Marchiol Showed Up but WVU Fans Should Expect to See More of Henderson

Nicco Marchiol was named the West Virginia starting quarterback early last week, behind closed doors, with the news leaking out just a couple of hours before kickoff.

The expectation going into the game was that multiple quarterbacks were going to see action, and while four of them did eventually check into the game, it took a little longer to get to those other three than Rich Rodriguez or the fans would have liked.

“If we had played better and coached better, these guys would have got in the game earlier, and we could have made a better assessment," he said in his postgame press conference. "I thought when Jaylen (Henderson) came in, he ran really well. He’s got a nice burst. And then the two young guys, Scotty (Fox) and Khalil (Wilkins), they’re really talented guys that have really shown some stuff.”

Marchiol did exactly what he needed to do, completing a bunch of passes, hitting on a deep ball to Cam Vaughn, and even making some things happen with his legs. Coming out of Saturday's game, it's clear that at this point, Marchiol is the starter.

That being said, is there still room for Texas A&M transfer Jaylen Henderson to make an impact?

Absolutely.

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

I don't know if it will be in the first series, first quarter, or first half, for that matter, but I'd be willing to bet we see a larger sample size of Henderson this week against Ohio and moving forward. No, I'm not suggesting a true two-QB system where Marchiol and Henderson equally split the reps. I'm simply saying, find 10-12 plays per game for Henderson to make some things happen and lower the chance of Marchiol getting hurt.

Everyone knows how much Rodriguez likes to run his quarterbacks and proved that in the opener, rushing Marchiol, who is not viewed as an explosive runner with elite speed, 13 times. When he runs it, he's going to run through people, not around them. Over the course of a 12-game season, he'll start to feel the accumulation of those hits.

Plus, Henderson is very capable of running the offense, and unlike most situations where a second quarterback is implemented, he's not a one-trick pony where you know he's coming in to run the ball. He can sling it around just as good, so with him under center (or in the gun), the offense doesn't change.

By giving Henderson a handful a dozen or so plays a game, you're also keeping him ready and comfortable to run the show in the event that Marchiol goes down. Marchiol is the guy, but Henderson should absolutely have more of a role moving forward.

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