BYU quarterbacks don’t receive hazardous duty pay with their scholarships, but maybe they should. For more than four decades, the Cougars have been renowned for prolific quarterbacks, but with all that passing comes risk.
According to BYU’s sports information office, since the LaVell Edwards/Quarterback Era began 43 years ago, only 22 times has a quarterback managed to start every game in a season — and only once since 2009. This is largely due to injuries.
Other than durable Max Hall, who managed to start every game for three years (a monumental feat matched only by Ty Detmer), just three other quarterbacks have managed to endure an entire season in this century.
Three Heisman Trophy campaigns have been derailed by injuries, starting with Gifford Nielsen. In 1977, Nielsen suffered a knee injury that ended his season and collegiate career just as his Heisman campaign was taking off.
In 1981, Jim McMahon began his own Heisman run. He was coming off a junior season in which he had thrown for an NCAA record 4,571 yards and 47 touchdowns, averaging a stunning 10.3 yards per attempt. Like Nielsen, he got off to a fast start as a senior, with 11 touchdown passes in 3 ½ games. Like Nielsen, he went down in the fourth game, on the road. He injured his knee against Colorado and missed the next two games. He returned to have another strong season, but his Heisman campaign suffered and he finished third in the final balloting.
This season junior Taysom Hill was making his own case for Heisman consideration; the Cougars were unbeaten in four games, largely due to the quarterback's running and passing. Then for the second time in three seasons, he suffered a season-ending leg injury against Utah State — this time a broken leg.
BYU’s quarterbacks have about a 50-50 shot at going the distance in a season. Sean Covey was the starter in the 1988 season opener at Wyoming and got knocked out of the game with a concussion, which allowed Detmer to make his freshman debut. Covey started all but one game that season.
In 1992, BYU went through four starting quarterbacks because of injuries. John Walsh, the opening-day starter, separated his shoulder in the fourth quarter against UCLA. A week later, Steve Clements, the new starter, dislocated his shoulder, making Ryan Hancock, a future Major League Baseball pitcher, the starting quarterback for the next few weeks. Hancock injured his knee against Utah, giving the starting job to Tom Young for the Aloha Bowl.
The next season, Walsh injured his knee against Notre Dame, giving Clements the starting quarterback job the following week against Fresno State. Walsh wound up relieving Clements late in the first half. He didn’t start every game that season, but he played in every game.
In 1997, Kevin Feterik broke his ankle in the fifth game against Rice and missed the rest of the season.
In 2000, Bret Engemann dislocated his shoulder in the sixth game. Charlie Peterson started the next four games until he was sidelined by ankle and shoulder injuries. That forced third-string Brandon Doman to give up a planned redshirt season.
In 2003, starter Matt Berry broke his hand in Game 3. Freshman John Beck, who had suffered a concussion two weeks earlier in a relief role against USC, started the next four games until Berry was healthy enough to return to the lineup. Beck came off the bench to play in the 10th game and sustained a season-ending hand injury.
In 2004, Beck separated his shoulder in the season opener against Notre Dame. Berry started in his place the following week against Stanford and lasted only a few minutes before injuring his hand again. He was replaced by Jason Beck.
In 2006, John Beck was sidelined by injuries and replaced as the starter by Jason Beck, but for only one game.
Perhaps no quarterback had more injuries than Riley Nelson. He was the starter as a sophomore in 2010, although he shared playing time with freshman Jake Heaps. After three games Nelson was sidelined with a season-ending shoulder injury. Heaps played well enough to hold the starting job when the 2011 season began, but eventually Nelson won the job back — only to be injured again.
Nelson missed one game and then returned as the starter. He was the starter at the start of the 2012 season, but he was injured again and replaced by Hill, a freshman from Idaho. Two weeks later Hill suffered a season-ending knee injury and Nelson was the starter again until a rib injury sidelined him for the last two games of the season. Senior James Lark started in his place.
Other BYU quarterbacks have had fairly serious injuries but played through them — Doman (2001), Robbie Bosco (1985) and Hall (2007) all stayed on the field despite various shoulder injuries.
Injuries paved the way for the debuts of quarterbacks who would eventually become stars. Marc Wilson, (who threw seven touchdown passes in his first start in place of Nielsen), Steve Young, Detmer, John Beck and Hill all got their first start after injuries to the starter. Now it's Christian Stewart's turn.
Doug Robinson's columns run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Email: drob@deseretnews.com