SEC Football: 10 Teams with QB Injuries Highlight Value of Backups

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10. Arkansas Razorbacks

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Starter Brandon Allen hurt his shoulder early against Southern Mississippi on Sept. 14 and then missed the following game against Rutgers, which the Razorbacks lost. He's struggled mightily in the four games since, completing just 40 percent of his passes with three touchdowns and six interceptions. Note: all four games came against ranked opponents. Allen’s backup, A.J. Derby, is 18-of-34 for 173 yards and a touchdown for the season. He obviously hasn’t done enough to prove to head coach Bret Bielema that he’s a viable option to replace the struggling Allen.

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9. Auburn Tigers

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Starter Nick Marshall missed the Western Carolina game with a knee injury, but came back strong last week to help Auburn upset Texas A&M 45-41. In the game Marshall missed, freshman Jeremy Johnson played very well. He completed 17-of-21 passes for 201 yards and four TDs. Though the opponent was terrible, those are promising numbers, and Johnson gives the Tigers a decent backup option to Marshall.

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8. Florida Gators

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Starter Jeff Driskel has missed the last five games after breaking his leg on the first drive against Miami. His replacement Tyler Murphy has done some good things and some not so good things. Though it’s really hard to single out Murphy’s performance because the Gators have so many problems on offense. After a few games of progress, Murphy and the Florida offense have completely tanked in the last two games, both losses.

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7. Kentucky Wildcats

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Jalen Whitlow and Max Smith have both been hurt and have both been inconsistent. Whitlow, the quarterback currently at the top of the depth chart, is trying to recover from an ankle injury in time for the Wildcats' game against Mississippi State Thursday night. Regardless of which guy has been on the field, 1-5 Kentucky hasn’t had much success this season.

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6. Mississippi State Bulldogs

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Starter Tyler Russell missed three games after being knocked out of the opener against Oklahoma State with a concussion. Since his return, he's split time at QB with Dak Prescott. Prescott has been a force in the running game, but has struggled through the air at times. Overall, the Bulldogs’ quarterback play has been about as impressive as their 3-3 record.

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5. Missouri Tigers

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Starter James Franklin is out 3-5 weeks after separating his throwing shoulder during Missouri’s huge win at Georgia. One week in to life without Franklin, however, the Tigers are in even better shape than they were. The backup, freshman Maty Mauk, was lights-out in his first start, throwing for 295 yards and helping Missouri rout Florida on Saturday. But the jury’s ultimately still out on Mauk, as he will have another big test this week against South Carolina.

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4. South Carolina Gamecocks

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Starter Connor Shaw suffered a sprained knee in the 23-21 loss at Tennessee and is not expected to play this week at Missouri. He also missed most of the game against Central Florida earlier in the season. The Gamecocks are lucky to have backup Dylan Thompson, who’s been capable, and even heroic in relief of Shaw. He isn’t quite as dynamic a player as Shaw, but he had a 310-yard day in a win over Clemson last year and threw the game-winning TD pass in the Outback Bowl against Michigan.

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3. Tennessee Volunteers

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Butch Jones benched starter Justin Worley for the Florida game, naming Nathan Peterman the starter. Well, we all remember (though Tennessee fans would probably like to forget) how that turned out – he completed four-of-11 passes for five yards with two interceptions and a fumble in a 17-minute span. Peterman played woefully before breaking his hand and giving the job back to Worley, who has definitely progressed in the weeks that followed.

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2. Texas A&M Aggies

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Johnny Manziel missed part of the Auburn game with a shoulder injury he suffered in the second half. He returned following treatment, but the shoulder was clearly bothering him the rest of the way. It could be argued that had Manziel not missed the next drive, A&M might have won the game instead of losing 45-41. Everyone is anxiously waiting to see whether there are any lingering effects moving forward. One thing’s certain: backup Matt Joeckel is a far cry from the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner.

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1. Vanderbilt Commodores

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Starter Austyn Carta-Samuels was on crutches and in tears at the end of Vanderbilt’s upset of Georgia on Saturday. The status of his knee injury is still undetermined, but all signs are pointing toward the negative so far. His replacement Patton Robinette filled in nicely against the Bulldogs, helping the Commodores complete a 31-27 comeback victory.