Will Hall updates status of injured Southern Miss football QB Ty Keyes
Southern Miss quarterback Ty Keyes could play Saturday when the Golden Eagles travel to Miami to play the Hurricanes, according to USM coach Will Hall.
Keyes left USM's season-opening loss to Liberty late in the second quarter after Flames safety Robert Rahimi nailed him on the chin with the crown of his helmet. Rahimi was consequently ejected from the game for targeting.
"He's with the training room and he's working through it," Hall said Monday. "I would say there's a chance he's going to play this week. We don't know enough yet to comment any further. We're moving forward, giving him every bit of resource we can give him for his overall health and well-being."
Asked about the specific nature of the injury, Hall declined to comment further.
Keyes completed 4-of-8 passes for 89 yards and two interceptions. He also rushed seven times for 27 yards.
In the immediate aftermath of his injury, he was replaced by veteran Trey Lowe. Lowe's first and only pass was a deep shot down the sideline to Brandon Hayes that was intercepted.
When the Golden Eagles (0-1) came out of the locker room at halftime, they turned to their Super Back system, a wildcat spinoff with star tailback Frank Gore Jr. taking the majority of the snaps.
"I just felt like our defense was in control," Hall said. "We felt like we were dominating the line of scrimmage. We went to the Super Back and went right down the field and scored, so why change?"
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Southern Miss' offense was statistically more effective with the Super Back formation in the second half, averaging 6.4 yards per play with one turnover compared to 5.1 yards per play with four turnovers in the first half.
Should Keyes be unavailable against the Hurricanes, it's unclear whether Hall will opt to play a traditional quarterback.
The Golden Eagles have a talented true freshman quarterback in Zach Wilcke, who shared the backup duties with Lowe during the preseason and on the first depth chart of the year.
Hall didn't feel Wilcke was ready to be thrown into a close game against the Flames, but hinted that he could see time against Miami (1-0).
"I never want to play them before they're ready," Hall said.
"He will play at some point this year. That may be this week. He continues to get better every day and he's going to be a really good player along with Ty. It was not a lack of faith in him, it was just the circumstances. I didn't want that to be the first time we ever put him in a game."
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Southern Miss football coach Will Hall updates status of Ty Keyes
