As luck would have it, Wyoming will face a backup quarterback for a third consecutive Saturday when the Cowboys host Mountain West Conference newcomer TCU in a battle for sole possession of first place.
Only the Cowboys (4-1, 2-0) might not be so lucky this time.
After leading the Horned Frogs to dramatic victories over BYU and New Mexico the past two weeks, Jeff Ballard is not considered the second coming of the legendary Sammy Baugh (1934-36) these days – probably because Davey O’Brien (1936-38), another former TCU great, beat him to that. At BYU, Ballard came off the bench for the injured Tye Gunn (shoulder) and rallied the Horned Frogs from 18 points down to a 51-50 overtime victory. In his first start last week, he ran for four touchdowns and passed for two in a 49-28 triumph over New Mexico. Three of those scores were on one-play drives, including a 56-yard run by Ballard.
Before Ballard, a 6-foot-1, 208-pound junior, exploded on the scene, Gunn, a 6-3, 218- pound senior, had led the Frogs (4-1, 3-0) to a stunning 17-10 victory at then-No. 7 Oklahoma. He was considered a candidate for the Davey O’Brien Award that goes to the most outstanding quarterback in the country.
The last thing TCU coach Gary Patterson wants is a quarterback controversy, but that’s not stopping Wyoming coach Joe Glenn from giving him one.
“In my opinion, (Ballard is) just a better quarterback, and I think Tye Gunn’s a good quarterback,” Glenn said. “But this kid is scoring points and protecting the football, which to me, it starts right there for a quarterback. You’ve got to manage the game with protection of the ball, and hey, this guy can run. He runs the option very well, gets the ball where it needs to get.
“It’s a big challenge for us. I mean, they’ve scored 50 points or right (near) it the last couple of games.”
Patterson has been quick to tone down that kind of talk, noting the Frogs benefitted from six turnovers against New Mexico and were 0-for-13 on third-down conversions. But he praised Ballard for his poise against a New Mexico team that uses a lot of defensive looks.
“I thought he handled that very well,” Patterson said. “Then we were able to get him some bootlegs, and I don’t think they were expecting him to run. … I’m not sure he’s a great runner, but he’s mobile.”
Gunn has been throwing at practice this week, but it’s not clear whether he’ll be able to play at Wyoming, or if Ballard will lose his job once Gunn is healthy.
“You do what’s best for the team,” Patterson said. “But we’ve always had a policy that you don’t lose a starting job because of an injury. We’ll see how it goes when he gets back.”
Joseph Sanchez can be reached at 303-820-5458 or jsanchez@denverpost.com.
