Eric the Red
Team HuskerBoard
Ganz not letting up
By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Jul 13, 2007 - 02:46:54 pm CDT
Nebraska’s quarterback competition was white hot during the spring season, but figured to cool during the summer months as the Huskers pushed through “informal” workouts at Memorial Stadium.
It’s summer, and the living’s easy, right?
Turns out, these dog days of summer also have some bite, at least as far as Joe Ganz and Sam Keller’s ongoing competition is concerned.
“The whole thing about being a quarterback is that every little drill, you’re competing with yourself and with the guy you’re battling for the job,” Ganz said Friday. “Especially when you get out with the team in seven-on-seven (passing) situations — that’s when you want to do real well.”
Nebraska’s summer workout regimen began June 10 and ends July 27. The Huskers formally begin preseason drills on Aug. 6 and open the regular season Sept. 1 in Lincoln against Nevada. In the energy-sapping heat of August, when preparation gets into full swing — that’s when the Huskers’ QB battle will be decided.
Indeed, Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan said he likely would wait to make a decision on a starter until he sees Keller and Ganz perform in full-pad scrimmaging next month. The coach said that probably will take until the third week of practice.
For now, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Ganz — widely regarded as the underdog in the race to replace Zac Taylor — focuses on preparing his body to get banged around during what can become a long season. He also has tried to improve his footwork on drops, trying to be as efficient as possible. Meanwhile, Keller has said his objective this summer was to “get in sync” with his wide receivers.
Because coaches are barred by NCAA rules from watching summer drills, pressure on players perhaps ratchets down, if only a tad.
“It’s less intense, yeah, but the competition’s always there, especially being a quarterback,” Ganz said.
The junior from suburban Chicago likes it that way.
“Obviously, competition helps a lot,” he said. “Competition always brings out the best or makes you quit. Obviously I haven’t quit. You can either quit or face it and get better.”
Ganz understands that most fans and media anticipate the starting job going to Keller, a 6-4, 230-pound senior transfer from Arizona State.
“That’s natural, just looking at what he did at Arizona State,” Ganz said. “That’s fine with me. Whatever. I really don’t care who the media wants to be the quarterback. It’s up to the team and up to the coaches. That’s what’s most important to me.”
Nebraska returns 13 starters from last year’s team that finished with a 9-5 record, including a 21-7 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game. The Huskers will gun for their first conference title since 1999.
A veteran corps of receivers is regarded as one of the team’s foremost attributes.
“The main guys — like Terrence (Nunn), Todd (Peterson) and Nate (Swift) — they’re doing a great job of helping the young guys,” Ganz said. “They’ve been doing this stuff for years. It’s memory, so they can do it without a mistake every time. The timing’s on, the routes are on. It’s a pretty nice display.
“It’s just great to see guys not taking the summer off and working hard, because we have something special here. I mean, you can just feel it. There’s a certain feel in the locker room. Everybody wants to get better. They know this season is the season we need to get it done.
“There’s an urgency. Guys want to prove that we can finally get back on top of the Big 12.”
Ganz is confident he will emerge on top at quarterback.
“The biggest thing now is getting your body ready for the season,” he said. “Now that I have a chance to play in every game, I’m just trying to get my body in shape and trying to put on some weight, so I’m ready to get banged around.
“Just look at Zac. He took a beating last year.”
Ganz said he actually weighs nearly 210, about five pounds more than last August.
“Those extra few pounds can make a pretty big difference,” he said.
Briefly
I-back Cody Glenn, bothered by a nagging foot injury since November, is running well this summer, Ganz said. “You can just tell he’s not really favoring that foot,” Ganz said. “He’s back to how we remember him running.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.
By STEVEN M. SIPPLE / Lincoln Journal Star
Friday, Jul 13, 2007 - 02:46:54 pm CDT
Nebraska’s quarterback competition was white hot during the spring season, but figured to cool during the summer months as the Huskers pushed through “informal” workouts at Memorial Stadium.
It’s summer, and the living’s easy, right?
Turns out, these dog days of summer also have some bite, at least as far as Joe Ganz and Sam Keller’s ongoing competition is concerned.
“The whole thing about being a quarterback is that every little drill, you’re competing with yourself and with the guy you’re battling for the job,” Ganz said Friday. “Especially when you get out with the team in seven-on-seven (passing) situations — that’s when you want to do real well.”
Nebraska’s summer workout regimen began June 10 and ends July 27. The Huskers formally begin preseason drills on Aug. 6 and open the regular season Sept. 1 in Lincoln against Nevada. In the energy-sapping heat of August, when preparation gets into full swing — that’s when the Huskers’ QB battle will be decided.
Indeed, Nebraska head coach Bill Callahan said he likely would wait to make a decision on a starter until he sees Keller and Ganz perform in full-pad scrimmaging next month. The coach said that probably will take until the third week of practice.
For now, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Ganz — widely regarded as the underdog in the race to replace Zac Taylor — focuses on preparing his body to get banged around during what can become a long season. He also has tried to improve his footwork on drops, trying to be as efficient as possible. Meanwhile, Keller has said his objective this summer was to “get in sync” with his wide receivers.
Because coaches are barred by NCAA rules from watching summer drills, pressure on players perhaps ratchets down, if only a tad.
“It’s less intense, yeah, but the competition’s always there, especially being a quarterback,” Ganz said.
The junior from suburban Chicago likes it that way.
“Obviously, competition helps a lot,” he said. “Competition always brings out the best or makes you quit. Obviously I haven’t quit. You can either quit or face it and get better.”
Ganz understands that most fans and media anticipate the starting job going to Keller, a 6-4, 230-pound senior transfer from Arizona State.
“That’s natural, just looking at what he did at Arizona State,” Ganz said. “That’s fine with me. Whatever. I really don’t care who the media wants to be the quarterback. It’s up to the team and up to the coaches. That’s what’s most important to me.”
Nebraska returns 13 starters from last year’s team that finished with a 9-5 record, including a 21-7 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game. The Huskers will gun for their first conference title since 1999.
A veteran corps of receivers is regarded as one of the team’s foremost attributes.
“The main guys — like Terrence (Nunn), Todd (Peterson) and Nate (Swift) — they’re doing a great job of helping the young guys,” Ganz said. “They’ve been doing this stuff for years. It’s memory, so they can do it without a mistake every time. The timing’s on, the routes are on. It’s a pretty nice display.
“It’s just great to see guys not taking the summer off and working hard, because we have something special here. I mean, you can just feel it. There’s a certain feel in the locker room. Everybody wants to get better. They know this season is the season we need to get it done.
“There’s an urgency. Guys want to prove that we can finally get back on top of the Big 12.”
Ganz is confident he will emerge on top at quarterback.
“The biggest thing now is getting your body ready for the season,” he said. “Now that I have a chance to play in every game, I’m just trying to get my body in shape and trying to put on some weight, so I’m ready to get banged around.
“Just look at Zac. He took a beating last year.”
Ganz said he actually weighs nearly 210, about five pounds more than last August.
“Those extra few pounds can make a pretty big difference,” he said.
Briefly
I-back Cody Glenn, bothered by a nagging foot injury since November, is running well this summer, Ganz said. “You can just tell he’s not really favoring that foot,” Ganz said. “He’s back to how we remember him running.”
Reach Steven M. Sipple at 473-7440 or ssipple@journalstar.com.