By SCOTT BELL
BYU's offensive outlook isn't getting any brighter.
It was learned Sunday that quarterback Kevin Feterik fractured his right ankle in Saturday's game against Rice. The injury only serves to raise more questions about the Cougar offense coming off its dismal nine-yard output in the second half against Rice.
It is unknown how long Feterik will be out of action. The fracture occurred in the same ankle he sprained against Utah State. Apparently, playing on the sprain had nothing to do with the fracture.
'It's kind of ironic it happened,' said offensive coordinator Norm Chow. 'He had the ankle taped so hard, it was like a cast. It's amazing that it happened.'
Doctors told Feterik that the fracture occurred in the best place as possible. In medical jargon, it's called a non-displaced fracture, meaning that the bone is still aligned properly. While the exact timetable for Feterik's return had not been set, it is expected he will miss at least a few weeks.
The injury occurred on the third play from scrimmage Saturday night. After Feterik completed a screen to Brian McKenzie, he was pushed by a Rice defender, and came down awkwardly on his ankle. Feterik continued playing after the injury, and didn't find out until Sunday that he had sustained a fracture.
According to Chow, junior Paul Shoemaker will start on Saturday against Hawaii in place of Feterik. Shoemaker had a rough outing against Rice, throwing five incompletions and one interception in six attempts. He was even replaced by freshman Drew Miller late in the game.
Miller will be in much the same situation Feterik was going into the season. If Shoemaker struggles, Miller will come on.
Miller forfeited any chance of redshirting with his appearance in Saturday's game.
'The whole idea is if a guy doesn't play he can redshirt,' Chow said. 'We had it in the back of our minds if we never needed him, he could redshirt. But we need him now, so he's ready to go.'
Miller is a true freshman. The Washington native was highly recruited out of high school last year and has been impressive in practices.
'He's the son of a coach, so he's kind of like Ty Detmer. He's been around football, he's a quarterback,' Chow said. 'But there's a big difference between practicing and playing.'
Miller found that out the hard way. He was sacked for a safety in his first and only collegiate play Saturday.
BYU's third-string quarterback during Feterik's absence will be sophomore Shane Barlow.
'This isn't the NFL,' Chow said. 'We can't go out and buy someone. We'll play with what we got. But we don't make excuses. We just play.'