Report: Baylor QB Bryce Petty has two cracked bones in his back, listed day-to-day

Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty has two cracks in his back stemming from an injury he suffered against SMU on Sunday, according to CBSSports.com.

An MRI on Monday morning revealed that Petty had two bones sticking out from his spine that were cracked. Petty is listed as day-to-day, but expects to play in Saturday’s game against Northwestern State.

Why? We have no idea.

Petty was injured during the first half of the 45-0 win against SMU and the injury was made worse when he was hit while diving into the end zone. Cameras caught Petty wincing as teammates had to help their starting quarterback off the turf. Despite the obvious discomfort, Petty played the entire first half. He was held out of the second half with what Baylor called a lower back bruise.

Everyone who was watching the game and even the commentators wondered why Petty was still playing when he was noticeably hobbled and the game was never in doubt.

Coach Art Briles was asked why Petty stayed in the game despite the injury and Briles said: “He needed the reps.”

What Petty needs to do now is sit out the gimme game against Northwestern State, the game against Buffalo, embrace the bye week and get healed for games that Baylor actually needs him to win. Petty’s injury will heal on its own, but not if he continues to aggravate it and that’s exactly what will happen if he plays.

Yes, Petty is a Heisman contender, but padding his stats against weak opponents isn’t going to win him the award; it’s the games against Big 12 Conference foes such as Oklahoma and Texas that will be the deciding factors. If Petty isn’t 100 percent in those games because machismo is forcing him to play games the Bears could win with 10 players then Baylor has no one but itself to blame.

For more Baylor news, visit SicEmSports.com.

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday

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From Dr. Saturday - NCAAF - Yahoo Sports - Report: Baylor QB Bryce Petty has two cracked bones in his back, listed day-to-day