eligible during that stretch and end the regular season with six or seven wins, according to UnRivaled.

Tune into KSL’s Unrivaled every Monday through Friday, 7-9 p.m., or download the KSL NewsRadio app to subscribe to the podcast.