Should James Franklin Play Against Kentucky?

Oct 12, 2013; Athens, GA, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback James Franklin (1) passes against the Georgia Bulldogs during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Missouri defeated Georgia 41-26. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

After suffering a shoulder injury in the win against Georgia, James Franklin has missed the last three games. That, however, may change this week, as Franklin will most likely be able to play against Kentucky. The question that is posed from a lot of people is if he should play. Well, in my opinion, no. The only way that Franklin should play in this game is if the game is in jeopardy and he is 100% healthy. There are a few main reasons that I think James Franklin shouldn’t play this week against Kentucky.

Maty Mauk Has Played Well– Sure, if Franklin was 100% healthy with no chance of re-injury, I think we would all want him as our starting quarterback. Sadly, though, that probably isn’t the case. The thing is, Maty has played very well, especially last week against Tennessee. There is no reason to put an injury risk in the game when Maty hasn’t done anything to lose his job as of this point.

Franklin Is Injury Prone– Remember last year when Franklin was battling injuries all season? The team went 5-7. We know how injury prone Franklin can be, as he hasn’t played an injury-free season in his career. We also know how downright bad this team is with an injured Franklin in the game. Let him rest this week, then he will have the bye week to rest some more, to assure he will be 100% ready to play.

It’s Kentucky– Kentucky is one of the worst teams in the SEC, if not the worst. Kentucky should pose no threat to Missouri, even if Bud Sasser was quarterback. This game shouldn’t be competitive with the firepower on the Missouri offense, along with the excellent defense.

There should be no reason that James Franklin should play this week against Kentucky. He should take the next two weeks to rest and get 100% healthy, and be completely ready to go against Ole Miss and Texas A&M to finish out the regular season.