Posted by ESPN.com's Graham Watson
Memphis' entire season changed 11 minutes into Saturday's game against East Carolina.
That's the amount of time it took both starting quarterback Arkelon Hall and backup Will Hudgens to suffer major injuries that could force both to miss the season.
Memphis coach Tommy West said during his press conference Monday that Hall suffered a broken thumb, was placed in a cast and would miss four-to six weeks. Hudgens had an MRI, which revealed a torn MCL and ACL, and will miss the rest of the year.
"I really feel bad for both of the quarterbacks, but in particular Will Hudgens because of what he has done and the kind of kid he is. He is a team guy," West said. "It is kind of sad, when he gets his opportunities on two different occasions to be the quarterback, he gets hurt. Two years ago, it is a game later and he breaks his leg. This time he gets seven plays as the quarterback and then hurts his knee.
"[Hall] has seen a hand specialist. Right now, they are not looking to do surgery on his hand... It is just a guess of how his thumb does on whether or not he will be ready to play at all at the end of the year. It is a definite four weeks and possibly six weeks."
The injuries couldn't have come at a worse time. The Tigers were just starting to gain some footing in C-USA East and a win over East Carolina would have put them 2-2 in the conference and within striking distance of the divisional title.
The Memphis offense also was turning into one of the better offenses in the conference, averaging 430.13 yards per game. It was scoring nearly 26 points per game, which is the second-best total on the East side of the conference.
Now, Memphis must put its season in the hands Brett Toney, Tyler Bass and Maurice Jones to carry the load at quarterback. Toney came into Saturday's game -- the first action of the junior's career -- and completed 11-of-15 passes for 65 yards. Bass threw three passes, completed one and had another picked off.
West said the original plan was to redshirt Bass, but now he'll see a lot more time. He and Toney will split time under center, but West seemed to intimate that the job could ultimately belong to Bass. Jones will be the third guy, but won't see time unless something happens to either of the other two.
Memphis hosts Southern Miss on Saturday.
"It is really a shame for our offense," West said. "This offense holds just about every record offensively running and throwing the ball. This offense was on track to be the best one we have had. In saying that, [offensive coordinator] Clay [Helton] has had a major part in building this offense to be the best we have ever had in the history of this school. Now he has the challenge of finding a way to keep this offense going and that is exactly what we intend on doing."
Watson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Missouri Tigers and the Big 12 Conference for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. She also covered college football recruiting for the Dallas Morning News.
