Circle The Wagons

Mickens had to start all over on May 8, when he packed up his maroon 1980 Buick and put Bloomington in his rear-view mirror. He headed for his hometown of Indianapolis and Butler, his last hope of being a running back.

" Indiana let me try out for fullback near the end, but my heart wasn't in it," he says. "Do you know how often the fullback carries the ball at IU?" Indeed, through six games Hoosier starting fullback Steve Lee has zero carries.

Instead of clearing swaths for Smith, Mickens chose Butler, only four miles from where he grew up. There are no football scholarships at Butler, so he foots the bill for his education through loans, financial aid and by working in the off-season. "This is about being happy," says Mickens. "I will pay $18,000 a year, I will leave the Big Ten. I'll even go to DePauw or Division IV to be happy."

Mickens didn't have to go that far. He is back home again, in Indiana. Just not at Indiana.

Studying Understudies

After Florida quarterback Terry Dean threw his fourth interception early in the second half against Auburn last Saturday (page 34), coach Steve Spurrier replaced him with sophomore Danny Wuerffel. Not only did the Gators not miss a beat, but Wuerffel also threw three touchdown passes to take them from a 22-14 deficit to a 33-29 lead. Though the Tigers eventually won 36-33, Wuerffel, a starter for seven games last season, proved himself a more than capable backup.

Florida is not the only powerhouse that has had to plumb its depths at quarterback. Unbeaten Nebraska has been starting a backup quarterback since Tommy Frazier was sidelined with blood clots in his right leg on Oct. 1.

What if your favorite unbeaten team suddenly lost its starting quarterback? Here's a list of the second-stringers from the country's remaining unbeaten teams—in descending order of their ability to till the cleats of the starter.

? Koy Detmer, sophomore. Colorado. Career stats: 73 completions in 131 attempts for 1,084 yards, nine touchdowns. Has a strong arm, excellent pedigree (brother Ty won the Heisman at BYU in 1990) and experience, having appeared in seven games in '92.

?Brian Burgdorf, junior, Alabama. Career stats: 64 of 119 for 735 yards, four TDs. Was named MVP of the 1993 Gator Bowl after starting in place of injured Jay Barker and leading the Tide to a 24-10 win over North Carolina.