Bryce Petty (14) looked sharp against SMU, but their are question marks about his back moving forward. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
Losing quarterback Bryce Petty would be a backbreaker for the Bears, but the record-setting passer said he plans to play with two cracked bones in his back.
Petty was diagnosed with fractures in the transverses processes — tiny bones in the back — but is listed as day-to-day, and might play in Saturday’s game against Northwestern State.
Petty, considered a preseason contender to win the Heisman Trophy, left at halftime of Baylor’s 45-0 victory over SMU on Saturday. He completed 13 of 23 passes for 161 yards. When Petty left, he was grabbing his left hip.
“Every time I planted, I could feel it,” said Petty, who said he could have stayed in the game.
“It’s nothing that serious,” he said. “Everything’s good.”
An MRI revealed the two cracks on Monday.
He could sit out this week but the injury is typically more about managing pain. The tranverse process fractures heal on their own, but the Bears could protect him from taking any hits to cause setbacks.
Petty was the Big 12 player of the year in 2013. He threw for 4,200 yards with 32 touchdowns and three interceptions last season, when he completed 62 percent of his passes.
