Nebraska QBs tested on first day
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BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
A lot will be expected from the Nebraska quarterback who emerges No. 1 in competition for the starting job.
That became evident Wednesday as the Huskers began spring practice with an up-tempo workout at Hawks Championship Center.
The four healthy quarterbacks in camp weren’t exactly eased into drills.
“We went fast and furious,” said fourth-year Nebraska coach Bill Callahan, noting that a large number of plays were installed.
Junior quarterback Joe Ganz said coaches tossed in a lot of “old plays with new twists.”
Callahan said the four quarterbacks “by and large” received an equal amount of snaps throughout the day. It marked the first of 15 spring practices.
“We did a lot of shifts, motions,” Callahan said. “We did not hold back from our package from where we ended last season against Auburn (in the Cotton Bowl). We picked up the installation the first day of practice as if we were just concluding the last day of practice.
“We’re starting to accelerate and try to take another step within our own system. These (quarterbacks) did very well with their retention and ability to enunciate plays and get the team out of the huddle and to the line of scrimmage, and have good execution on top of it.”
Ganz said he liked the manner in which practice was structured for the quarterbacks. He said intensity was high throughout the team.
“On the first day everybody’s got a lot of adrenaline,” Ganz said. “They’re really geeked up to go. By Friday or Saturday, it should be done. On the first day, you sit in the locker room and get a little nervous, not knowing exactly what to expect.”
Sam Keller, a transfer from Arizona State who sat out last season, is widely regarded as the favorite to claim the starting job, although he says Ganz has the early edge because of his familiarity with Callahan’s complex West Coast system.
“An offense like this, you can’t just step in and be perfect,” Keller said. “And I’m not perfect. I have a lot of work to do. But that’s a good thing. I’ll get in there and do the work because that’s what I love doing.
“That’s why I’m a quarterback. I love being in the film room and I love getting after it. And I’ve got coaches that like to do it, too. It’s just a matter of time.”
Keller bristles when the word “controversy” is attached to the Huskers’ QB race.
“One guy’s going to get the job done, and if it’s me then that means I will have put in the time to get good at this offense,” he said. “It’ll all play out, and the chips will fall, and the best man will play.
“I’ve never looked at it as a controversy. I just look at it as I’m doing the team a very big service if I know the offense inside and out like Joe does.”
-- MENDOZA PRAISE: True freshman I-back Marcus Mendoza drew praise for his work Wednesday. “I thought he did remarkably well in a couple of instances,” Callahan said. “He flashed a lot of speed. He’s got a lot of work to do. But just watching his overall athleticism emerge during practice was a lot of fun.” The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder from Houston is one of five members of NU’s 2007 recruiting class who enrolled early to be on hand for spring drills.
-- GIMME SHELTER: Nebraska practiced inside Hawks Championship Center despite 70-degree weather. “We had decided to come in here last week when we scheduled (practice),” Callahan said. “I think it’s a great atmosphere in here. The guys can focus, they can concentrate, and really it’s just an ideal situation for us because we’re familiar with the setup. For the first day, we didn’t want to be in the midst of anything if the forecast changed.”
-- BROTHERS GONE: Titus Brothers, a senior cornerback from San Antonio who twice helped preserve Nebraska wins with last-moment plays, is no longer with the team. In 2004, he helped bat down a pass on the final play of a 24-17 triumph at Pittsburgh. And in 2005, he made a game-saving tackle on the wild final play of an Alamo Bowl triumph against Michigan.
-- UP NEXT: Nebraska resumes practice Friday.
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