Steven Johnson: TCU faces more uncertainty at quarterback after Chandler Morris injury
The season opener at Colorado was expected to provide clarity to the quarterback situation at TCU.
While we did gain some answers, it’s hard not to walk away from the Horned Frogs’ 38-13 victory with more questions after a rocky start for the passing game and an injury to Chandler Morris.
Here’s what we do know: Morris won the starting quarterback job over Max Duggan during training camp and was always going to be the first quarterback under center.
“(I made the decision) with about six to eight days left in camp,” Dykes said. “Just felt like he gave us the best chance to win. That was the bottom line, you make decisions and hope they work. I thought he played well.”
While Dykes did not name a starter until the very last minute, there were signs that Morris was going to be the starter as camp progressed.
After winning the quarterback battle, it took Morris a half to really find himself. His first pass was behind Taye Barber and the next was thrown into double coverage as TCU went 3-and-out on its first possession.
There were a couple of other layup passes that Morris missed that plagued TCU’s slow start. Whether it was first-game jitters or the high altitude, it wasn’t the start anybody wanted.
“Colorado did a good job of just keeping us off balance. We really committed to running the ball in the second half and made some adjustments up front to what we doing,” Dykes said.
It was encouraging to see those adjustments immediately pay dividends as the offense scored every possession in the second half, except the final one where it took a knee.
As the ground game settled in so did Morris, as he completed 6 of 7 passes before exiting the game after being hit on a designed quarterback run.
That’s one of the most unfortunate things about Morris’ injury. It looked like he was beginning to turn the corner in the game and show what the offense can really do. Now his status going forward is uncertain.
While most teams’ expectations may crumble after an injury to the starting quarterback, the Horned Frogs had the luxury of being able to turn to veteran Max Duggan, who filled in and kept the offense rolling.
“Max came in and did exactly what I expected Max to do. He played like a veteran, played incredibly well. There’s not one person on our team that doesn’t believe in Max,” Dykes said. “He’s got so much experience. I thought he came in and handled it like a pro.”
Duggan completed two of three passes for 27 yards and added another 41 on the ground. If he was able to keep his feet on a few nice scrambles, he could’ve had more.
For him, it was just about staying ready for when his number was called.
“I was just thinking, go in there, run the offense and put us in successful situations. Just run the offense the way Coach Dykes and Coach (Garrett) Riley expect and rely on the o-line and the guys around us,” Duggan said.
After starting 29 games the past three seasons, it would’ve been easy to be frustrated with not being declared the winner in the quarterback competition, but that was never an option for Duggan.
“I knew what my role was and that was being the best backup I could tonight and helping out the team and helping out Chandler,” Duggan said. “We don’t have any ‘I’ guys on the team and I think that’s what really shows up. We’re all about the team and finding a win, no matter what the role is. Whether you’re starting or handing out Gatorade on the sideline.”
It’s a bit of a luxury to be able to turn to quarterback that’s started almost 30 games when your starter goes down, but questions still remain.
The passing game did a lot of its work at or behind the line of scrimmage with Quentin Johnston, Savion WIlliams and others making the most of jet touch passes and screens.
But what about the downfield shots we saw from both quarterbacks during the preseason? That aspect of the offense still appears to be a work in progress. It’s good timing that Tarleton State is coming into town.
We don’t how long Morris could potentially be out. We don’t know how exactly this offense will look despite some talented pieces.
As well as Duggan played, the quarterback position remains a question. Sam Jackson came in and was electric on his lone scoring drive as he rushed for a seven yard touchdown. Did he give the coaching staff something to think about in his brief appearance?
“The good thing is I think we have three quarterbacks that can all play well. You look at Sam and some of the things he did late in the game. I feel good about the position and hope Chandler gets back as quickly as possible. We’ve got guys that can step up and do their job when they need to,” Dykes said.
It’s good to have options as TCU could certainly be in a worse predicament. Looking at you, Colorado.
But at some point somebody will have to truly seize the job for TCU to truly be successful.
This story was originally published September 4, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
