Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder is out for Saturday’s game against University of Toledo

9/25/2012

Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder is out for Saturday’s game against University of Toledo with an injured throwing hand.

Broncos coach Bill Cubit made the announcement Tuesday after practice.

Not having to face Carder is good news for the Rockets, ranked No. 119 nationally against the pass. The senior has carved apart Toledo for 951 yards, including 548 and seven touchdowns last year.

Carder, who eclipsed 8,000 career passing yards in Saturday’s win over Connecticut, left late that game in the third quarter after hitting his hand against an opponent's helmet. In his absence, backup Tyler Van Tubbergen completed 3-of-6 passes for 16 yards. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound junior has appeared in 17 games in his career with two starts. He has thrown for 524 yards, two interceptions and one touchdown while completing 49 of 64 passes.

Toledo coach Matt Campbell said the Broncos play calling did not change much Saturday when Tubbergen entered.

Western Michigan (2-2) was a 2.5-point favorite but the game has since been removed from some sports books.