Brock Huard had some perspective to offer when North Carolina quarterback Max Johnson went down with a season-ending injury on Friday night.
When the camera panned to Johnson’s mom in the stands, Huard — who played quarterback in college and for three NFL seasons — spoke eloquently about his own mother.
“My mom was a 3-time QB mom, it’s a hard job… every eyeball judges a QB on every single play and moms carry that weight.”@BrockHuard gets emotional while watching Max Johnson’s mom in tears after her son exited the game due to injury 💔 pic.twitter.com/PJuMsn7pCV
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) August 30, 2024
“My mom was a three-time quarterback mom,” Huard said on the Fox broadcast. “It’s a hard job. It’s kind of like a pastor’s wife. It can be a very lonely place.
“Every eyeball judges a quarterback on every single play and moms carry that weight. They sense it. They feel it. They hear it in ways… it’s kind of hard for me to watch, to be honest with you.”
Johnson was carted off the field and later confirmed to have a broken leg.
North Carolina ended up beating Minnesota 19-17, but losing Johnson in the third quarter overshadowed the victory.
Sophomore Connor Harrell replaced Johnson and led a late drive to set up a game-winning 45-yard field goal.
“I thought he was getting his confidence and coming into his own in the third quarter when he got hurt,” UNC coach Mack Brown told reporters Friday night of Johnson. “We’re not sure how badly he’s hurt. He’s at the hospital with his parents and we will wait. He’s in our thoughts and prayers for sure.”
The broken leg was confirmed on Saturday morning, meaning Johnson will miss the remainder of the season.