I don't think Bauserman could have held the starting job for 7 game. He only lasted 3 games in 2011. By the end of the season he was 3rd QB on the depth chart and Kenny Guiton took over the backup job.
I do think some of the problem with McCord is how Day has set up this offense around him. He just isn't on the level of Haskins, Fields, or Stroud. Day didn't adjust the offense accordingly to take the load off McCord until recently. Day really should have spent the offseason adjusting the offense to lean on our playmakers in different ways so that McCord or Brown could take a backseat instead of expecting one of them to level up to being able to run the offense the previous QBs could.