With football’s season opener just more than one week away, the Huskies may very well be down a leader on defense early on as they continue their search for the offense’s new leader.

Jamaal Bass may not play in season opener

Jamaal Bass, redshirt senior outside linebacker, could miss the season opener against the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Aug. 28, head coach Rod Carey said after Tuesday’s practice.

Bass, a 2013 All-MAC First Team selection and the Huskies’ leading returning tackler, missed all of spring camp while recovering from offseason surgery and has been restricted practice-wise in fall camp.

“He’s been really, really limited [in fall camp practice],” Carey said. “I don’t know that he’ll be ready for the first game. I honestly don’t know that he’ll be ready for the first game. He’s progressing, I can tell you that. He’s looking better every day, but I don’t think he’s close enough to be playing the first game yet.”

Quarterback battle lingers on

While the quarterback race has been in full tilt since spring camp, Carey said no one has separated themselves yet to win the starting job.

Redshirt junior Matt McIntosh and redshirt sophomores Drew Hare and Anthony Maddie continue to duke it out on the field, and Carey said all three “played really well in [Thursday’s] scrimmage” and all have continued to elevate their game.

Carey has said since spring camp he won’t run a two-QB system. With Football Championship Subdivision Presbyterian coming to DeKalb Aug. 28, there’s always the opportunity for the coaching staff to play two or all three quarterbacks against the Blue Hose to better gauge who would make the best starting QB in 2014; however, Carey said he hasn’t thought about going that route yet.

“I haven’t gotten that far because we’re in a battle right now,” Carey said. “We’ll do however the battle dictates.”

Injuries

Carey said he didn’t have any updates on tailback Cameron Stingily’s injury following Tuesday’s practice. He still expects Stingily to miss the first four games.

Carey didn’t have any new player injuries to pass along, saying the team looks good.