UConn football: Steven Krajewski out 6-8 weeks, Mike Beaudry to start against USF

UConn football’s messy quarterback situation just got messier. On Monday, Randy Edsall announced that new starter Steven Krajewski suffered a broken clavicle in the first quarter of the Huskies’ blowout loss to UCF and will be out 6-8 weeks. In his place, Mike Beaudry will regain the starting job.

The quarterback position has been in near constant flux this season for UConn. Let’s recap:

Beaudry won the job out of training camp and put up an okay performance against Wagner, doing enough to get the win. However, he suffered a shoulder injury during the game which kept him out against Illinois. True freshman Jack Zergiotis came in and went 21-of-31 for 275 yards along with two interceptions and showed Edsall enough to be named the starting quarterback moving forward.

However, in his first road game, Zergiotis got off to a tough start and never recovered, completing just 14 of 28 passes for only 90 yards. Krajewski came on in relief late but Zergiotis maintained the starting job going into UCF.

Against the Knights, though, the wheels came off for the true freshman. He went 1-for-3 with a pick and a fumble before he was pulled in favor of Krajewski. The redshirt freshman’s first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown but after that, Krajewski settled in, going 22-for-33 for 273 yards and three touchdowns against the UCF backups. After the game, Edsall affirmed him the team’s third starting quarterback after four games.

Now with Krajewski out, it’s back to Beaudry under center. From what we saw against Wagner, Beaudry can make short throws but doesn’t have much arm strength or accuracy beyond 10 yards or so. He can use his legs to gain yards if needed but isn’t exactly a threat on the ground.

Beaudry’s health isn’t exactly clear, either. After the UCF game, Edsall told reporters Beaudry was available but then went back on that statement on Sunday:

“He’s hurt,” Edsall said on a conference call. “He got hurt in the Wagner game. That’s why he didn’t play. I think he’ll finally be cleared this week.”

While it appears like Beaudry will be ready to go on Saturday, Zergiotis will be the backup if needed. After those two, true freshman walk-on Miles Foerster is the only other healthy option at quarterback after NC State transfer Micah Leon had season-ending shoulder surgery. Assuming Beaudry stays healthy, it seems logical that Zergiotis will redshirt the season and hopefully be more prepared come next season.

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