Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Q&A with Joe Ganz
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, Dec 23, 2006 - 11:16:03 pm CST
Husker quarterback Joe Ganz stiff-arms a Nicholls State defender during Nebraska's 56-7 victory in September at Memorial Stadium. (AP)
A native of suburban Chicago, Joe Ganz has served as Nebraska senior quarterback Zac Taylor’s backup all season. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Ganz, a sophomore, appeared in four games and completed 7 of 13 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
He is a feisty type of player who has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. Although he often is overlooked in the Huskers’ quarterback picture, Ganz continues to battle without complaint — a trait that has made him something of a fan favorite.
You’re an ardent Bears fan. So, who is your favorite player?
“There are a couple. I like (Brian) Urlacher, obviously, Mike Brown and my boy Rex Grossman. I have to stick with him. Everyone’s dogging him. But he’s 12-2, so I have to stick with my boy Rex. I wear my Grossman jersey all around the locker room, and the guys give me (guff) about it.”
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So, what exactly do the fellas say about Grossman?
“They say, ‘Aw, he sucks. The Bears are never going to win with him.’ I hear it from everybody. But he’s a tough kid. He was kind of overlooked in the draft. He had kind of a bad senior year at Florida. I just think he kind of fits the Chicago quarterback mode that I like, kind of like Jim McMahon.”
If Grossman asked you for advice, what would you tell him?
“Check it down — he’s trying to force too many throws. He has a little Brett Favre in him, which scares me a little bit.”
Which areas of your own game do you feel like you’ve improved most this season?
“Probably just my sense of timing. The game’s slowing down a little bit for me. I know the offense real well. I know what my reads and progressions are. There’s no more guessing when I leave the huddle like there was my freshman year.”
What is your all-time favorite Christmas gift?
“I’d probably have to say it’s a pair of Air Jordans I got when I was 8 or 9. They had patent leather all the way around — the black ones with the clear soles.”
What gifts do you most desire this year?
“I don’t know. I mean, my parents ask me and I tell them I’m getting too old for gifts — just give me money. I’m in college. I need some money.”
C’mon, there has to be something?
“Oh, I am getting this old-school DVD that nobody could find. We finally found it. It’s ‘Are You Afraid of The Dark?’ It’s this Nickelodeon TV show that was on when I was a kid. I used to watch it every Saturday night. It’s a ghost-story type of deal. I grew up with it and I loved it. I haven’t seen one in about five or six years since they stopped running them. I used to watch it religiously.”
What does your mom think of those sideburns?
(Laughs) “She likes them. Last year I grew my hair out. I didn’t touch it for nine or 10 months. I could never grow sideburns. Then, all of a sudden, I cut the hair off and I was like, ‘Oh, they’re here.’ So I kept them. I’m not really too concerned about my appearance.”
What makes your native Chicago special this time of year?
“In the city, all the big stores put up displays in the windows. You walk around Michigan Avenue, and there’s Christmas stuff in the windows. There’s a huge 50-foot tree on Michigan Avenue. It’s pretty cool.”
BY STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Saturday, Dec 23, 2006 - 11:16:03 pm CST
Husker quarterback Joe Ganz stiff-arms a Nicholls State defender during Nebraska's 56-7 victory in September at Memorial Stadium. (AP)
A native of suburban Chicago, Joe Ganz has served as Nebraska senior quarterback Zac Taylor’s backup all season. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Ganz, a sophomore, appeared in four games and completed 7 of 13 passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
He is a feisty type of player who has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches. Although he often is overlooked in the Huskers’ quarterback picture, Ganz continues to battle without complaint — a trait that has made him something of a fan favorite.
You’re an ardent Bears fan. So, who is your favorite player?
“There are a couple. I like (Brian) Urlacher, obviously, Mike Brown and my boy Rex Grossman. I have to stick with him. Everyone’s dogging him. But he’s 12-2, so I have to stick with my boy Rex. I wear my Grossman jersey all around the locker room, and the guys give me (guff) about it.”
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So, what exactly do the fellas say about Grossman?
“They say, ‘Aw, he sucks. The Bears are never going to win with him.’ I hear it from everybody. But he’s a tough kid. He was kind of overlooked in the draft. He had kind of a bad senior year at Florida. I just think he kind of fits the Chicago quarterback mode that I like, kind of like Jim McMahon.”
If Grossman asked you for advice, what would you tell him?
“Check it down — he’s trying to force too many throws. He has a little Brett Favre in him, which scares me a little bit.”
Which areas of your own game do you feel like you’ve improved most this season?
“Probably just my sense of timing. The game’s slowing down a little bit for me. I know the offense real well. I know what my reads and progressions are. There’s no more guessing when I leave the huddle like there was my freshman year.”
What is your all-time favorite Christmas gift?
“I’d probably have to say it’s a pair of Air Jordans I got when I was 8 or 9. They had patent leather all the way around — the black ones with the clear soles.”
What gifts do you most desire this year?
“I don’t know. I mean, my parents ask me and I tell them I’m getting too old for gifts — just give me money. I’m in college. I need some money.”
C’mon, there has to be something?
“Oh, I am getting this old-school DVD that nobody could find. We finally found it. It’s ‘Are You Afraid of The Dark?’ It’s this Nickelodeon TV show that was on when I was a kid. I used to watch it every Saturday night. It’s a ghost-story type of deal. I grew up with it and I loved it. I haven’t seen one in about five or six years since they stopped running them. I used to watch it religiously.”
What does your mom think of those sideburns?
(Laughs) “She likes them. Last year I grew my hair out. I didn’t touch it for nine or 10 months. I could never grow sideburns. Then, all of a sudden, I cut the hair off and I was like, ‘Oh, they’re here.’ So I kept them. I’m not really too concerned about my appearance.”
What makes your native Chicago special this time of year?
“In the city, all the big stores put up displays in the windows. You walk around Michigan Avenue, and there’s Christmas stuff in the windows. There’s a huge 50-foot tree on Michigan Avenue. It’s pretty cool.”
