Jaylen Henderson is Expected to Start at QB for West Virginia vs. Utah

The Texas A&M transfer is believed to get the starting nod on Saturday.

West Virginia University quarterback Jaylen Henderson | Christopher Hall – West Virginia on SI

West Virginia will be rocking with a new starting quarterback tomorrow afternoon as Nicco Marchiol is sidelined with a foot injury. ESPN's Pete Thamel reported on Friday night that the expectation is for Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson to be that guy who gets the starting nod, which was to be expected.

Henderson has logged the most reps of the available quarterbacks, but as we all know, Rich Rodriguez will likely throw in another quarterback at some point throughout the game. In all four games this season, multiple quarterbacks have played.

"All of our quarterbacks, all of them, can make the throws," Rodriguez said earlier this week. "It's a matter of throwing it to the right guy at the right time and reading the defense. There's a lot to quarterback play. It's more challenging than ever before because defenses have become more complicated.

Last week against Kansas, Henderson rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown on just seven carries, leading the Mountaineers 90+ yards on its only touchdown drive of the night.

“Yeah, I thought he ran okay," Rodriguez said about Henderson's performance vs. Kansas. "He had a couple decent runs. I thought he was seeing the field. I really liked his demeanor. It’s hard sometimes when you come off the bench cold in a situation like that, but when we put him in, he acted like a veteran.”

During his time at Texas A&M, Henderson completed 53-of-78 pass attempts for 715 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. Because he hasn't lit it up in just 11 pass attempts this season with the Mountaineers, there's a narrative that's been created that he can't throw the ball downfield, which is an unfair assessment. At A&M, he completed 6-of-13 pass attempts 20+ yards downfield and was near 70% passing overall.

The Mountaineers and Utes are scheduled to kick things off at approximately 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX. Be sure to tune into the Mountaineer Postgame Show on our YouTube channel (West Virginia On SI) directly after the game.

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