Oct 26, 2015 03:06 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

The Baylor Bears will have to turn to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham for the remainder of the season due to Seth Russell's season-ending neck surgery.

Ranked second in the nation, Baylor is looking to keep pace with the best teams in the nation for a possible College Football Playoff berth, which they narrowly missed last season. Luckily for the Bears, Stidham has been getting regular playing time at the end of blowout victories.

"Seth exemplifies the spirit and will of our football team, and through this our team will keep that spirit alive and well for him," Baylor head football coach Art Briles said in a statement confirmed Russell's surgery.

According to ESPN, no one on Baylor's sideline even noticed Russell get hurt when it happened. Even his exit from the game seemed normal, as Stidham has finished off every one of Baylor's games this season.

Still, on fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter against Iowa State, Baylor called a timeout to discuss going for it versus kicking the field goal. Russell reportedly complained of neck pain and sat out the rest of the game. A postgame CT scan revealed a fracture, ESPN reported, but Briles was keen not to jump to any conclusions until Monday.

In 28 pass attempts spread out over seven games, Stidham has 24 completions for 331 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. At a glance, that stat line could well be from a single game, especially in Baylor's high-powered offense.

Stidham does not appear to be the runner Russell is, but that could be attributed to the backup coming in when the game is all but won.

"Stidham is the best young quarterback I've been around," Briles told ESPN. "He's very polished."

(Stats for Seth Russell, Jarrett Stidham courtesy of ESPN)

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